360 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig. 1897. Red Cross (reduced). 



Wilder, in Mr. Peart's opinion, is the finest 

 market currant in his collection. The 

 bunches and berries are of the larg^est size, 

 larger than either Fay or Cherry, and quite 

 equal to those of the St. Giles, and in his 

 opinion it is more productive than any of 

 them and better in quality. Fig-. 1899. 



Fig-. 1897 shows a fruiting branch of the 

 Red Cross Currant, one of the newest varie- 

 ties which was originated by Jacob Moore. 

 It has little to distinguish it from Fay or 

 Cherry in its size and appearance. Mr. 

 Green, the introducer, says, " It makes twice 

 the growth that these varieties make ; the 

 fruit is often so dense on the stalks as to 

 hide the leaves entirely from view. Color 

 bright red ; berries set in a compact cluster 

 with long stems ; convenient for picking." 

 Mr. Peart in his report for 1899 says the 

 bush is medium in vigor and moderately 

 productive. Another season's trial may 

 settle the character of this variety with 

 greater certainty. 



Of the white varieties, the long bunch 

 Holland has impressed us most favorably at 



Maplehurst, the bush is so healthy and the 

 bunch and berry so large. Bnt Mr. Peart 

 places the White Imperial, Fig. 1898, 

 at the head of his list of white cur- 

 rants. It is not quite as large a berry 

 as the Holland and shorter in bunch, 

 but perhaps it is more productive, and 

 it has a mild pleasant flavor. There is 

 no use planting white currants for profit, as 

 there is little demand for them in the market, 

 so that we can only recommend them for 

 home uses. 



The pruning of the red currant is so im- 

 portant that we add a few remarks thereon. 

 The old method of training in tree form has 

 been long given up by us, because the borer 

 often destroys the old stem, and new shoots 

 are needed to take its place. We always 

 allow a half dozen shoots to grow from the 

 root, cutting out the older stems from time 

 to time. Those that remain we spur prune, 

 cutting back all laterals to two or three 

 buds, a treatment that will result in the 

 formation of fruit spurs along the whole 

 lengfth of the main branch. 



Fig. li 



White Imperial (reduced). 



