CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



deserving of attention. In the gardens of which 

 he had the charge, ' a north wall ten feet high had 

 a border twelve feet wide, and very shallow, repos- 

 ing on loose or rubble rock. The soil was a dark 

 hazelly loam, of rather inferior quality : the roots 

 were very near the surface, those nearest the stem 

 actually above it Five trees were originally 

 planted, but subsequently the second and fourth 

 were removed, leaving the centre tree at thirty-two 

 feet from the end ones. Even at this distance the 

 branches met ; and in their progress, being kept 

 very thin of leaf-bearing wood, the crops were 

 magnificent.' The trees were simply planted on 

 the natural surface of unprepared ground, without 

 any manure or deep trenching. ' Neither was this 

 border ever dug with spades, but slightly stirred 

 with blunt forks, and having a little well-rotted 

 horse-dung bestowed every second or third year. 

 There cannot be a more mistaken notion and 

 injurious practice than overloading and poisoning 

 the fruit-borders with rich dung. In the early 

 training of the Morello, the knife should be used 

 freely, to gain a sufficient number of leading 

 branches thinning out the laterals, but never 

 shortening them.' 



The cherry-tree grows to a large size, and its 

 wood is highly valued by turners and musical- 

 instrument makers, from its suitableness for being 

 bored and formed into smooth tubes ; in the 

 luxurious East, it is much used for the tubes of 

 tobacco-pipes. The fruit of the cherry seems less 

 impaired by growing in a wild state than other 

 garden-fruits. In Scotland, the wild cherries, 

 called geans, are small, but of fine flavour ; and in 

 Germany, the favourite liquor, kirschwasser, is dis- 

 tilled from the juice of this species of fruit. The 

 liquor called cherry-brandy is made by putting the 

 best black varieties in brandy. Noyeau is a liquor 

 flavoured by the kernels of the C, occidentalis ; 

 and a large black cherry is employed in the manu- 

 facture of the ratafia of Grenoble. The maras- 

 chino of Zara is made from the Marascha cherry 

 cultivated in Dalmatia. 



The Currant. 



The currants are natives of Britain. They 

 prosper only in cool climates, and they are some- 

 what arbitrary in their choice of a situation, even 

 in our own moist country ; they grow to an 

 astonishing perfection in the rich moist vales of 

 the middle counties, but the berries dwindle in 

 hot and arid situations. Manure can be advan- 

 tageously and freely applied as a top-dressing in 

 November, to remain on the surface till after the 

 pruning in February, when it should be lightly 

 forked into the soil without disturbing the roots. 



The following are the most esteemed sorts in 

 general cultivation : Common red, red Dutch, 

 Raby Castle, cherry, Knight's sweet red, cham- 

 pagne, common white, Dutch white, Wilmott's 

 cut-leaved white, common black, and black Naples. 



Mr Knight raised three or four hundred bushes 

 from seeds in the course of his scientific experi- 

 ments upon crossings, but of these very few 

 excelled their parents. One of them, the red 

 crystal, is superior in all respects. We have also 

 raised currants from seeds, and have thus been 

 instructed that seven or more years elapse ere the 

 plants become fruitful, and therefore that propa- 

 gation by cuttings is greatly preferable. Take 

 cuttings of the young spring-wood, with a small 



5SG 



heel of the older wood attached to it ; divest it of 

 all the buds excepting five of the uppermost and 

 those of the heel ; dibble holes six inches deep in 

 a shady bed or border, and fix a cutting firmly 

 in each hole, by pressure and watering. They 

 succeed perfectly if planted in August, provided 

 they be kept moist and entirely shaded, or in a 

 north aspect ; but the season extends thence to the 

 beginning of March. The soil should be rich and 

 light. Cuttings may be placed at first where they 

 are intended to remain, or they may be trans- 

 planted after they become rooted plants, cutting 

 away all but the upper whorl of roots : in either 

 case, cut back to two or three buds the shoots 

 made the first spring, and subsequently prune so 

 as to make the bush broadly conical in form, with- 

 out any of the branches being too crowded ; which 

 is preferable to the old open-hearted or inverted 

 bell shape. 



Prune red and white currants for fruit just after 

 the buds begin to swell never before February, or 

 the birds will reduce the expected crop ; and in 

 pruning, shorten all the leaders and cut in the 

 laterals, till the bushes appear like deformed 

 masses of scrubby twigs. By these shortenings, 

 the bushes progress somewhat slowly, but the fruit 

 is produced in massive clusters from the numerous 

 spurs. If the white sorts are matted over when 

 ripe, the berries will remain plump and good till 

 February or March. The black currant requires 

 a more moist and cool site than the preced- 

 ing, and that the wood be kept young, but never 

 shortened or spurred. Whatever shoots become 

 black and scaly must be cut entirely out, leaving 

 those bearing branches only which are of a delicate 

 brown colour. 



The Gooseberry. 



This universally known shrub is a native of 

 Britain, and easily cultivated ; it is indeed so 

 hardy, and suitable for even keen climates, that 

 remarkably little fostering is required to keep it in 

 perfection ; but it will not succeed in warm coun- 

 tries, its latitudinal range being in reality very 

 limited. After a long course of culture, there are 

 now hundreds of varieties of gooseberries; still, the 

 kinds which keep their place in public estimation 

 are few in number. The following are some of the 

 leading sorts : Reds : Kean's Seedling, Leigh's 

 Rifleman, Boardman's British Crown, Red War- 

 rington. Whites : Taylor's Bright Venus, Wel- 

 lington's Glory, Saunder's Cheshire Lass, Wood- 

 ward's Whitesmith, Cook's White Eagle, White 

 Warrington. Greens: Parkinson's Laurel, large 

 smooth green, Collier's Jolly Angler, Massey's 

 Heart-of-oak, Edward's Jolly Tar, Hedgehog. 

 Yellows : Didon's Golden Yellow, Prophet's Regu- 

 lator, Prophet's Rockwood, Golden Lyon, Sulphur, 

 Brotherton's Golden Sovereign and Pilot. The 

 following are small, but of very good flavour : 

 Reds: Red champagne, red Turkey, rough red, 

 Ironmonger, Nutmeg, and Rob Roy. Whites: 

 White champagne, white crystal, early white, and 

 white honey. Greens : Early green hairy, green 

 gage, and green walnut. Yellows : Yellow cham- 

 pagne and rumbullion. The small red sorts 

 ought to be preferred for preserves. 



Although the gooseberry can be grown in 

 almost any garden-soil, yet if excellence of fruit is 

 desired, the soil must be a rich loam, not less than 

 twelve inches deep, and resting on a well-drained, 





