330 On the Cultivation of the Currant. 



Summer Pruning. — This consists only In looking over the 

 plants, after the fruit is well formed, and nipping off new 

 shoots which are growing up where they are not wanted ano- 

 ther year: by so doing, an abundance of air will be admitted 

 to the centre of the bush, without which the fruit would 

 be inferior. Some cultivators recommend shortening the bear- 

 ing branches to within a few eyes of the fruit, as soon as it 

 turns color, but of the advantage to be derived from this prac- 

 tice we have some doubt. If any suckers spring from the 

 root, they should be cut off clean to the stem. 



Insects. — The currant has but few enemies in the insect 

 tribe; the most injurious is the borer, [JEgeria tipuliformis,) 

 which eats its way up the centre of the stems, causing great 

 debility, and eventually nearly destroying the plants, or at 

 least incapacitating them from producing any thing but very 

 small and poor fruit: the bushes aie also in danger of being 

 broken by light winds or with heavy crops of fruit. The 

 best preventive for this insect is to keep the plants in a vigo- 

 rous state, and well supplied with strong young wood, as 

 it is only in the older branches that the borer commences its 

 ravages. When they once take possession of the bushes, cut 

 out all the old shoots, especially such as are in any way decay- 

 ed, and encourage only strong new wood: the aphides^ or plant 

 lice, occasionally infest the leaves, but these may be easily de- 

 stroyed by one or two washings of whale oil soap. 



General Observations. — The French cultivators recommend 

 the forming of new plantations every five years, and maintain 

 that, unless this is attended to, the fruit will be small. We 

 have no doubt that the fruit would be somewhat improved by 

 such new plantations, but still, if the old bushes are judicious- 

 ly pruned, the soil kept well manured and tilled, there will be 

 little necessity of planting out so often. 



The fruit generally begins to ripen about the middle of Ju- 

 ly, and continues in perfection until the middle of August, and 

 in some shady situations as late as October. If the bushes 

 are exposed to birds, they may be protected by covering 

 them with nets or with gauze. 



We close this article with descriptions of the most esteem- 

 ed varieties that are at present cultivated, following the ar- 

 rangement in the liOndon Horticultural Society's Catalogue. 

 The Red Dutch, White Dutch, and Black Naples may be re- 

 commended for small gardens, where there is but little space. 



