RED AND WHITE CURRANTS 



47 



or they may break off. A stout 

 the side branches to be looped 

 up. 



Red currants required for 

 very early picking can be 

 planted on a wall with a 

 warm aspect, but they will 

 need some assistance by sur- 

 face mulching and syringing, 

 as such hot situations may 

 cause red spider. For very 

 late picking, trained trees 

 should be planted against north 

 walls, and the spur system of 

 pruning followed, otherwise 

 the mass of foliage in such 

 a shaded position may pre- 

 vent proper ripening of the 

 wood. 



White currants are much 

 appreciated for dessert late in 

 the season. Where fruit is 

 required for exhibition the 

 longest bunches should be 

 selected, and the clusters be 

 thinned to develop fine berries. 

 Red currant bushes in market 

 gardens are pruned hard, and 

 are also freely manured. Fruit 

 pays best when sold early, even 

 before the whole bunch is 

 coloured. 



stake 2 feet taller than the tree will enable 



*T?=r 



Standard Red Cukkant Bush 



Formed by taking a cutting 12 to 18 inches in length, remov- 

 ing all the buds from the lower 6 inches, inserting this part 

 in the soil. Secure the leading growth to a stake, pinch the 

 side shoots to two leaves, the resulting shoots to one leaf, 

 and continue the practice year by year until the leader has 

 attained a height of 4 feet ; then cut off a few inches in 

 autumn. In the following spring three of the most pro- 

 mising shoots are selected to form the head. These are 

 shortened in autumn to 4 or 6 inches from their bases, two 

 resulting shoots from each branch are cut back to 6 inches, 

 forming, in the following year, the tree shown. The prun- 

 ing consists of cutting back in autumn all side shoots to 

 within J an inch of their bases, or to two buds. The 

 branches on the left hand are shown pruned, and those on 

 the right hand detached ; the leading shoots are shortened 

 to 6 inches, if weakly, or to 8 or 9 inches when strong ; more 

 cutting than this is apt to cause the branches to be too 

 sparely furnished with spurs for bearing, and too weak to 

 support the weight of fruit. The pinched back growths on 

 the main stem may remain unti ;the third year, then reduce 

 them gradually. 



afforded or not. The old- 

 fashioned method of throwing fish nets over currants, gooseberries, and straw- 



PROTECTING BUSH 

 FRUITS 



The question of protect- 

 ing bush fruit trees from the 

 ravages of birds and the effects 

 of frost is an important one 

 to the gardener, and very often 

 the quantities of fruit gathered 

 depend largely upon whether 

 eflScient protection has been 



