992 



Gardening for Amateurs 



bushes are grown in the open garden and 

 planted out 6 feet apart. If a top-dressing 

 of decayed manure can be applied in spring, 

 say late in February, the bushes benefit con- 

 siderably, especially if April and May should 

 prove to be dry months. 



Pruning. The chief aim in pruning Black 

 Currant bushes is to get rid, as far as possible, 

 of the old, worn-out bearing wood, and make 

 more space for young, vigorous growths. 

 On these latter the finest Currants are borne, 

 and the greatest number of clusters of 

 flowers and fruits. By thus pruning the 

 great pest of the Black Currant bud mite 

 may in some measure be kept in check. If 

 a bush be examined which has been some- 

 what neglected in pruning, a number of 

 branches will be found very much like that 

 in Fig. 1 (p. 990). Much of the wood will be 

 bare of buds, while only a few straggling 

 tips of growth will give promise of any 

 capacity for bearing. 



In dealing with old bushes thus neglected 

 we usually commence by cutting off with 

 a pair of secateurs all the old branches 

 which are too near the ground, afterwards 

 clearing away the old worn growths for the 

 sake of those young basal shoots which are 

 usually to be found springing up in the 

 centre. It is customary to plant out young 

 two-year-old bushes, which at planting time 

 are always cut hard back to four or five buds 

 above the surface of the soil (Fig. 2). Very 

 fine bushes are produced by repeating this 

 pruning in a modified form the succeeding 

 season, though, since there is some loss of 

 crop in doing this, the second pruning is not 

 advised here. For, as is generally under- 

 stood, the young growths are the best fruit- 

 bearers, and to continue the shortening of 

 these instead of cutting out old wood means 

 the destruction of the greater part of the 

 crop. 



Black Currant Mite,. Many remedies have 

 been tried for this pest, but no form of 

 winter treatment has so far proved really 

 effectual. We may by picking out the 

 swollen buds or cutting the diseased shoots 

 right away, and burning them, destroy many 

 millions of the mites, but as a rule we do not 

 clear the bushes of them. A year or two 

 ago much was heard of the lime and sulphur 

 treatment. Quicklime one part, and sulphur 



two parts, were mixed together and dusted 

 on the bushes at fortnightly intervals during 

 the migratory period of the mites, from the 

 end of April to the end of June. This 

 method, though to some extent effectual, has 

 fallen into disuse, chiefly, I believe, owing to 

 the fact that so many growers found the 

 mixture burnt their bushes. Spraying with 

 quassia and soft soap in May and June is 

 strongly recommended as a really effective 

 remedy if persisted in, and as the wash is 

 cheap and easily prepared, there is nothing 

 to prevent any grower from making a 

 thorough trial of it. 



The finest variety of Black Currant is 

 Boskoop Giant, but the old variety called 

 Black Naples is well worth cultivation, the 

 fruits are smaller but the bushes seem less 

 prone to the attacks of the big bud mite. 



Currant, Red and White. These 

 favourite bush fruits will grow in ordinary 

 garden soil that is reasonably well drained ; 

 they are commonly planted in an open posi- 

 tion, and grown as bushes 6 feet apart ; 

 but they thrive admirably also as cordons, 

 either against a wall facing north or east, or 

 against a wire or wooden trellis in the open. 

 Currants are also grown as standards. In 

 order to maintain the bushes in a vigorous 

 and fruitful condition an application of yard 

 manure is advisable in spring ; failing this, 

 use basic slag in autumn at the rate of 6 oz. 

 to the square yard, and fork it in ; in spring 

 superphosphate may be given at the rate of 

 2 oz. per square yard. Birds often cause 

 much damage to the buds in spring and 

 to the ripe fruits in summer. The respec- 

 tive remedies are to scatter lime and soot 

 on the branches and to protect the bushes 

 by netting. 



Pruning. In dealing with Red and White 

 Currants the first pruning after planting is 

 rather drastic, but whereas the Black Cur- 

 rants should be cut nearly to the ground, Red 

 Currants should be cut back to four or five 

 buds from where they branch off from the 

 main stem. This stem should be kept clear 

 of branches for a foot from the surface soil 

 (Fig. 3, p. 991). The subsequent pruning con- 

 sists mainly in shortening the side growths 

 back to the main stems each season, and the 

 leading growths to about 6 inches in length 

 (Fig. 4). In view of the large crops of fruit 



