THE CURRANT. 



387 



On looking under, the soil was always moist. Heavy pruning 

 must follow the luxuriant growth thus produced. Currants 

 thrive also when they are somewhat shaded, and consequently 

 an excellent position for them is in the rows of young orchard 

 trees. Clean cultivation cannot be too strongly insisted upon. 

 The different varieties of the currant succeed nearly alike 

 in the Northern, Middle, and some Western, but fail in the 

 Southern States. 



Pruning the Currant.— In the culture of the currant 



three distinct modes are 

 adopted. The first, 

 which is quite common 

 in this country, is to 

 plant the bushes along 

 garden fences, where 

 they often grow up with 

 grass, and being neither 

 cultivated nor cared for, 

 the fruit becomes small 

 and of little value. This 

 is the worst mode. 



The next is to culti- 

 vate, but not to prune. 

 The fruit on such bushes 

 is fine while they are 

 young, but as they be- 

 come filled with a profu- 

 sion of old bearing wood 

 it diminishes in size. , 

 The third and best mode is to give them good, clean culti- 

 vation, and to keep up a constant supply of young bearing 

 wood, yielding large and excellent crops. 



The currant, like the cherry, bears its fruit on shoots two or 

 more years old ; and it is important that a succession of strong 

 young shoots be maintained for this purpose. When a cane 

 has borne two or three crops, the fruit usually begins to de- 

 teriorate in size ; therefore cut it out. In the mean time, a 

 young cane should be coming on to take its place. After a 

 bush has been in bearing three or four years, one or two of 

 the old canes should be cut out each year. A good bush may 



Pig. 524.— Raceme of Currants. 



