148 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE 



growers prefer two-year-old plants. The currant comes 

 into bearing the second or third year from planting, 

 and with proper care should last for a generation 

 at least. 



Pruning — The pruning required consists in remov- 

 ing the old wood after it is three or four years old and 

 allowing only a limited number of new canes to grow. 

 These canes should be strong and upright, so as to 

 carry the fruit high that it may not be spattered by 

 heavy rains. If the canes are low it is well to mulch 

 while the fruit is ripening, but this must be removed 

 at the earliest possible time after the fruit has been 

 harvested, so that the roots may not be drawn to the 

 surface. 



Harvesting and Marheting — Currants are marketed 

 in quart baskets in the same manner as strawberries 

 and raspberries. It is a fruit that will hang a long time 

 on the bushes, especially if grown under the shade of 

 trees or when the foliage is heavy, and is often in 

 condition for marketing for more than a month. Some 

 growers pack about ten pounds of this fruit in a common 

 market basket and sell by the pound. The prices range 

 from five cents to fifteen cents per quart, with an average 

 of perhaps not far from eight to ten cents for the 

 season. The yield under good conditions is often 200 

 bushels per acre and upwards. 



VARIETIES 



While there are many more or less distinct varie- 

 ties, they are not so marked in their variations as 

 most of the other fruits. It is often said that the 

 difference in the varieties sold under different names 

 is due to the treatment they receive as to soil and fer- 

 tilizers, and this is in a measure true, yet there are 

 several varieties that are marked enough to warrant 

 distinct names. Among the best of these are: 



