CURRANTS. 



231 



necessary to keep the leading stem trained 

 to a rod or stake. Shoots must be allowed 

 to grow along the stem ; 

 and if the latter is in- 

 tended to be ultimately 

 naked, the lower shoots 

 and spurs should be 

 gradually taken off as 

 others are produced 

 higher up. 



When intended to be 

 trained against a wall or 

 espalier, Currants should 

 be planted 3 feet apart, 

 and one strong upright 

 shoot encouraged for a 

 stem. It is essential that 

 the plants should be well 

 established before the 

 formation of the pri- 

 mary branches is at- 

 tempted; therefore, if 

 the plants are not strong 

 and well rooted when 



planted, it is better to merely shorten the shoot 

 a little, and allow the plant to grow at freedom 

 till the following autumn, and then cut down 

 the upright to 3 inches from the ground. Train 

 one shoot, the strongest of course, upright, cut 

 it back in autumn to 6 inches from the ground, 

 and in the following summer, from the base of 

 the last year's shoot, train one young shoot 

 horizontally to the right, and another to the 

 left. From these horizontals four upright 

 shoots should be trained, at the distance of 

 9 inches from each other. These perpendicu- 

 lar shoots ought to be allowed to grow at 

 full length, and should be shortened back in 

 autumn to 6 or 8 inches. A leader from each 

 must be trained upright every summer, and 

 shortened to the above height every autumn; 

 the laterals from the upright branches should 

 be cut very closely, as directed for the laterals 

 of the branches grown in the open ground. 



Red and White Currants succeed admirably 

 grown as cordons on V trellises, either on the 

 one, two, or four branch system, as described 

 for Gooseberries. 



The soil should every year be drawn from 

 around the trees with a hoe, and buried in 

 the middle of the intervals, for which purpose 

 a spade is the best; but in stirring the ground 

 near the trees, a fork should be employed. 

 Plenty of manure should be given. Manure 

 water increases the size of the fruit, but does 

 not improve the flavour. 



The fruit should not be gathered 

 is wet, and, if intended for preserv 



when it 

 ing, not 



Fig. 1027.— "Winter pruning of Black Currants. 

 The marks on the branches show how much should be cut off. 



immediately after a wet period, for they will 

 be less watery if several days are allowed to 



Fig. 1028.— Winter pruning of Red Currants, a. Spurs ; b, current year'3 

 growth; c, leader, stopped at d; d, shortening of lateral shoots. 



elapse. It may not, however, be advisable 

 to delay so long in wet seasons, for when dry 

 days are rare it is necessary to take advantage 

 of them. 



