188 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST, 



The English name Currant, or Corrans, as they were 

 formerly called, was given them, because of their resem- 

 blance to the little Zante Grape, which is called Corinths 

 in the English markets, as it was formerly almost en- 

 tirely imported from Corinth. 



The Black, Red and White Currant, although known 

 to the inhabitants of Northern Europe for centuries, at- 

 tracted very little attention until within the past hundred 

 years. 



Turner, in 1557, does not name them in his list of culti- 

 vated fruits. Gerarde, in 1597, calls the Currant a smooth- 

 stemmed Gooseberry. The Black Currant was formerly 

 known as the Squinancy berry, because used to cure the 

 quinsie. 



The people of Siberia use the leaves of the Black Cur- 

 rant for making a drink, the same as we use tea. Loudon 

 says that the leaves, when dried, are an excellent substi- 

 tute for green tea, and that few persons can detect the 

 difference. The Red, White and Black Currants, one va- 

 riety of each, were the only kinds known in cultivation 

 until the beginning of the present century. Since that 

 time considerable improvement has been made, and nu- 

 merous varieties introduced. 



PROPAGATION. 



BY SEEDS. This method is seldom employed, except 

 for the purpose of producing new varieties. The fruit 

 should be gathered when fully ripe, always selecting the 

 largest berries, and from the earliest and mildest fla 

 vored kinds, as the Currant being naturally a very acid 

 fruit, the aim should be to produce sweeter varieties. 



The berries may be dried, and the seeds preserved in 

 the pulp until wanted, or be crushed and the seeds washed 

 out, as recommended for Strawberries. They will grow 

 more readily if not allowed to become dry, although dry- 

 ing is not so injurious to them as it is to many other seeds. 



