416 



CURRANT 



CURRANT 



the home grower may attain the same end by utilizing 

 the north side of buildings or fences. Elevation may 

 aid in offsetting the unfavorable influence of lower lati- 

 tude. It is an extremely hardy fruit so far as cold is 

 concerned, but cannot endure continuous high tempera- 

 ture. 



The Currant needs a rich soil and an abundance of 

 plant-food. It will endure much neglect, but responds 

 quickly to liberal treatment. Stable manure, applied in 

 the fall, is excellent, and this maybe supplemented with 

 applications of potash, which will improve the quality 

 of the fruit. 



Propagation is best effected by means of long hard- 

 wood cuttings (Fig. 614), taken either in fall or spring. 

 In nursery practice they are common ly taken about Sep- 

 tember 1, as soon as the leaves fall. The leaves are 

 sometimes stripped from the plants a week or so before 

 taking the cuttings, if they have not already fallen. The 

 cuttings may be planted at once, or tied in bundles 

 and buried upside down, with 2 or 3 inches of soil 

 over the butts. This is thought to favor the production 

 of the callus and to aid the formation of roots. At the 

 approach of cold weather, they may be taken up and 

 planted in nursery rows and covered with a mulch of 

 soil or other material during the winter, this mulch being 

 raked away to expose the tips early in spring. Planting 

 may be delayed until spring, the bundles being taken 

 up and stored in sand or moss in the cellar, or being more 

 deeply covered and allowed to remain where they are. 

 The commoner practice is to plant the cuttings in nur- 

 sery rows soon after they are taken. They are said to 

 root more quickly if packed in damp moss a week or two 

 before planting. Mulching of some sort is essential dur- 

 ing the winter. Probably nothing surpasses the soil 

 itself for this purpose, certainly not in the drier climate 

 of the Plains. If the cuttings are kept until spring, 



the climate and the lighter the soil the longer should 

 the cutting be. In planting, only 1 or 2 buds are 

 left above the surface, and the soil should be pressed 



612. Native Black Currant-Ribes Americanum (X 



The fruit is immature. 



planting must be done very early, as growth begins at a 

 low temperature. This makes spring planting undesir- 

 able in nursery practice. Cuttings vary in length from 

 6 to 10 inches, according to soil and climate ; the drier 



613. Buffalo Currant (X 



firmly about the base. Rich, moist soil should be se- 

 lected. A former practice was to cut out all lower buds 

 in order to insure a tree form of growth. This is 

 seldom practiced now, and never for commercial plant- 

 ing. Single-eye cuttings under glass, greenwood cut- 

 tings and layers may be employed, but have little to 

 recommend them. Seeds may be used as a source of 

 new varieties, and are best sown or stratified as soon as 

 taken from the pulp. 



For the final planting either 1- or 2-year-old plants 

 may be used, set at distances varying to suit the con- 

 venience of the cultivator. Four by 6 feet is a con- 

 venient combination, allowing cross cultivation at inter- 

 vals. The land should be in fine, mellow tilth as deep 

 as plowed, and if the underlying layers are hard and 

 impervious, it should be subsoiled. Setting is most con- 

 veniently done by marking the land in each direction, 

 plowing furrows one way and planting at intersections. 

 The soil should be closely firmed about the roots, with a 

 loose layer left at the surface to act as a mulch. Where 

 fall planting succeeds it is desirable, since the Currant 

 starts so early into growth in the spring. In many parts 

 of the country fall planting is too uncertain, while spring 

 planting, if done early enough, is always safe. 



Subsequent tillage should be frequent but shallow, as 

 the roots run near the surface and are easily injured by 

 deep cultivation. Good results are obtained by mulch- 

 ing, which is sometimes more convenient in garden cul- 

 ture. Refuse material of any sort may be used ; even 

 coal ashes, especially on heavy soil, give good results. 

 Mulching is seldom, if ever, desirable in commercial 

 work. 



Pruning is simple, but important. Fruit is borne on 

 both old and young wood, but the best of it is near the 

 base of 1 -year-old shoots and on short 1-year-old 

 spurs. The younger the wood the finer the fruit, but a 

 fair supply of old wood must be left to insure produc- 

 tiveness. From 4 to 8 main stems are desirable, and 

 these should be frequently renewed. No wood over three 

 years old should be allowed to remain. Superfluous 

 young shoots should be cut away, though the buds at 

 their base may be left to develop fruit-bearing spurs. 

 Shortening-in vigorous, straggling shoots may be called 

 for, especially with young plants, but the most important 

 thing is a judicious thinning out of the old wood, and 



