Varieties. 219 



tendency, it may be best to bury the cuttings in bundles, tied up with 

 fine wire, on a dry knoll, below the action of the frost, and set them out 

 early as early as possible in the spring. At any season, the rows of 

 cuttings should be well top-dressed with fine manure, and, if planted in 

 autumn, they should be so well covered with straw, leaves, or some litter, 

 as not to suffer or be thrown out in freezing and thawing weather. I 

 manage to get half my cuttings out in the fall, and half in early spring. 



In the green-house, and even out-of-doors, under very favorable circum- 

 stances, plants may be grown from single buds ; and green wood also 

 propagates readily under glass. 



A vigorous young plant, with roots attached, may often be obtained by 

 breaking off the suckers that start beneath the surface around the stems; 

 and, by layering or bending bushes over and throwing dirt upon them, new 

 plants are readily made, also ; but, more shapely, ana usually more vigorous, 

 bushes are obtained by simple cuttings, as I have described. 



When it is designed to grow a cutting in a tree form, all the buds but 

 two or three at the top should be carefully removed. 



If we wish to try our fortune in raising new varieties, we must sow 

 seeds of the very best specimens we can find, gathered when perfectly ripe. 

 These seeds should never be kept where it is hot or very dry, and should 

 be soaked for a day or two in tepid water before planting. Sow early in 

 spring, quarter of an inch deep, in fine, rich soil, which must continually 

 be kept moist, but never wet. Top- dressings of very fine, light manure 

 would keep the surface from baking, thus giving the seeds a chance to 

 germinate. Tolerate no weeds. Remove the seedlings in the fall to rows 

 three feet apart, and the plants two feet distant in the row. There they 

 may stand until their comparative value can be determined. 



VARIETIES. 



Black currants form quite a distinct class in appearance and flavor, and 

 are not as popular with us as in England. They are stronger and coarser- 

 growing plants than the red and white species, and do not require as high 

 culture. They can be grown to advantage in tree form, as they are quite 

 exempt from insect enemies. The tent caterpillar is the only one that I 

 have seen injuring them. They also require much less pruning, since the 

 jbest fruit is borne on the young wood of the previous year's growth. If 

 they are grown as. bushes, they need more room, six feet apart each 

 way, and the knife need be used only to secure good form and space for 



