266 



PRUNING. 



young shoots found on the nursery plant, as recommended 

 for tlie gooseberry. They are afterwards annually short- 

 ened to produce lateral branches, when wanted, and 

 fruit spurs. Care must be taken not to prune too close, as 

 this causes the buds on the lower parts to make woo^ 

 instead of fruit spurs : one third, and in many cases^ one 

 fourth, will be quite sufficient. * 

 The Currant as a Pyramid. — ^The cun-ant is very easily 

 formed into pretty pyramids. The mode of conducting 

 them will be similar to that recommended for other 

 trees. 



A good strong shoot must iirst be obtained to com- 

 mence upon ; this is cut back, and laterals produced as 

 though it were a yearling cherry tree. Summer pruning 

 and pinching must be duly put in practice, under any 

 form, to keep up an equality of grow^th among the shoots, 

 and to check misplaced and superfluous ones. This will 

 obviate a great deal of cutting at the winter or spring 

 pruning. Mr. Rivers, in his " Miniature Fruit Garden," 

 sajs : " A near neighbor of mine, an ingenious gardener, 

 attaches much value, and with reason, to his pyramidal 

 currant trees ; for his table is supplied abundantly with 

 their fruit till late in autumn. The leading shoots of his 

 trees are fastened to iron rods ; they form nice pyramids 

 about five feet high ; and by the clever contrivance of 

 slipping a bag made of coarse muslin over them as soon 

 as the fruit is ripe, fastening it securely at the bottom, 

 wasps, birds, flies, and all the ills that beset ripe currants 

 are excluded." 



The Currant as an Espalier. — ^It is sometimes desirable, 

 both to economize space and to retard the period of ripen- 

 ing, to train currants on a north wall or trellis ; and this 

 is very easily done with success. We have seen the north 

 side of a neighbor's garden fence completely covered 

 with currants without any system whatever being pur- 



