230 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



to an outward bud. To about this length the 

 terminal shoots of the six branches should be cut 

 at every winter pruning, and when they have 

 nearly attained the intended height, which need 

 not exceed 3 feet, the terminals should be short- 

 ened every autumn to within two or three buds 

 from the base. 



In soil that is very rich, and likewise natur- 

 ally favourable to the growth of the Currant, 

 the plants may be allowed to grow to the 



Fig. 1025 —Well-shaped pruned Red-Currant Bush. 



height of 4 



or 5 feet, and, in that case, nine 

 or even twelve branches may be allowed. In 

 the latter case it would be well to have the 

 branches trained round a hoop placed in the 

 centre, so as to extend them at equal distances 

 from each other, and more widely than would 

 otherwise be the case. 



Having explained the manner by which the 

 three primary shoots are shortened so as to 

 produce two shoots each, and which give rise 

 to the six branches of which the head should 

 generally consist, and having followed up the 

 annual pruning of the terminal shoots of these 

 branches, we now turn to the laterals. These 

 should be shortened, at each winter pruning, 

 to about half an inch in length. Some good 

 growers for the London market cut even 

 closer than this, or almost to the old wood. 

 The base of the shoot consists of nearly solid 

 wood, but farther up the shoot is pithy, and by 

 exposure to the air the pith wastes, leaving the 

 shoot hollow below the cut, and it usually dies 

 back. It is therefore better to cut back nearly 

 close to the old wood, or to the origin of the 



shoots, in order that the buds, whether for young 

 wood or for fruit, may have a solid basis. 



As heavy crops of fruit cannot be produced 

 without plenty of nourishment, which can only 

 be supplied from abundance of fresh roots, and 

 as the formation of these requires a considerable 

 amount of foliage, young shoots must be allowed 

 to grow for this purpose, and also for producing 

 a sufficient thickness of laj^ers of alburnum along 

 the branches and stems; for when these are 

 meagre, the fruit cannot be large. It is never- 

 theless wrong to allow too much crowding of 

 young shoots in summer. When this is likely 

 to be the case, they should be moderately 

 thinned early in summer, by removing some 

 of the weakest shoots, or any that cross each 

 other. Besides this, the tops of the strongest 

 shoots may be cut off in June, taking care, 

 however, that no extensive removal of foliage 

 takes place at any one time. 



Currants are trained in some gardens with a 

 single upright stem, and when well managed 

 in this way the plants have a very good effect. 

 They bear well; and there is an advantage 



Fig. 1026— Summer pruning of Red Currants. The marks on the 

 branches show how much should be cut off. 



as regards the fruit being kept free from 

 soil, by which those grown as dwarfs are 

 frequently injured after heavy rains. When 

 grown as standards, the principal aim should 

 be, in the first place, to grow the stem as 

 straight and as strong as possible. It is 



