148 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



to branch. From three to six shoots are allowed to grow. The 

 third year these branches are shortened and from six to twelve 

 shoots are allowed to grow. Each year thereafter similar train- 

 ing is given. The new growth is shortened and the head is 

 kept open and in the form of a vase if possible. 



VARIETIES. 



Of the well known varieties of currants the Victoria is, per- 

 haps, all things considered, one of the best. The fruit is not so 

 large as is the Fay or the Cherry, but clusters are long and the 

 bush is very prolific. Prince Albert is a valuable late market 

 variety. It is rather light in color and the quality is not of the 

 best but it is very productive and suffers less from the attacks of 

 fungous diseases than almost any other sort. Fay does well in 

 many localities and the fruit is very large and handsome. The 

 important objection to this variety, however, is the habit of split- . 

 ting down, and where we have heavy snows this objection is a . 

 very serious one. Moore's Ruby is considered a valuable sort 

 for home use. We have not yet fruited tliis variety but shall 

 expect to be able to report upon it this year. 



North Star is a variety which is receiving much attention 

 from some growers but in our own experience this variety has 

 proved of little value. It is true the clusters are rather long but 

 the fruit is but little larger than the Old Red Dutch, and we do 

 not consider the quality as superior. 



As a rule, for market purposes, the red varieties are preferred 

 to the white. No home garden should, however, be without a 

 few bushes of the White Imperial or the White Grape. The lat- 

 ter has been the leading white currant until within a very few 

 years, but White Imperial is rather superior in quality and will 

 rank above the other for home use. 



A word should be said about the Crandall currant. This 

 variety, sent out a few years ago by Frank Ford & Son of 

 Ravenna, Ohio, is said to be a hybrid between the red currant 

 and the so-called Buffalo currant of the West. It appears to be 

 simply an improved variety of the latter which we know as the 

 flowering currant (Ribcs aurcnm) of very good quality. It lacks 

 the strong disagreeable flavor of the ordinary English Black cur- 

 rant. The objection to the variety is that it does not ripen 



