CHAPTER VIII. 



THE GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT. 



THE CURRANT, from its hardiness, free growth, easy cul- 

 ture, great and uniform productiveness, pleasant flavor, and 

 early ripening, is one of -the most valuable of our summer 

 fruits. 



It is propagated, like the gooseberry, from cuttings, for 

 which vigorous shoots of the last year's production should 

 be chosen. Half the buds only at the top of the shoot, should 

 be left ; and the plants may be kept trained up to a single 

 stem, a few inches high, when the branches should radiate 

 on all sides in an upward direction so as to form a hand- 

 some spreading top. Currant bushes, if permitted to sucker 

 moderately, will however endure for a longer time, as the 

 new shoots, sending out roots of their own, afford in fact a 

 spontaneous renewal. But .care is needed that they do 

 not form too dense a growth. 



Currants, from their hardiness, usually receive no atten- 

 tion nor culture, but are suffered to become overrun with 

 weeds and grass, and to become crowded with a profusion 

 of suckers. Small and inferior fruit is the result. A great 

 improvement both in size and quality, is made by rich soil, 

 good cultivation, and judicious pruning. The difference in 

 flavor between fruit ripened on well trimmed branches, with 

 air and sun freely admitted to the fully grown leaves, and 

 that which is shaded by a crowded growth of foliage, is 

 greater than most who have not witnessed the experiment 

 would believe. 



The various modes of using, drying, and preserving cur- 

 rants, in tarts, jellies, &c., are familiar to all; the follow- 

 ing mode, by which the green fruit may be kept for any 

 length of time, in as good condition as when gathered, may 



