234 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



PRUNING GOOSEBERRIES AND CURRANTS. 

 Gooseberries. 



ON FINE pruning chiefly to thinning out main branches 

 and cutting out weak and exhausted parts, regulating the 

 current year's young wood as evenly as possible over the 

 trees at such distances apart that the hand may be passed 

 down among them without being scratched. Allow no 

 shoots to remain to grow inwards or in reversed positions 

 whereby they tend to crowd the centres, which ought to 

 remaui moderately open. Keep the shoots clear of the ground by cutting away 

 the lowest growths. The pendulous-growing varieties require special attention 

 in this respect, and when pruned ought to be cut to upward pointing buds. 

 Prune erect growers to outward buds, and those of spreading growth to inside 

 buds, which will modify to some extent their natural habit, producing more 

 shapely and serviceable bushes. In thinning out, either cut the shoots dispensed 

 with entirely out close to the old wood, or leave them to the extent of an inch^ 

 when they will form spurs at the base. A dusting of lime when the bushes are 

 damp is good for the trees, destructive of insects, and a preventive of birds taking 

 the buds. If manure is needed draw the earth from below the branches till the 

 roots are visible, then spread a layer of decayed manure on them, covering with 

 a sprinkling of fresh soil. The remainder of the soil outside the radius of the 

 roots may be manured and forked over, or the latter alone will do where the 

 ground is rich and the trees productive. 



Red and White Currants. — As the disposal of a proper number of branches 

 — usually five to seven in ordinary sized bushes — is effected early in the exis- 

 tence of the bushes the pruning is a very simple matter. It consists in pruning 

 back to within an inch of the main stems all the side growths produced during 

 the summer, shortening the extension growths in the same way with full-sized 

 bushes, but in those required to extend, leave a length of not more than nine 

 inches. With weakly trees six inches is enough. The object of shortening the 

 branches to these distances is to cause proper breaks or side shoots, and to 

 strengthen the stems so that they can bear the large crops of fruit which are 

 annually produced from the clusters of basal buds congregated on the spurs. 

 Give the trees a good dressing of manure over the roots, and sprinkle the 

 branches with fine lime, which serves to cleanse them of moss, and otherwise 

 benefits them, as well as preserving the buds from birds, which, however, are 

 not so destructive with currants as gooseberries. 



Black Currants. — These bear differently, and, in pruning, abundance of 

 young wood must be left, confining the pruning to thinning out the oldest 

 branches, and a large proportion of the latest bearing shoots. Strong sucker- 

 like growths from the base may be freely encouraged, or vigorous growths from 



