82 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



more firmly established, if a few short side shoots 

 are allowed on the stem during the earlier periods. 

 These can all "be removed when the plant is estab- 

 lished. Perfect verticality of stem must be insured, 

 and the stability and safety of the top placed beyond 

 risk, by the use of stout wooden or iron stakes. 

 Nothing looks worse in a garden than a standard 

 Currant, or Rose for that matter, with its head 

 pointing to almost every point of the compass 

 instead of straight up. 



Special Pruning and Training of the 

 Black Currant. — As this fruits far less on spurs 

 than on the young wood of the former year, it follows 

 that the great art of the successful pruning and 

 training of this variety consists in furnishing the 

 bushes with a constant supply of young wood. The 

 simplest way of doing so is to allow the bushes to 

 grow freely into masses, that are constantly renewing 

 themselves from the centre, and disposed to weep 

 down to the ground at the sides. As these outer 

 branches become partially exhausted, or touch ground 

 at the extremities, remove a few, or many of them, 

 annually, and also thin out a few of the worst and 

 most crossed boughs right back to the root-stock. By 

 such sure and judicious pruning an abundant supply 

 of young wood will ever be forthcoming, and the 

 bushes may be sufficiently limited to any given 

 area, or kept into form. But anything like stiffness 

 or formality should be avoided in the training of 

 Black Currants, and everything like spurring, either 

 close or long, avoided. The open centre, vase- 

 shape, and other forms so highly esteemed by the 

 growers of Gooseberries, and White and Red Cur- 

 rants, would be entirely out of place for Black. 



When placed against walls no formal training 

 should be attempted. Place the bushes against the 

 walls, and let them spray out like half irregular 

 bushes from it, of the same form as half of the 

 Black Currant hedge, already recommended. These 

 backed against the walls of cottages and out-houses, 

 and left free, or only subjected to such occasional 

 pruning as already described, will produce enormous 

 quantities of fruit of the finest quality. 



The General Culture of Currants.— This 

 does not differ from that of Gooseberries. It is 

 almost impossible to overfeed Currants in full bearing. 

 Surface mulchings of the richest manure suit them 

 well, as do soakings of manure-water of all kinds. 



Drought at the roots is fatal to size or quality ; 

 and to have Currants of the largest possible size, 

 thinning alike of bunch and berry is essential. 



The Currant is so enormously fertile that it often 

 sets double or treble the crop that it is able to bring 

 up to anything like full size. For jam, jelly, tart, or 



pudding, this matters less, though even for these 

 small fruit yield an excessive percentage of rind to 

 that of flesh and juice, thus rendering the products 

 hard and dry instead of soft and sweet. But for 

 dessert small Currants are useless, and few dishes are 

 more effectual on the table, and more relished by those 

 of limited means and simple tastes, than a mixture of 

 White and Red, or a dish of fine jet-black Currants, 

 the latter sometimes nearly an inch in circumference, 

 and more like Cherries than Currants. 



White and Red Currants may also be developed to 

 abnormal sizes by the thinning of the berries, as well 

 as the bunches, and by special means of fostering 

 and feeding. But this belongs rather to the spe- 

 cialities than the generalities of culture, and may be 

 ranked along with the special contrivances of the 

 prize growers of Lancashire Gooseberries, already so 

 fully described in our article on that fruit. Hard 

 pruning and also the thinning of the fruit-spurs are 

 other means of enlarging the size of the bunches and 

 berries of Currants. 



Gathering and Serving the Fruit, and 

 Preserving it on the Bushes. — Like all other 

 fruit, it should be gathered dry, whether for eating 

 raw, preserving, or cooking. The sooner they are 

 consumed after gathering, the finer and fresher the 

 flavour. Served on their own leaves, tastily dished, 

 either in single colours or mixed, they are very 

 effective. Currants possess the merit of hang- 

 ing long on the bushes after they are ripe. The 

 Black Currant, however, does not possess this quality 

 to anything like the same extent as the others, being 

 about on a level with the later Gooseberries, such as 

 the Warrington and Ironmonger, in this respect. 

 But if Red or White Currants are carefully protected 

 from wasps and birds, and as much as may be from 

 wet, by the -use of thick mats or canvas, they may be 

 kept fresh and sound on the bushes till November. 

 Their hanging power is a great advantage to families 

 fond of Currants, who may pick and come again 

 to the bushes for more from July to December. 



Another rather valuable peculiarity about Cur- 

 rants is that birds will seldom devour them after 

 they are decidedly out of season. So pronounced is 

 this peculiarity that nets, so needful for protection 

 early in the season, have been removed and Currants 

 hung unprotected and unmolested on bushes, espa- 

 liers, and walls, until near to Christmas. The old 

 plan of protecting Currants on the bushes — that of 

 tying the latter together in the form of a rough cone 

 as nearly as may be, and placing a new mat round it 

 as tightly as possible, finishing the mat into a sharp 

 point in the centre, something in the form of a bee- 

 hive thatched with reeds — has never been bettered. 

 Mats so disjjosed and drawn tight are virtually water- 



