PROPAGATION 197 



The black currant commonly grown in the garden has 

 its origin in northern Europe. The fruit as well as the plant 

 of this species has a peculiar odor which is objectionable to 

 some people. The demand for the fruit of the black cur- 

 rant is not as great as that of the red, but in some markets 

 it is prized highly and brings a good price. 



Gooseberry. — The gooseberry is closely related to the cur- 

 rant. It is very hardy and very productive. There are 

 two classes of gooseberries under cultivation, namely, the 

 American and the European types. The color of the culti- 

 vated sorts ranges from a pale green to a deep red when 

 the fruit is ripe. 



The cultivated American gooseberry has been developed 

 from one of our native species. Besides the cultivated 

 sorts there are several wild varieties. The fruit of the 

 wild sort is used in communities where the plant is found 

 growing. The greatest objection to the fruit of the wild 

 plants is the large number of sharp prickles found on it. 



The cultivated European gooseberries have their origin 

 in Europe. These gooseberries are not grown to any extent 

 in America, because the plants are very susceptible to the 

 mildew. The gooseberry, however, is a more popular fruit 

 in Europe than it is in America, and many of the English 

 gooseberries are very large, some specimens weighing from 

 3 to 5 ounces. 



Propagation. — The bush fruits are propagated by hard- 

 wood cuttings, by layers and by division of the plant. 

 While the plants can be reproduced from seed this practice 

 is never recommended, because the plants that are grown 

 from seed are never true to name or to type. If a new 

 variety is wanted, however, seed must be planted, but this 

 is a very uncertain undertaking, especially for the amateur. 



The currant is more generally propagated by hard-wood 

 cuttings. The cuttings are taken from wood of the previous 

 summer's growth and cut into pieces about 8 inches in length. 

 The cut should be smooth and just below a bud. The 

 end of the new growth should be removed because it is 

 usually too immature to produce good cuttings. The cut- 

 tings should be made in the fall, usually during the latter part 



