162 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



to their permanent quarters, where they should have a space all 

 round them of six feet from bush to bush. In the winter following 

 transplantation the lateral shoots, which were pinched back in 

 the summer, must be shortened to one inch. The object of this 

 treatment is to produce an open bush with numerous vigorous 

 fruiting spurs, and to allow subsequent increase in size by annual 

 extension of new wood without choking the bush. The fruit is 

 borne mainly on the spurs, but also partly on the new wood. A 

 fairly cool climate suits the Gooseberry best, and hence it is seen 

 to perfection only in Scotland and the north and midlands of 

 England. 



The plantation should be mulched with farmyard manure in 

 the autumn. In cultivating the ground round the bushes care 

 should be taken to avoid injury to the fibrous roots, which, as in 

 the case of the Raspberry, lie very close to the surface. The hoe 

 is the best implement to use. 



For school gardens, where space is a consideration, Gooseberries 

 may be better sown perhaps on cordons. The preparation of 

 these is too difficult a matter for youthful gardeners, and the 

 Cordons should therefore be bought from a nurseryman. They 

 are trained to bamboo poles fastened to a wire trellis. Four 

 shoots only should be maintained for bearing and extension. All 

 other shoots should be summer pinched and cut back to one 

 inch in length in winter. 



THE CURRANT 



Of these there are three kinds the White, the Red, and the 

 Black Currant. The ancestral plant is the (probably) indigenous 

 Wild Currant (Ribes rubrum), which occurs frequently in Scotland 

 and the north of England. As in the case of the Gooseberry, while 

 new varieties are raised from seed, propagation of existing varieties 

 is effected by cuttings taken in the autumn. Strong side shoots 

 are taken nine to fifteen inches in length. About an inch of the 

 upper part of the shoot is removed, and also all but three top buds. 

 The method of planting the cuttings is the same as that recom- 

 mended in the case of Gooseberry cuttings. The form of bush 

 to be aimed at is one standing on a clean stem four to six inches 



