CURRANTS 



262 



CURRANT 



three inches thick over their roots, at the end of May, 

 after rain. The next point is " stop," or remove, what 

 is termed the watery wood. All shoots growing into 

 the interior of the bush, to the exclusion of light and air, 

 may be cut back when about nine inches in length, far 

 enough to render the centre of the bush completely open. 

 This will be necessary about the middle of June. In 

 about another fortnight, the watery or wild-looking 

 breast-spray all round the exterior may be pruned back 

 to within four inches of their base. This leaves a regular 

 tuft of foliage all round, absolutely necessary for a partial 

 shade to the swelling fruit. Some intervening spray 

 between each two branches must be served likewise ; 

 and if growing freely, the leading points of the shoots 

 may be stopped also. 



Culture in the Rest Season. Early pruning is the first 

 thing to be thought of, as soon as possible after the leaves 

 are fallen. Every healthy branch in a bearing state 

 will, during the summer, produce abundance of side- 

 shoots from amongst the spurs : this is the wood we have 

 first named as being all the better for stopping in June. 

 All this must be cut back, at the winter's pruning, to 

 within one inch or so of the main stem. An exception 

 must, however, be taken in favour of gaps or blanks, 

 and a shoot here and there must be reserved to fill such, 

 taking care that they are well placed, and that they are 

 low enough down ; the lower the better. Pruning being 

 thus far carried, it is best to shorten every terminal 

 point. This induces a liberal production of side-shoots 

 in the ensuing summer ; and the base of each becomes 

 a centre, around which a host of fruit-spurs will be en- 

 gendered. Any decayed or decaying wood must be cut 

 away ; but, if there is much of this, it is best to destroy 

 the bush and plant anew ; for it seldom makes a good 

 bush again. Those who have not top-dressed in the 

 summer may now do so, and the winter's work will be 

 complete. 



Fruit : uses ; how to keep. The fruit commences 

 ripening, under ordinary circumstances, in the end of 

 June, and continues hanging for a length of time, if un- 

 molested by the birds or wasps. The White will hang 

 nearly two months, and the Red we have gathered, un- 

 covered and unprotected, in the first week of November. 

 The ordinary way of retarding the currant is by enclosing 

 the trees in mats when the fruit is rather more than three 

 parts ripe. These mats should be taken off at least once 

 a week on dry days, to dispel the damp. All decaying 

 leaves and berries should, at such times, also be care- 

 fully removed. Some train against north walls, where 

 the fruit keeps very late, but is exceedingly acid. A 

 White Currant or two, planted against a south wall or 

 fence, will come in very early for the dessert. 



Diseases. We are not aware of any except a pre- 

 mature decay of the old shoots, after the manner of 

 apricots, the causes of which are not well understood. 



Insects. The caterpillar sometimes attacks them ; but 

 their 'greatest enemy is an aphis, which distorts the 

 leaves in a puckered form, producing red blisters. 

 Tobacco-water is the best remedy. 



CURRANT (THE BLACK). 



Varieties. We are not aware of any more than four in 

 this section really deserving of notice, which are 



Boskoop Giant and Victoria resist the mite. 



The Common Black. A good bearer, but fruit small. 



The Black Naples. A short bunch, but noble berries. 



The latter kind is now almost universally cultivated. 

 It both requires and deserves a generous treatment. 

 The " Black Grape " is recommended by some ; but we 

 question if it is not synonymous with the Black Naples. 



Propagation : by Cuttings, Seeds, and Layers, similarly 

 to the Red and White. 



Soil. Moisture of a permanent character is the great 

 desideratum with this shrub ; dry soils can never do 

 justice to it. A soil somewhat adhesive in character 

 suits it best, but not a cold clay ; although, with due 

 culture, we have known them succeed well in a soil of 

 which clay or marl formed one of the principal compounds. 

 A soft and darkish-looking soil, such as the scouring 

 of old ditches, resting on a clayey sub-soil, and especially 

 if large trees overhang, becomes, by the action of water, 

 an excellent material for a Black Currant plantation. 

 The clayey principle is generally incorporated with it ; 

 and being rich in vegetable matter, it constitutes a fat 

 and pulpy mass. It must, however, be thrown out some 

 time to mellow, previously to its being mixed with the 



soil. In Cheshire, it is very usual to see them planted 

 on the sides of ditches, which convey the impure drainage 

 from the house or farmstead ; and there they luxuriate, 

 with a very inferior course of culture in other respects. 

