VIII 



THE CURRANTS 



Most of our cultivated fruits are assigned 

 by botanists to the rose family, but currants 

 and gooseberries belong to another group, the 

 saxifrage family. Since good cultural methods 

 are mainly concerned with providing optimum 

 growing conditions for the plant, its charac- 

 teristics and peculiarities dictate the best cul- 

 tural treatment. 



It is to be expected, then, that these fruits, 

 not closely related to others, might require 

 cultural adaptations somewhat different from 

 those needed by the brambles, or strawberries, 

 or apples. This is true, although the careful 

 and observant gardener will have little dif- 

 ficulty in adapting his knowledge and skill to 

 these fruits. 



Soils and Locations for Currants 



Currants, like gooseberries, are distinctly 

 northern fruits, and they thrive best in cool, 



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