488 



THE CURRANT. 



more than three or four feet high. The fruit of the original wild 

 species is small and very sour, but the large garden sorts produced by- 

 cultivation, and for which we are chiefly indebted to the Dutch gardeners, 

 are large, and of a more agreeable subacid flavor. 



The Black Currant (Hibes nigrum) is a distinct species, with larger 

 leaves, and coarser growth, and which, in the whole plant, has a strong 

 odor, disagreeable, at first, to many persons. 



TJses. The cooling acid flavor of the Currant is relished by most 

 people, in moderate quantities, and the larger varieties make also a 

 pretty appearance on the table. Before fully ripe, currants are stewed 

 for tarts, like green gooseberries, and are frequently employed along 

 with cherries or other fruits in the same way ; but the chief value of 

 this fruit is for making currant jelly, an indispensable accompaniment to 

 many dishes. Currant shrub, made from the fruit in the same manner 

 as lemonade, is a popular summer drink in many parts of the country, 

 and corresponds to the well-known Paris beverage, eau de groseilles. A 

 sweet wine of very pleasant taste is made from their expressed juice, 

 which is very popular among farmers, but which we hope to see dis- 

 placed by that afforded by grapes, — which every one may make with 

 less cost and trouble, and which is infinitely more wholesome, because it 

 requires less additions, of any kind, to the pure juice. 



The fruit of the Black Currant is liked by some persons in tarts, but 

 it is chiefly used for making a jam, or jelly, much valued as a domestic 

 remedy for sore throats. 



The season when Currants are in perfection is midsummer, but it 

 may be prolonged until October by covering the bushes with mats, or 

 sheltering them otherwise from the sun. 



Propagation and Culture. Nothing is easier of culture than the 

 Currant, as it grows and bears well in any tolerable garden soil. To 

 propagate it, it is oidy necessary to plant in the autumn, or early in the 

 spring, slips or cuttings, a foot long, in the open garden, where they 

 will root with the greatest facility. The Currant should never be allowed 

 to produce suckers, and, in order to insure against this, the superfluous 

 eyes or buds should be taken out before planting it, as has been directed 

 under the head of Cuttings. When the plants are placed where they 

 are finally to remain, they should always be kept in the form of trees — 

 that is to say, with single stems, and heads branching out a few inches 

 from the ground. The after treatment is of the simplest kind ; thinning- 

 out the superfluous wood every spring is all that is required here. 

 Those who desire berries of an extra large size stop, or pinch out, the 

 ends of all the strong growing shoots about the middle of June, when 

 the fruit is two-thirds grown. This forces the plant to expeud all its 

 strength in enlarging and maturing the fruit. And we may add to this, 

 that it is better not to continue the cultivation of currant-trees after 

 they have borne more than six or eight years, as finer fruit will be 

 obtained, with less trouble, from young plants, which are so easily 

 raised. 



For field culture many prefer to grow them from suckers, but when 

 this mode is adopted, care should be taken to thin out the oldest 

 branches annually, and dig in old manure about the roots. 



Insects and Diseases. Within a few years the Currant and 

 Gooseberry have been affected by the ravages of an insect described by 

 Dr. Asa Fitch, in his reports to the New York State Agricultural 



