FRUITS. CHAP. 



of green currants, in America, they always make use of 

 them in preference to green gooseberries : in which re- 

 spect, as in a great many others, the people of that country 

 have taken their habits from the northern parts of En- 

 gland. When the green currants are used in a cooked state, 

 the ripe gooseberries are used in that state . Gooseberries 

 are propagated, planted out, trained, and pruned, in pre- 

 cisely the same manner as directed for currants. See para- 

 graph 266. Neither of these little shrubs should be planted 

 by the side of walks, where they interfere in a very 

 troublesome manner with the cultivation of the plats 

 and borders. They should have a piece of ground de- 

 voted to their exclusive occupation, and should be planted 

 at distances sufficient to allow of going round them con- 

 veniently to gather the fruit. For gooseberries and 

 currants there might be plenty of room in a part of the 

 wall between the hedge and the garden. Sometimes 

 currants are placed against a wall facing to the north ; 

 and their fruit if properly protected will hang on to the 

 latter end of October or later. These two very useful 

 fruits have most destructive enemies in the small birds, 

 especially the sparrows and the finches, which feed 

 upon their fruit-buds, and upon the fruit when very 

 young j and the black-birds, thrushes, and some others, 

 which feed upon them when ripe. To keep the birds 

 off in the spring is a very difficult matter. Frequent 

 shooting at them, or the attendance of some person con- 

 stantly upon the spot to frighten them away, is neces- 

 sary ; and these means can be but partly efficient ; for, 

 who is to rise so early as birds, which are always upon 

 the wing for their food, not only before sun-rise, but 

 sometime before day-light. As- to the preserving of cur- 



