PRACTICAL GARDENING 



shrivels and dies, the plant is affected with wilt 

 or cane-blight. The only thing to do is to 

 cut out the diseased parts an inch or more be- 

 low the affected parts and burn. Spraying 

 does very little good. Start a new garden of 

 berries some distance from the diseased plants. 

 Some years the disease is worse than others and 

 often by giving the plant special care in feed- 

 ing and cultivation it recovers. 



Propagation. Healthy currant bushes will 

 produce freely for twenty years and more, but 

 should you anticipate a new setting of bushes, 

 take cutting of the new wood in the fall. 

 Make a clean, slanting cut at one of the buds 

 (node) with a sharp knife, leaving the cutting 

 with from six to eight buds and about nine 

 inches in length. (Fig. 66.) Bunch these 

 cuttings so that all of the nodes out of which 

 the root system is to be formed are even. 

 (Fig. 65.) Tie these bunches of twenty-five 

 cuttings and place them wrong side, that is 

 node end up, in a box and entirely cover the 

 cuttings with sand. Store the box in a cool 



254. 



