PROPAGATING AND PRUNING OF CURRANTS. 



the required height is attained, which 

 need not exceed three feet. If the soil 

 is rich and the bushes make strong 

 growth they may be permitted to grow 

 to a height of four feet. All laterals 

 that are thrown out from each main 

 branch should be cut back to two buds, 

 at the winter pruning. It will be found 

 when the laterals are treated in this way, 

 that fruit spurs will be formed through- 

 out the whole length of the main 

 branch. The object in cutting to a bud 

 pointing outward, is to encourage the 

 bush to form an outward growth. 

 Under this treatment, work among the 

 bushes will be found much more con- 

 venient, and better fruit will be pro- 

 duced. There will be an abundance of 

 leaves and laterals formed each year, to 

 shade the fruit from the direct rays of 

 the sun ; thus the gathering of the fruit 

 will be made much easier, and a 

 belter appearance given to the plants. 



The accompanying cut Fig. 1275, 

 shows the manner of pruning and the 

 position of the fruit buds on the main 

 branch. 



Fig. 1274 represents a branch of the 

 currant in its natural state, with but 

 few fruit spurs. It will be readily seen 

 that the plant has to produce a great 

 amount of wood which should go to the 

 production of fruit, if pruned as in Fig. 



1275- 



This system of cultivation has been 

 used at this Station, and has proved 

 very successful. It will be understood 

 that the system referred to above does 

 not apply to the treatment of the black 

 currant. It is practiced only with the 

 white and the red varieties. The fruit 

 of the black currant is produced on the 

 one year old wood, and consequently it 

 must not be spur-pruned. Simply thin 



out all wood that has already fruited 

 and leave the young wood for the pro- 

 duction of fruit the following season. 

 This treatment encourages it to produce 

 a strong growth of young wood each 

 year. 



Fig. 1275.— The above Plate shows the fruit- 

 ing of the Currant when treated as in Fig. 

 1-273. 



33 



