The century book of gardening. 



in fact, all parts 

 of the bush should 

 be thinned suffi- 

 ciently to let ill 

 air and sunshine, 

 and occasionally 

 an old branch 

 should be cut i >ut 

 to let up young 

 shoots. Keep the 

 bush well fur- 

 nished with young 

 wood in such a 

 position thai air 

 can circulate 

 freely to ripen 

 the wood, and 

 there will be a 

 heavy crop, Il is 

 best to keep Black 

 Currant bushes on 

 single stems, 

 though many- 

 stemmed bushes 

 sometimes bear 

 a lot of fruit. 

 Keep a little 



nursery of bush fruits by putting in a few cuttings occasion- 

 ally, and when the old bushes are getting past work, make 

 a new plantation, and when they come into bearing grub 

 the old bushes up. Bush fruit should not be regarded 

 altogether as a permanent crop. When a bush becomes 

 old and the berries small, plant young bushes and clear 

 them off. 



Varieties. — Victoria and Champion are new varieties, 

 and are very large. I .re's I'n •lilic and Black Naples are 

 useful sorts for preserving. 



Currants, Red and White. — These will not require so 

 much space as Gooseberries, as they are mure easy of access 

 and the growth is less spreading The best results are 

 obtained from bushes 5ft. apart, either in lines round the 

 borders by the side of walks, or in quarters 5ft. apart each 

 way. A deep sandy loam is the best soil, though, if well 

 cultivated, Currants may be grow n in any good land. Plant, 

 early in autumn, bushy and clean stems 8in. or so in length. 

 Mulch after planting, and prune to three buds the first season 

 to get shoots to form the base of the bush. 



Pruning'. — Red and White Currants bear freely on spurs, 

 therefore the side shoots are usually spurred in to J, in. or 

 I in. ; this should not, however, prevent a young shoot being 

 left wherever there is room for one, but the centre of the 

 bush should always be left open and clear, so that sun- 

 shine and air may penetrate freely. White Currants usually 

 make less wood than red kinds ; therefore it will be better 

 to keep them distinct, as in that case the white will do with 

 a little less space. But the white is not so much grown as 

 the red, not being so generally useful. 



Varieties. — Bed : Fay's Prolific, Baby Castle, Red 

 Dutch ; White : Transparent and White Dutch. 



Raspberry, The.- The Raspberry is not always grown 

 so well as many other fruits, but given good culture, few, 

 if any, fruits afford better returns. As most growers 

 well know, the Raspberry succeeds best in a loamy soii, 

 not clayey or too light, and with a good depth the plants 

 will crop well for many years. On the other hand, 

 much better results are secured by frequent renewal of 

 the beds and, if possible, fresh quarters provided. Of 

 late years considerable attention has been paid to the 

 introduction of new kinds, and the white or yellow 

 fruits how find more favour, and rightly so, as in my 

 opinion the latter are delicious for dessert and should 

 be encouraged. Cultivation is simple. Anyone with 

 sufficient space can grow these fruits. Many think 

 they tan be grown under trees, and though 

 succeed fairly well with partial shade, they are 

 better in an open position for late supplies. A north 

 border is best, providing the plants are not grown too 

 close together. Planting to form new quarters should 



DROWN TURKEY FIG (Reduced) 



they 

 nuch 



be carried out in 

 October 01" early 

 November, just as 

 the leaves begin 

 to fall, and though 

 anyone may plant 

 up to the end of 

 March, should a 

 dry s u 111 111 e r 

 follow late plant- 

 ing there is less 

 growth, and of 

 course the crop 

 suffers the next 

 season. A good 

 system is to p'ant 

 new canes every 

 three or lour 

 years, destroying 

 the oldest border 

 or plantation, and 

 of course planting 

 as far as possible 

 in soil that has 

 not borne asimilar 

 crop for some 

 time. New canes 



are produced so freely that it is easy to get new planting 

 canes, but at the same time it is well to obtain fresh 

 slock, as these are more robust and the gain in fruit soon 

 makes up lor increased outlay. 



Varieties.- -Of course it is also well to give new kinds 

 a trial, and those that thine well in most soils should be 

 selected. For instance, Superlative is a splendid introduc- 

 tion ; it grows freely, and the fruit is large, having a long 

 stalk, so that it is easily gathered. This variety resists 

 drought as well as any. It makes a large cane, fruits 

 late, and its strong growth renders it more suitable for 

 poor soils. Another new variety, the Guinea, is also very 

 hue ; its yellow fruits remind one of those of Superlative in 

 sue, and the grow th is very free. There are some excellent 

 older kinds. Hornet is reliable, a large red fruit, very 

 sweet and early ; Baumfortli's Seedling, a very pro- 

 ductive variety, is good for deep, well-worked land, whilst 

 such kinds as Norwich Wonder and Carter's Prolific are 

 both free growers and give excellent fruits. 



For preserving no fruit is equal to Semper Fidelis ; it 

 bears abundantly, grows freely, and though the fruit is 

 more acid in flavour than others, on account of the better 

 quality it is excellent for preserving, and, what is so 

 important to many growers, is a continuous cropper, coming 

 in after all others are over. 



The new kind named Guinea is not yet much known, 

 and there are others that are worth noting ; for instance, 

 the White Magnum Bonum is an early fruit, very sweet, 

 and of good flavour. The Yellow Antwerp is also worth 

 room i( variety is needed ; it is a large early pale yellow 

 fruit, sweet, and of good flavour for dessert, though a little 

 smaller than the while kinds named above. 



Of autumn-fruiting' Raspberries there are quite 



half-a-dozen, and mostly good. A lew of the best are 

 worth describing. These need somewhat different culture 

 to the others. 



The red kinds are most satisfactory, in my opinion, 

 for autumn, as for tarts or compotes the reds are in 

 greater demand, and one of the best is the Perpetual de 

 Billard, a very large dark crimson fruit of brisk flavour ; it 

 is excellent for cooking, a good grower, and one that fruits 

 well into the autumn. The Belle de Fontenay is likewise a 

 large deep red fruit, and for its late season, October, well 

 flavoured. It grows and bears freely, succeeding in most 

 soils and situations. The October Red is also good, and 

 the Noir d'Automne is distinct from the kinds named 

 above, being a large blackish red fruit, and one of the most 

 highly-flavoured autumn kinds. It is a great favourite on 

 the Continent, as, indeed, most of the autumn varieiies are. 

 Doabtless in a drier atmosphere, with more sunshine, it is 

 more reliable. Of while kinds, the October Yellow and 



