CURRANT 425 
Currant. — As the currant is one of the hardiest and most productive 
of fruits in the North, so is it often neglected, the patch allowed to 
become foul with grass, never thinned or trimmed, the worms eating 
the leaves until, in the course of time, the plants weaken and die. 
Along the fence is no place to plant currants, or, indeed, any other fruit; 
plant out in the open, at least 5 feet from anything that will interfere 
with cultivation. 
No fruit crop will respond more readily to good care than the currant. 
Clean cultivation and a liberal use of manure or fertilizers will certainly 
be followed by well-paying crops. One- or two-year-old plants may be 
set, 4 by 6feet. Trim the bush by cutting off most of the suckers below 
the surface of the ground. The currant should have cool moist soil. 
If the season is dry, a mulch of straw or leaves will assist. the plants to 
establish themselves. 
Currants are easily propagated by mature cuttings of the new or 
previous year’s canes. 
The red and white currants bear mostly on two-year-old or older 
wood. A succession of young shoots should be allowed to grow to 
take the place of the old bearing wood. Cut out the canes as they grow 
older. The partial shade afforded by a young orchard suits the currant 
” well, and if the ground is in good condition, no bad results will follow 
to the orchard, provided the currants are removed before the trees need 
the entire feediag space. 
A currant patch should continue in good bearing for 10 to 20 years, 
if properly handled. One very important point is to keep the old, weak 
canes cut out, and a succession of two to four new ones coming from the 
root each year. 
To combat the currant worm, spray thoroughly with Paris green to 
kill the first brood, just as soon as holes can be seen in the lower leaves 
— usually before the plants are in bloom. For the second brood, if it 
appear, spray with white hellebore (p. 203). For borers, cut out and 
burn the affected canes. 
Varieties of currants. 
Tn most sections the Red Dutch will be found to be the most satis- 
factory variety, as the plants are much less injured by borers than are 
Cherry (Plate XXIII), Fay, and Versailles, which are larger and better 
