CURRANTS PR L \\L\G. 



'55 



growths the following season, and fruit will be borne freely in the third year from the 

 cutting. The bush is the most durable form generally in which to grow the black 

 currant, and with due care in thinning the suckers, as may be needed, abundant crops 

 of fruit may be had for many years. 



Pruning. The black currant bears the finest fruit on the wood of the previous 

 year, but it also produces freely on the stubby shoots and spurs along the branches 

 provided they are sufficiently far apart to admit light and air. Pruning must be confined 

 to cutting out superfluous and ill-placed growths, also shortening those that are irre- 

 gular, whilst the bush is extending. A succession of bearing wood will then be main- 



Fig. 60. BLACK CTORANT BUSHES BEFORE AND AFTER 

 References : X, clean stemmed tree : left side unpruned but marked for pruning ; right side pruned. Y, 

 natural bush, left side unpruned and crowded with suckers ; right side thinned and shortened for bearing. 



tained, capable of producing the best of fruit. The accompanying illustration will be 

 helpful to the inexperienced. 



It will be seen that the bushes are not spurred, the pruning being confined to 

 thinning out the old wood to give room for the development of young, and whilst 

 no suckers are allowed on the clean stemmed bush, those on the natural bush 

 are thinned to prevent overcrowding, removing them at their origin with the root 

 stem. 



Training to Walk and Fences. The black currant does well secured to a wall or 

 i'ence, either trained close to the surface or allowed to grow out as a half bush. In 



x 2 



