996 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



soon as possible, and the ashes returned to the soil. In this 

 way many insect eggs, &;c., are destroyed, and the ashes 

 serve as a gentle stimulant to root-action. 



The following few varieties are reliable for home use or for 

 market requirements : Baldwin's Black {sj?i. Champion), a very 

 profuse cropper, large, of fine colour, and very sweet. Lee's 

 Prolific, an abundant bearer on good soil; the fruit is large, and 

 travels well to market. Black Naples is somewhat later in 

 ripening than the above sorts, and is a heavy and continuous 

 bearer. Ogden's Black is a very free bearer, and excellent on 

 all soils. The well-known Old Black, although a good variety, is 

 neither so free in growth nor so prolific as the four sorts 

 named above. Some contend that it is never attacked by 

 the mite, but we have seen it quite as badly infested as 

 any other variety. 



Red Curj-ants are always in a more or less limited demand 

 in gardens of every kind, and fortunately they are not 

 particular as to the soil or situation, providing no stagnant 

 water lodges about the roots. The bush form is that most gene- 

 rally adopted for these Currants, and is no doubt the best, as 

 heavy crops are obtained with very little trouble. As already 



mentioned, the ground should 

 be well dug and cleaned 

 prior to planting in the 

 autumn, and a few of the 

 best varieties only selected. 

 Raby Castle is a well-known 

 large and prolific variety. 

 Comet is a new sort of great 

 promise, producing long clus- 

 ters of large and very sweet 

 berries. Cherry and Red 

 Dutch are two varieties with 

 large, handsome fruit borne 

 in profusion. Chiswick Red 

 (Fig. 646) is also a free 

 bearer of large, sweet fruit. 



White Currants. — The 

 pruning of both Red and 

 White Currants is exactly 

 the same. In bush-trees it 

 consists in having five or 

 more branches springing from 

 a clean leg or stem (Fig. 

 647) ; these branches should be as near as possible equi- 

 distant from each other, and all side-shoots forming on the 

 branches should be cut back to about four eyes, thus forming 

 good fruiting spurs. Where birds are troublesome in taking 



Fig. 646. — Fruiting Branch of 

 Chiswick Red Currant. 



