Winter Pruning. 329 



Pruning. — Next to a good rich soil, pruning is the most 

 important thing to be attended to; neglect in this respect will 

 be sure to cause disappointment to the cultivator who expects 

 large and fine fruit. The branches will shoot up thick and 

 weakly, and, if not attended to, and the superfluous ones cut 

 out, the bush will be so crowded as to produce only a quan- 

 tity of half formed clusters, with a few small berries. 



It is known to many cultivators, though perhaps not to all, 

 that the currant bears its fruit both upon the young wood 

 of last year's growth, upon that of the second and third 

 year, and also upon the little spurs which spring from the old- 

 er shoots; but it is only upon the young and vigorous wood of 

 the preceding year that fruit of superior size and beauty is ob- 

 tained. Knowing this fact, the cultivator may proceed with 

 his pruning, which may be done at two seasons, both winter 

 and summer, viz.: — 



Winter Pruning. — The first object should be, after the 

 plant is set out, to see that it is pruned so as to form a hand- 

 some head; and, first, we may premise that it is the intention 

 to prune them in the best method, that is, with single stems, 

 like trees in miniature, from which the branches fork out at the 

 distance of a foot or more from the ground: this will prevent 

 the continual growth of suckers, which not only injure the fruit, 

 springing up as they do the whole season, but destroy the 

 beauty and regularity of a whole plantation. Winter pruning 

 may be performed late in the autumn, or early in the spring: 

 as the currant has extremely brittle shoots, some think it is 

 best to prune in the fall, and by thus shortening the branches, 

 to lessen the danger of the heavy snows breaking them down. 

 Commence by cutting clean out all the cross shoots, leaving 

 only those which spring up regularly. The strongest branch- 

 es of the old wood should be shortened to six or eight inches, 

 and the weaker ones to very short spurs; the new wood made 

 during the summer should be also shortened to four or five 

 buds or joints. The principle ever to be kept in mind is, to 

 have the head of the bush supplied in all parts with a good 

 proportion of new wood every season; and this can only be 

 done by cutting away the older branches after they have borne 

 one or two crops, and encouraging the growth of young shoots 

 from their base; at no time should the head of the bush be al- 

 lowed to extend more than three feet in diameter, and three 

 feet high. 



VOL. VIII. NO. IX. 42 



