VARIETIES. 26y 



earlier than those of the common, or EngUsh Black, but the 

 fruit is later, and the clusters as well as the berries are larger 

 and more numerous." Lee's Prolific is said by some to be 

 a slight improvement on the above ; by others it is thought 

 to be very similar. 



Of red currants, the old Red Dutch is the most promi- 

 nent. It is the currant of memory. From it was made the 

 wine which our mothers and grandmothers felt that they 

 could offer with perfect propriety to the minister. There 

 are rural homes to-day in which the impression still lingers 

 that it is a kind of temperance drink. From it is usually 

 made the currant jelly without which no lady would think 

 of keeping house in the country. One of the gravest ques- 

 tions in domestic economy is whether the jelly will ''jell." 

 Often it does not, and cannot be made to. The cause of 

 its lamentable perversity is this : The currants have been 

 left until over-ripe before picking, or they have been picked 

 wet, just after rain. Gather them when dry, and as soon as 

 possible after they have turned red, and I am informed by 

 the highest domestic authority (my wife) that there will be 

 no difficulty. 



In flavor, the Red Dutch is unequalled by any other red 

 currant. It is also a variety that can scarcely be killed by 

 abuse and neglect, and it responds so generously to high 

 culture and rigorous pruning that it is an open question 

 whether it cannot be made, after all, the most profitable for 

 market, since it is so much more productive than the lar- 

 ger varieties, and can be made to approach them so nearly 

 in size. Indeed, not a few are annually sold for Cherry 

 currants. 



The White Dutch is similar to the Red in the growth and 

 character of the bush. The clusters, however, are a little 

 shorter, and the fruit a little larger and sweeter^ and is 



