THE RED, WHITE, AND BLACK CURRANT. 



569 



readily forced, so as to ripen their fruit in April 

 and May. Young plants of three years' growth 

 well set with buds, and of moderate size, should 

 be potted into 12-inch pots the season previous 

 to forcing; if carefully done, they may be potted 

 even in October, and set at once in a somewhat 

 close pit, to induce them to make young roots. 

 The slightest artificial excitement should be ap- 

 plied until the buds have all broken ; after that, 

 a temperature, accompanied with abundance of 

 light and ventilation, ranging from 58° to 63°, 

 will be sufficient until the period of the fruit's 

 changing colour, when an addition of 5° more 

 may Wgiven. The plants which have borne one 

 crop, if as early as April, should be thrown 

 away, and another set provided for the following 

 year. If ripened in May, they may be removed 

 to a lower temperature for a few days, and 

 finally plunged out in some sheltered place till 

 the returning season of forcing arrives. The 

 black currant does not force so well, and even 

 should the fruit ripen it soon falls off, which 

 neither of the others do, and hence they are 

 valuable for being placed on the table in the 

 pots in which they have been growing. 



SELECT LIST. 



Red currants. — Dutch red. — Fruit nearly twice 

 the size of the common currant; bunches from 

 2 4 to 3 inches long, and somewhat less acid 

 than the common ; leaves slightly downy ; a 

 very abundant bearer ; should take the place of 

 the common red sort. Synonyms — Large-bunched 

 red, Long-bunched red, New red Dutch, Large 

 red Dutch, Bed grape, Morgan's red, and pro- 

 bably not different from the Pitmaston prolific. 



Raby Castle. — One of the newly-raised sorts 

 of very great excellence, bunches from 5 to 6 

 inches in length ; fruit bright red, hanging on 

 the tree a month longer than most other sorts. 

 Synonyms— May's Victoria, Goliah, Houghton 

 Castle, Lauder s large red. 



Wilmot's large red. — Resembles the last in size ; 

 berries hanging loosely on the bunch, which in 

 length and size of berries is very similar to the last. 



Knight's sweet red. — Considerably less acid 

 than even the White Dutch, and hence preferred 

 for the dessert. 



KnigMs early red. — The only merit of this 

 variety is its ripening ten days earlier than any 

 other, and hence desirable for forcing or planting 

 on a south wall. 



Woolly-leafed Dutch. — Remarkable for the 

 downiness of its leaves ; an immense bearer, 

 and hangs long on the tree, which is strong and 

 vigorous in growth. 



Goodwin's red. — An excellent currant of large 

 size, introduced a few years ago from France ; 

 adapted on account of its strong growth for 

 standard training, and in that way continues 

 late in perfection. 



Champagne, or Pheasant's eye. — Seemingly a 

 hybrid between the old red and white currant ; 

 a most abundant bearer, and of excellent quality. 

 The colour, which has a reddish-white tinge, 

 disqualifies it for making either white or red 

 jelly; but for all other purposes it is equal to 

 any of the others, and from its peculiarity of 

 colour it makes an addition to the dessert. 



White currants. — Dutch white. — Of fair size and 

 good quality, considerably less acid than the 

 Red Dutch, and hence preferred for the dessert. 

 Synonyms — Morgan's white, White crystal, New 

 white Dutch, Reeve's white, White Leghorn. 



Wilmotfs new white. — Bunches from 4 to 6 

 inches in length ; berries large, hanging loosely 

 on the stalk, remarkable for the deeply-cut 

 margins of the leaves. 



Victoria white, Speary's white, and Pearl white, 

 appear to us to be one and the same. Not so 

 long in the bunch as the last, nor are the berries 

 quite so large. 



Black currants. — Common black. — Of this there 

 are undoubtedly several varieties, as situation 

 or soil can hardly cause the great difference that 

 exists. In some the bunches have only three 

 or four berries, while in others they average six 

 or seven ; and in some the fruit only at the 

 shoulder of the bunch sets, while all below is 

 either entirely fruitless, or the berries imperfect 

 and very small. 



Black Naples. — Fruit large, often three-fourths 

 of an inch in circumference; the bunches are also 

 large and well formed. The blossoms and leaves 

 expand earlier than any other sort, which is an 

 excellent mark of distinction. The fruit is, how- 

 ever, later in ripening than the Common black, 

 thus prolonging the season of the fruit's utility. 



Ogden's black grape. — This, with the last, is 

 the best of the family, and both should be ex- 

 tensively grown. The bunches and berries are 

 both large, and of excellent quality ; rather 

 earlier than the last. 



Diseases aud insects. — The magpie moth, 

 Abraxas grossidariata, is often very destruc- 

 tive to the foliage of all sorts of currants {see 

 art. Gooseberry). The Acarus, or red-spider, 

 fig. 22, during warm dry seasons, particularly 

 in light soils, also attacks them. 



The triple-spotted currant-moth {Tinea capi- 

 tella L., Lampronia capitella Curtis), fig. 237, 

 is another enemy 

 Fig. 237. to the currant. 



so destroy as to 



| m leave the trees 



! leafless by May. 



' All shoots at- 



triple -spotted curkant-moth. tacked should be 

 cut off and burnt, 

 which seems the only practicable way of ridding 

 us of this pest. We believe it has not yet been 

 discovered where the female deposits her eggs, 

 nor does it appear that the larva has been 

 figured or described in any of our works on 

 entomology, but the moths have frequently 

 been captured about the middle of May. The 

 body of this moth is described as being of a 

 fuscous brown, the head covered with a crest 

 of bright ochreous hairs ; the antennae are like 

 bristles in both the male and female ; the upper 

 wings are bronzed and freckled with purple and 



