FRUITS. CHAP. 



place after the manner directed under the head of cut- 

 tings, which word see in the Index. The cutting gets 

 roots the first summer, and the next fall or spring, it 

 may be removed to the spot where it is finally to stand. 

 Some currant trees may be placed in a warm situation so 

 as for the fruit to come early } but the finest currants are 

 those which grow rather in the shade j the fruit becomes 

 larger there and has not the disagreeable tartness which 

 it acquires if ripened in a hot sun. This shrub flourishes 

 and bears well under the shade of other trees, as is seen 

 so frequently and to such great extent in the market 

 gardens near London. When the young currant tree is 

 planted out, it ought not to be suffered to have any limbs 

 within five or six inches of the ground ; but should be 

 made to have a clear and straight trunk to that height. 

 When the limbs come out, or rather the shoots that are 

 to become limbs, there should not be more than four 

 or six suffered to go on as principal limbs. By 

 shortening the shoots at the end of the first year, you 

 double the number of limbs. These, as in the case of 

 the espalier apple-tree, are to be kept constantly clear of 

 vside-shoots by cutting off, every winter, the last sum- 

 mer's wood within one bud or so of the limb j and when 

 the limbs have attained their proper length, the shoot at 

 the end of each limb should also be annually cut off, so 

 that, the tree when it has received its pruning, consists 

 of a certain number of limbs, looking like so -many 

 rugged sticks, with bunches of spurs sticking out of them, 

 as in plate 7- On these spurs come the fruit in quan- 

 tities prodigious. If you neglect to prune in the manner 

 here directed, the centre .of the tree becomes crowded 

 with wood, and the small quantity of fruit that comes 



