CUE 



tolerably sound texture, will grow them 

 pretty well, with the mulchings we shall 

 have to recommend. 



Culture in the Growing Period. There 

 are three essential points of spring and 

 Bummer culture, viz. mulching, wa- 

 tering, and the extermination of the 

 aphides. Mulching we prefer done in 

 Novemher, as soon as the hushes are 

 pruned ; we will, therefore, advert to this 

 under "rest culture." If, however, it 

 has been omitted at that period, apply 

 it in the early part of May, immediately 

 after a liberal rain. If dry weather en- 

 sue between the period of the berries 

 attaining the size of small peas and 

 their tinal change towards ripening, the 

 water-pot must be used freely. The 

 want of a permanency of moisture is 

 the predisposing cause towards a severe 

 visitation from the aphides ; but these 

 are easily destroyed if the bushes are 

 syringed two evenings in succession 

 with soap-suds, in Avhich tobacco, after 

 the rate of six or eight ounces to the 

 gallon, has been well soaked. 



Culture in the rest period. Prune and 

 then top-dress. The pruning should 

 be done as soon as the leaves have 

 fallen, unless the trees are very gross, 

 when it will, perhaps, be as well to 

 allow them to waste a little of their 

 surplus strength, for fear of the bud 

 being impelled too early into action. 

 In pruning, very little of the shortening, 

 as applied to the red and white kinds, 

 is necessary in fact, we practise none 

 at all, unless in the case of overgrown 

 bushes, when we merely remove al- 

 together, or shorten back, those which 

 are becoming inconveniently high. The 

 whole of the process of winter pruning, 

 therefore, resolves itself into " thinning 

 out," except in the case of young trees 

 forming their head. In thinning bear- 

 ing trees, suffer no two shoots to touch 

 in any part of the tree. Endeavour to 

 remove all cross or very oblique shoots, 

 in order to promote easy pruning in 

 subsequent seasons ; and where a bare 

 part of the bush occurs, let a strong 

 shoot or two, in a proper situation, be 

 shortened back about one-third their 

 length, in order to cause young wood 

 to abound in that pail the following 

 year. As a general rule, let the shoots 



average four inches apart all over the 

 tree when pruned. When trees acquire 

 some age, let the primer, as his first 

 act, look carefully over the bush, and 

 see what old shoots may be completely 

 pruned away ; all those which possess 

 merely a twig or two of young wood at 

 the extremity may be at once cut out, 

 for they take more from the tree than 

 they repay. As to forming young trees, 

 the directions given for the other cur- 

 rants will apply very- well ; only there is 

 no necessity to preserve the interior of 

 the bush open, as in the red and white 

 kinds. A young tree, therefore, at three 

 years old, may contain ten or twelve 

 shoots, at equal distances. As soon as 

 such a number can be obtained, short- 

 ening may cease. 



Fruit : how to keep. This fruit is 

 soon over ; for once ripe enough for the 

 table, it is gone in a few days ; and it 

 is so liable to drop, that this is one of 

 the very few fruits that bid defiance to 

 the art of keeping on the bush. Keep- 

 ing on the tree, if attempted, must be 

 on the retarding principle; and canvass 

 or mats must be thrown over the 

 bushes when the fruit is about one- 

 third ripe. 



CURRANT SPHINX. (Trochihnn tipii- 

 liforme.} Every one acquainted with 

 old gardens must have frequently no- 

 ticed that one or more of the branches 

 of the currant-trees tenanting them 

 have suddenly withered and died with- 

 out any apparent cause. In such cases, 

 if the wood of the branch be split down 

 the centre, the pith will be found all 

 consumed, the tube Avhere it had been 

 blackened, and nothing remaining but 

 the excrements of a caterpillar, which 

 may also be caught at his work of des 

 traction if the examination is made so 

 soon as the branch first shows symp- 

 toms of withering. This caterpillar, 

 lleshy, whitish, with four yellowish 

 brown spots near its head, is the larva 

 of the Currant Sphinx. The parent 

 moth is beautiful, and may be seen at 

 the end of May and early in June du- 

 ring hot sunshine, either settled on the 

 leaves of the currant, or flying around 

 the flowers of the syringa and lilac. It 

 is about three -quarters of an inch across 

 the wings when these are quite opened ; 