 It may, nevertheless, be observed, that almost any 

 ordinary garden-soil, if of tolerably sound texture, will 

 grow them pretty well, with the mulchings we shall have 

 to recommend. 



Culture in the Growing Period. There are three essential 

 points of spring and summer culture, viz. mulching, 

 watering, and the extermination of the aphides. Mulch- 

 ing we prefer done in November, as soon as the bushes 

 are pruned ; we will, therefore, advert to this under 

 " rest culture." If, however, it has been omitted at 

 that period, apply it in the early part of May, immediately 

 after a liberal rain. If dry weather ensue between the 

 period of the berries attaining the size of small peas 

 and their final change towards ripening, the water-pot 

 must be used freely. The want of a permanency of 

 moisture is the predisposing cause towards a severe 

 visitation from the aphides ; but these are easily de- 

 stroyed if the bushes are syringed two evenings in suc- 

 cession with soap-suds, in which tobacco, after the rate 

 of six or eight ounces to the gallon, has been well soaked. 



Culture in the Rest Period. Prune and then top-dress. 

 The pruning should be done as soon as the leaves have 

 fallen, unless the trees are very gross, when it will, 

 perhaps, be as well to allow them to waste a little of 

 their surplus strength for fear of the bud being impelled 

 too early into action. In pruning, very little of the 

 shortening, as applied to the Red and White kinds, is 

 necessary ; in fact, we practise none at all, unless in the 

 case of overgrown bushes, when we merely remove 

 altogether, or shorten back, those which are becoming 

 inconveniently high. The whole of the process of winter 

 pruning, therefore, resolves itself into " thinning out," 

 except in the case of young trees forming their head. 

 In thinning bearing trees, suffer no two shoots to touch 

 in any part of the tree. Endeavour to remove all cross 

 or very oblique shoots, in order to promote easy pruning 

 in subsequent seasons ; and where a bare part of the 

 bush occurs, let a strong shoot or two. in a proper situa- 

 tion, be shortened back about one-third their length, 

 in order to cause young wood to abound in that part 

 the following year. As a general rule, let the shoots 

 average four inches apart all over the tree when pruned. 

 When trees acquire some age, let the pruner, as his first 

 act, look carefully over the bush, and see what old shoots 

 may be completely pruned away. All those which 

 possess merely a twig or two of young wood at the ex- 

 tremity may be at once cut out, for they take more from 

 the tree than they repay. As to forming young trees, 

 the directions given for the other currants will apply 

 very well ; only there is no necessity to preserve the 

 interior of the bush open, as in the Red and White kinds. 

 A young tree, therefore, at three years old, may contain 

 ten or twelve shoots, at equal distances. As soon as 

 such a number can be obtained, shortening may cease. 



Fruit : how to keep. This fruit is soon over ; for, 

 once ripe enough for the table, it is gone in a few days ; 

 and it is so liable to drop, that this is one of the very few 

 fruits that bid defiance to the art of keeping on the bush. 

 Keeping on the tree, if attempted, must be on the re- 

 tarding principle ; and canvas or mats must be thrown 

 over the bushes when the fruit is about one-third ripe. 



CURRANT GALL MITE (Eriophyes Ribis). The buds 

 of the Black Currant are very liable to be infested with a 

 minute, oblong, four-legged mite. After the leaves of 

 the bushes fall in autumn, the infested ones are seen to 

 be gradually enlarging, till towards spring they are 

 globular and about the size of a pea. If carefully opened, 

 such buds are seen to be swarming with mites, like white 

 dust to the naked eye, but with the aid of a lens they can 

 be distinctly seen, while with a microscope of low power 

 their whole structure can be made out. Such buds 

 never open, and the mite simply remains feeding in them 

 till the young shoots are plumping up their buds early 

 in summer, when the mites migrate to the new buds, 

 thus continuing and spreading the infestation. The 

 cultivator should examine his bushes at intervals soon 

 after the new year in order to cut off and burn any 

 infested and unduly swollen buds he may find. This is 

 usually effective in keeping the mite in check, if taken 

 in time before the infestation becomes very bad. The 



