412 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Currant continued. 



free from dirt, while those on bushes are often made very 

 muddy by heavy storms. A large quantity of wood is made 

 in summer, and this should be thinned and shortened, 

 but not too severely, about the beginning of July. This 

 will materially assist in ripening the fruit, by admitting 

 more light, and also help to ripen the other wood. The 

 winter pruning will consist in shortening the main shoots, 

 where they have not attained the desired height, to about 

 Gin., and cutting all the young wood on the spurs nearly 

 close in. This process applies chiefly to Red and White 

 Currants. The Black varieties require different treatment, 

 as in this case the fruit is produced on the wood of the 

 previous year. Thinning out the old wood, and annually 

 renewing with young, is the plan to be adopted. The 

 leading growths will require but little stopping after the 

 plants are in bearing condition; but any strong or mis- 

 placed shoots should be removed. Black Currants should 

 not bo trained to fruit on spurs like the others, but they 

 may be made to do so by subjecting them to the same 

 system of pruning. The fruit for all purposes should be 

 gathered, if possible, when dry. When required for pre- 

 serving, it is better, if the weather is suitable, to wait 

 several dry days before gathering. If for dessert, it is 

 best gathered from the plants in fine weather as re- 

 quired. The trees should be carefully netted, without 

 leaving any open spaces, or the birds will be sure to find 

 them. 



Insects, $c. Currants are subject to the ravages of all the 

 caterpillars that prove so destructive to the Gooseberry, the 

 trees being often entirely defoliated, excepting the petioles 

 of the leaves. Hand-picking should be vigorously pursued 

 as soon as any are detected, and the plants should be 

 watered with an infusion of Hellebore leaves. Other 

 caterpillars feed in the interior of the branches in spring, 

 causing them to die away. The parts affected should be 

 removed, and burned. Aphides are often found in large 

 numbers on the points of the shoots ; it is best to cut off 

 and destroy these, or the insects will fall on the fruit, 

 rendering it dirty and useless. Blackbirds and thrushes 

 are the most destructive amongst birds as soon as the fruit 

 is ripe. Carefully netting the plants is the only efficient 

 protection, and this is always necessary if the fruit is to 

 hang late for dessert. 



Sorts. Names of Currants are very numerous, but the 

 distinct varieties are somewhat limited, a great many being 

 either synonyms or insufficiently distinct. The following 

 are amongst the best in cultivation : 



Black. BLACK NAPLES, large and good, but, being early in leaf, 

 the fruit is sometimes liable to suffer from spring frosts, this is 

 an old variety, well proved to be good for general cultivation ; 

 LEE'S PROLIFIC, distinct and comparatively new, the bunches 

 are large, and the berries even larger than Black Naples, very 

 sweet, and abundantly produced, an excellent black variety ; 

 OGDEN'S BLACK GRAPE, large and fine, very prolific; SWEET- 

 FRUITED, a small sort, but little known, the fruit hangs longer 

 on the trees, if protected, than most other Black varieties. 



Red. CHERRY, a large, deep red, early Currant; HOUGHTON SEED- 

 LING (Syn. Houghton Castle), a free-fruiting late variety, berries 

 deep red, and very acid; KNIGHT'S LARGE RED (Syn. Goliath), 

 berries bright red, bunches very large, and an abundant bearer ; 

 LA FERTILE, very prolific, large and good; LA HATIVE, a large, 

 early, free-fruiting variety ; MAMMOTH, one of the largest and 

 best ; RABY CASTLE, bunches long and large, berries bright red, 

 with a sharp acidity, an abundant-fruiting late variety that hangs 

 well ; RED CHAMPAGNE, a very prolific variety, of a pale pink or 

 flesh-colour, midway in flavour between the Red and White sorts ; 

 RED DUTCH, one of the best and most productive, and probably 

 the one most cultivated, it ripens early, the berries are large, 

 juicy, and of excellent quality ; WARNER'S GRAPE, a good variety, 

 with large bunches and berries. 



White. WHITE DUTCH, this is the best of the White Currants, 

 the plants have a dwarf, bushy habit, like the Red Dutch, the 

 bunches and berries are large and freely produced, and of a 

 mild, sweet flavour ; WILMOT'S LARGE WHITE, a distinct variety, 

 and a good cropper, but not so much grown as White Dutch. 



CURRANT CATERPILLARS. See Currant 

 Clear-wing Moth, Gooseberry and Currant Sawfly, 

 and Gooseberry or Mag-pie Moth. 



CURRANT CLEAR- WING MOTH (Sesia tipuli- 

 formis). This moth expands to about fin. . The wings are 

 clear, except the veins, a border round the hind wings, 

 the tip, and a spot in the centre of each of the fore wings, 

 which are blackish. The antennae are black, and are 

 thickened towards the points. The body is black, with 

 three fine yellow bands. The legs are black and yellow. 



FIG. 673. CATERPILLAR OF CURRANT CLEAR-WING MOTH 

 (SESIA TIPULIFORMIS). 



These moths appear in July, and fly only when the sun 

 chines. The larvaa (see Fig. 573) live inside the stems of 

 Currant-bushes, and their presence is indicated by the 

 drooping, sickly appearance of the leaves above the points 

 attacked. The infested branches should be cut off and 

 destroyed. 



CURRANT, FLOWERING. See Ribes saii- 

 guinenm. 



CURRANT SAWFLY. See Gooseberry and 

 Currant Sawfly. 



CURTISIA (named after William Curtis, a celebrated 

 English botanist, who founded the " Botanical Magazine "). 

 Assagay-tree. ORD. Cornacece. A fine greenhouse tree. 

 Calyx four-partite ; petals four, oblong, valvate ; stamens 

 alternating with the petals. Fruit a small obovoid four 

 (rarely three) celled drupe. It thrives in a compost of 

 sandy loam and peat. Half-ripened cuttings will root in 

 sandy soil, if placed under a hand glass, in gentle heat. 



a (Beech-like). /. pale, small, very numerous, i 

 , trichotomous, much-branched panicles. June and July. 



C. faginea 



terminal, tri, - . 



I. opposite, broadly ovate, toothed, shining above, ferruginous 

 beneath, h. 20ft. to 40ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1775. The wood 

 is solid, extremely tough, heavy, close-grained, very durable, and 

 resembles plain mahogany. 



CUSCUTA (etjmology very doubtful). Dodder. SYN. 

 Pfeifferia. ORD. Convolvulacece. Leafless, twining, para- 

 sitic herbs. Flowers in bracteate heads, rarely spicate ; 

 corolla urceolate or campanulate ; limb five, rarely four- 

 cleft, marcescent. The stalks twine contrary to the sun's 

 apparent motion, sending out a number of little vesicles, 

 which attach themselves to the supporting plant. The 

 flowers of many species are extremely pretty and interest- 

 ing, and, in some cases, very fragrant ; but, from the 

 peculiar habit of the plants, they will never become 

 popular. All may be grown by simply sowing the seed 

 with those of the plants they most affect, though some 

 thrive on almost any plant. The following are the 

 best : STOVE : americana, HooTceri, odorata, and verru- 

 cosa. GREENHOUSE : australis, chilensis, monogyna, and 

 reflexa. HARDY: macrocarpa, Epilinum, Epithymum, 

 europ&a, and Trifolii. The last four are British plants. 



CUSC LTTACE.2E. A group of leafless, parasitic, 

 twining herbs, forming a division of Convolvulacece. 



