PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 127 



July 22, 1862. 

 Mr, L. A. Roberts, of Brooklyn, L. I., in the chair. 



Currants. 

 Mr. A. S. Fuller exhibited eighteen specimens of currants, and gave their 

 names in the order of excellence, according to his opinion, viz: 



1. La Versailles — large red. 



2. White Grape — large transparent white. 



3. White Holland— identical with No. 2. 



4. White Provence — much like No. 2. 



5. Yellow Imperial — large white, slightly tinged yellow. 



6. The True Red Dutch. 



1. The Cherry — large red, a little more acid than No. 1, and thicker 

 skin. 



8. The Victoria — a late variety. 



9. La Hative — red, early. 



10. La Fertile — red, medium size. 



11. The champagne — pale red. 



12. White Dutch — not large, but excellent. 



13. Imperial — red, similar to No. 1 in quality, not so large. 



14. Anglers — red, similar to No. 13. 



15. Red Provence — late and not worth cultivating. 



16. Gloire de Sablons — a new, worthless variety, striped. 



17. Old Striped— similar to No. 16. 



18. Old White — a small, sweet variety. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — One of the great faults about growing currants is 

 picking them befjre they are ripe. Color does not indicate ripeness, as 

 some are red a long time before they are ripe. The Versailles should hang 

 a long time after they are red; so should the Cherry currant, which is 

 naturally strongly acid, and unfit to eat unless fully ripe. One of the 

 peculiar characteristics of La Versailles is that the fruit upon young 

 bushes is generally small, and leads persons i;nacquainted with it to doubt 

 its good quality. The Cherry currant grows about as large the first time 

 the bushes piroduce as ever. The plants also grow vigorously from the 

 first, but La Versailles is a feeble grower at first, but very strong when 

 aged. Although some of these currants are good, we want something 

 better. We want a currant of as vigorous a habit as the Cherry, and as 

 productive, with berries as large, combining all the good qualities of La 

 Versailles, White Grape, Imperial, and Cherry, and sweeter than any of 

 them. We need not despair of yet obtaining such a great desideratum. 



The Chairman. — How do you raise currants from the seed? 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — It is very easy to grow seedlings. Take the seeds of 

 the best sorts out of the berries when ripe, by washing and mixing with 

 sand, and putting in a box with earth, which should be placed on the 

 north side of a building or wall, and kept tjll all danger of thawing or 

 freezing is past, when the seed should be sown in drills in very rich 

 ground, where the sprouts will grow four inches high the first year. Next 

 spring transplant in rows where they can be cultivated. Cut off half the 

 length of the plants when transplanted. The seed may be kept a long 



