CHAPTRER X. 



THE CURRANT AND GOOSEBERRY. 



THE CURRANT, from its hardiness, free growth, easy culture, 

 great and uniform productiveness, pleasant flavor, and early ripen- 

 ing, is one of the most valuable of our summer fruits. 



It is propagated, like the gooseberry, from cuttings, for which 

 vigorous shoots of the last year's production should be chosen. As 

 soon as the leaves ripen, cut off the new growth and make cuttings 

 about six inches long. Set them in rows fifteen inches apart and 

 two inches in the rows. Just as winter sets in, cover them over 

 with coarse litter taking it off in spring, and keeping them well 

 hoed, and by fall they will have large fine roots. Half the buds 

 only at the top of the shoot, should be left ; and the plants may be 

 kept trained up to a single stem, a few inches high, when the 

 branches should radiate on all sides in an upward direction so as 

 to form a handsome spreading top. Currant bushes, if permitted 

 to sucker moderately, will, however, endure for a longer time, as 

 the new shoots, sending out roots of their own, afford, in fact, a 

 spontaneous renewal. But care is needed that they do not form 

 too dense a growth. 



The currant being one of the hardiest and most certain fruit- 

 producing bushes, is, for this reason, badly neglected. Good cul- 

 tivation and pruning will more than triple the size of the fruit. Old 

 bushes should have the old and stunted wood cut out, and thrifty 

 shoots left at regular distances. Old manure should be spaded in 

 about the roots, and the soil kept clean, cultivated, and mellow. 

 As the currant starts and expands its leaves very early, this work 

 should be performed as soon as the frost leaves the soil. A resi- 

 dent in Canada says that the best currants he ever had, produced 

 in great abundance, were obtained in a dry season, by covering the 

 whole surface of the ground with cow manure as a mulch, three 

 inches thick. On looking under, the soil was always moist. Heavy 

 pruning must follow the luxuriant growth thus produced. 



