170 CURRANT. 



much inferior fruit brought to market, and which, if 

 under proper management, might have been doubled, 

 both as to size uf berries, and bulk or weight of crop. 

 It is well known that by a proper disposition of the 

 branches, by cutting away all redundant and unne- 

 cessary growths, greater vigour and nutriment will 

 be directed into the principal branches and buds 

 that are left ; and if at the same time the soil in 

 which tliey are planted be sufficiently rich, abundant 

 crops both as to quantity and quality will be pro- 

 duced. 



The propagation or raisins: of young currant trees, 

 is so easy a matter, and so well known, that it is 

 scarcely necessary to take up the time of the reader 

 by describing the process. Suffice it to observe, 

 that young plants are obtained by planting cuttings 

 of the strongest shoots in the autumn, or early 

 spring, on good rich ground. The cuttino^s may be 

 sixteen inches in length, divested of all their buds 

 except five or six at the top, and dibbed firmly into 

 the soil to the depth of half their length. The 

 shoots produced in the first season will require 

 heading down in the next : and here the attention of 

 the pruner is necessary to form the future head, by 

 leaving the proper number of leading branches in- 

 tended to be permanent. In the following seasons 

 the })roper form of the head is obtained by shortening 

 the leadino- shoots at an outside bud, which will 

 cause the branches to extend outwards, and leave the 

 centre moderately open. The branches should not 

 be nearer to each other than sis inches ; the laterals 



