CURRANT. 



199 



planting is deferred until spiing. Fall planting of Cur 

 rant cuttings is practiced by most of our leading nursery- 

 men of the present time, especially by those whose nur- 

 series are upon soils or in sections of the country where 

 the Currant ripens its wood early in autumn. The cut- 

 tings may be made in the fall ; if it is not convenient to 

 plant them then, they may be tied in bundles, and buried 

 in the open ground or cellar until spring — but as the 

 Currant is one of the earliest plants to sliow its leaves, the 

 cuttings should be planted as early as possible. 



When a variety is scarce and valuable, the cuttings may 

 be made very short, — two or three inches in length will 

 answer the purpose, but they require a little more care in 

 handling and planting, as well as keeping the ground 

 moist, until they become rooted. 



Another method is to make cuttings of one bud, with 

 a small portion of wood attached, say half an inch above 

 the bud and the same below, planting in pots or boxes of 

 sand or sandy loam, laying tlie cuttings down with the 

 eye or bud on the upper side, covering them about half an 

 inch deep. After the cuttings have been placed in the 

 soil, the pots should be set where the temperature will 

 not be above fifty, and keep moist for a few weeks, until 

 the callus is formed. Then put them in a propagating 

 house or hot-bed, where they will receive a steady heat, 

 but not above To or 80 degrees. As soon as well rooted, 

 pot them off into small thumb pots, and after these have 

 become well filled with roots, either shift into larger ones 

 or plant into the open ground, being careful not to break 

 the ball of earth which contains the roots. 



The single bud cuttings will sometimes grow quite 

 readily if planted in the open ground, provided the sur 

 face Df the soil above them is covered with a mulch— saw- 

 dust or tan-bark are better for mulching the cutting-bed 

 than straw or leaves. 



Tlie Currant may al^o bp grown very readily from green 



