CURRANT CUTTINGS 



By FRANK K. BALTHIS, Superintendent of Grounds, Northern Illinois State Normal School, 



. DeKalb, 111. 



The accompany- 

 ing illustration is a 

 lesson in itself. It 

 teaches us one step 

 in the preparation 

 of currant cuttings 

 for propagation. 

 Currants root easily 

 from cutttings made 

 from well ripened 

 shoots of one year's 

 growth. They are 

 usually taken about 

 September i. Strip 

 off the leaves and 

 make cuts six to 

 eight inches long. 

 Make a clean 

 straight cut just be- 

 neath a bud to form 

 the base; the top 

 may be cut on the 

 slant above the up- 

 per bud. After cut- 

 ting, tie in bundles 

 of about twenty-five 

 and bury out-of- 

 doors. Turn the 

 butts up and cover 

 with two to three 

 inches of soil. They 

 should be given ad- 

 ditional covering at 

 the approach of win- 

 ter. By spring a 

 callus will have 

 formed; occasional- 

 ly roots will appear 

 as shown in the pic- 

 ture. Very early in the spring the cuttings should be taken up 

 and planted. Planting should not be delayed, as currants make 

 their growth in cool weather. 



