Currant 



( 262 ) 



Cuttings 



Sawjiy (Nematm Ribesii). Gooseberries are the 

 worst sufferers through the larva; of the saw fly, but 

 Currants are often attacked as well. (For remedies, 

 see GOOSEBERRY ENEMIES.) 



A Selection of Varieties : 



lied : 

 Comet. Cherry. Eaby Castle. Red Dutch. 



White : 



White Dutch. White Versailles. 



CURRANT, BLACK. 



No bush fruit is more highly prized for culinary 

 and preserving purposes than the Black Currant 

 (Kibes nigrum), and its value in this respect is 

 greater than that of the Ked and White forms. 



Propagation. From cuttings in the autumn, the 

 same as Ked Currants, with the exception that no 

 buds are removed from the stem. The idea is not 

 to obtain a bush with a clear stem, but to get as 

 many young growths from the base as possible. 



Soil. A cool, retentive loam in a rather moist 

 situation suits Black Currants. Dry, poor land is 

 unfavourable. Their love of moisture is illustrated 

 by the luxuriant manner in which bushes grow in 

 low situations, and by pools and streams. 



Pruning. The pruning of established Black 

 Currants is exactly opposite to that of the Red. 

 Fruit is chiefly borne on young shoots of the 

 previous year's growth, and pruning consists of 

 cutting out the old wood, and encouraging as much 

 new growth as possible. Always avoid over- 

 crowding. Strong sucker growths from the base 

 should be encouraged, as they invariably produce 

 fine fruit. 



O^her Cultural Points. There must be no stint 

 of manure if Black Currants are to be remunerative. 

 Dung, spread on the surface and lightly forked in, 

 is excellent, and artificials may also be used with 

 advantage. Basic slag and bone meal are good for 

 winter dressings on heavy soils, and in February 

 or March apply 4 Ib. of superphosphate, 2 Ib. of 

 kainit, and 1 Ib. of sulphate of ammonia per square 

 rod ; hoe it in. Avoid digging deeply between the 

 bushes, or the fibrous surface roots will be destroyed. 



Enemies. Ilit/l Mite (Pliytvj/tiig Ribis). This is 

 by far the most destructive pest of the Black 

 Currant, and its eradication is difficult. Its 

 presence is apparent from November onwards in 

 the form of swollen and malformed buds. The 

 swelling is due to the irritation set up by the 

 microscopic mites feeding within. These buds 

 fail to develop and produce fruit. Out of the many 

 remedies adopted none has proved to be absolutely 

 effectual, but the following have been tried with 

 varying degrees of success: Pull up and burn 

 badly infested bushes, and avoid planting again on 

 the same site. Check the spread of the evil in an 

 early stage by hand-picking swollen buds. Do not 

 plant Black Currants in large areas, but in single 

 rows, interspersed with Gooseberries or Raspberries. 

 Allow poultry a free run of the plantation. Experi- 

 ments have been made by enclosing bushes under 

 an air-tight canvas tent in the winter, placing a 

 vessel inside containing 4 oz. each of water and 

 sulphuric acid, and dropping in 1J oz. of cyanide 

 of potassium. This is said to destroy the mite, 

 but its absolute efficacy is not yet proved. The 

 operator must keep outside the sheet. Propagating 

 from infected stocks should be rigidly avoided. 



A Selection of Varieties : 

 Baldwin's Black. Champion. 



Black Naples. Lee's Prolific. 



Boskoop. 



CURTISIA. 



An evergreen tree (ord. Cornacose), requiring the 

 protection of a cool greenhouse. The one species 

 known has very hard wood, and has gained the 

 name of Assegai-tree, through the natives of South 

 Africa using the wood largely as shafts for 

 weapons. It can be grown from cuttings, and 

 likes an open mixture of fibrous loam and leal^ 

 mould. 



Only Species : 



faginea, :!()', sum., wh. 



CUSCUTA. 



Tropical, sub-tropical, or hardy parasites (iml. 

 Convolvulaceic), of herbaceous habit, with thin, 

 wiry, leafless, climbing stems, and small, sometimes 

 pretty, flowers. Several species are British, and 

 grow on almost any soft-stemmed plants, being 

 very partial to Clover, Flax, Oats, Thistles, etc., 

 in some districts almost ruining crops. Seeds of 

 desirable species should be sown with seeds of the 

 host plants. By sowing seeds in ordinary soil 

 without a host plant near, the young plants die in 

 about a week from the time of germination. Host 

 Plants. In addition to those mentioned above, 

 the duckweed, Geranium, Heath, Thyme, and 

 Tomato are suitable. 



Principal Species : 



americana, sum., st., wh. europaa, ,Ty., hdy., wh., 

 australis, Aug., grh., wh. on Thistles, Oats, etc. 



Epilinum, Jy., hdy., wh., Trifoh'i, Jy., hdy., wh., 



on Flax. on Clover : a form of 



Epithymum, Jy., hdy., Epitliymum. 



wh., on Heatli and 



Thyme. 



CUSSONIA. 



Evergreen shrubs or small trees from South Africa 

 (ord. Araliacete), with ornamental, Aralia-like 

 leaves, thick, fleshy stems, and inconspicuous, 

 greenish flowers. Increased by cuttings in a 

 similar way to Aralias. They thrive in good, 

 fibrous loam, and the best results are obtained 

 by planting in a conservatory or greenhouse. 



Principal Species : 



Kraussii, 15' to '20', ,Ty., paniculata, 15', Jy., grn. 

 grn., Ivs. large, glau- 

 cous. 



CUTTINGS. 



Cuttings are portions of plants, which, under 

 favourable conditions, emit roots and perpetuate 

 their parent. Where plants absolutely identical 

 with the parent are required, cuttings furnish the 

 most reliable way of obtaining them, as, though 

 "sports" are occasionally produced by cuttings, 

 as in the Chrysanthemum, yet the tendency is 

 rare. Seeds, on the other hand, exhibit a marked 

 predilection for producing varieties which often 

 differ greatly from the plants yielding them. 



Cuttings are generally formed of the growing 

 point of a shoot, severed just below a leaf, which 

 leal', with the next one or two above it,'is removed, 

 and the base of the cutting buried about 1" 

 deep in very sandy soil. Cuttings should be taken 

 from plants which are in the best possible health, 

 and should be as perfect specimens as obtainable. 



Cuttings are used impartially for the propaga- 

 tion of both hard- and soft-wooded plants, but may 

 be usefully supplemented in the case of such 

 plants as Bouvardias, Crotons. TVaca-nas, Fuchsias, 



Custard Apple (x/'e Aim mi ). 



