THE CURRANT. 165 



to the top with earth, and then, over all, some leaves, 

 straw, or evergreen branches. 



Young plants of the foreign varieties, grown in pots, 

 we usually winter in the pots, on shelves, in a cellar free 

 from frost ; but they might be wintered in the same way 

 as the hardy grapes shaking them out of the pots, and 

 heeling them in. 



2d. The Currant. Every one knows how to propagate 

 this. A yearling shoot, six inches to a foot long, taken 

 off close to the old wood, and planted half or two-thirds 

 its length in the ground, in the spring, will make a 

 strong, well-rooted plant in the autumn. To prevent 

 shoots from springing up below the surface of the ground, 

 the eyes on that part are cut out, or they may be left the 

 first season, and cut out when the plants are rooted. 



The buds aid in the formation of roots. When a 

 variety is rare and scarce, the young shoots may all be 

 layered in July, and they will make well-rooted plants 

 in the fall. 



3d. Gooseberries are propagated in the same way, and 

 with almost equal facility, as currants, though, as a gen- 

 eral thing, they do not grow with such rapidity. Layers 

 are the surest, but they require to be one year in the 

 nursery rows after being separated from the mother plant, 

 to make them strong enough for the final planting. An 

 inch or two of swamp moss, laid over the surface of the 

 ground in which layers are made, assists in retaining the 

 moisture. This is applicable to all kinds of layers. 



4th. Strawberries are propagated by the runners, which 

 spread on the surface of the ground, in all directions, from 

 the plant, as soon as it begins to grow in the spring. 

 Where a variety is scarce, and it is desirable to multiply 

 it carefully, these runners should be sunk slightly in the 

 ground, and pegged down, as they will root and form 

 plants for removal much quicker than if left to root in 

 their own way. With good management, a single plant 



