56 



THE FRUIT-TREE AND SHRUB PRUNER. 



as a trained tree. The leaders must form the tree as it 

 should be for some j T ears to come. Then it may be 

 kept to that, as a rule. See Figs. 46 and 47. 



The pruning in each of these cases is the same, and 



a similar method must be 

 adopted for -wall -trained 

 Currants of the Red and 

 White kinds. Cutting 

 close back every season to 

 a bud will cause large old 

 cluster spurs to be formed 

 in due time, as is shown 

 in Figs. 46 and 47. If at 

 any time an extension of 

 the tree is necessary, it is 

 as much young wood as is re- 



Fig. 47. 



only needful to leave 

 quired to fill up the space. 



The winter pruning of the Currant may be done at 

 any time from November until February, or even 

 March, but not later. The ground where Currants are 

 grown should be manured in the autumn, and forked 

 over with a three-pronged flat potato fork ; and in the 

 spring, as soon as the buds begin to swell, sow a heavy 

 dressing of soot over all the trees and land. This will 

 prevent the progress of the caterpillar, and at the same 

 time manure the ground. 



The Black Currant. 



Fig. 48 is an example of a well-pruned Black Currant. 



In order to maintain a healthy, robust, and vigorous 

 Black Currant plant, and to insure fine fruit, it is 

 necessary to heavy dress annually the ground in 

 which it grows. It is a strong grower, and it there- 

 fore requires good land and a powerful stimulus to 

 support its nature and to produce fine fruit. It will be 

 seen by the illustration, as well as by its natural 

 character, that the pruning of the Black Currant is 

 quite a different process from that of the Red Currant, 

 as I have before observed. 



