1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



3 



THE BLACK CHAMPION CURRANT. 



Black Currants have thus far not become 

 as popular here as the red and white vari- 

 eties. Their strong musky flavor is not 

 agreeable to some persons, while others are 

 very fond of it. In English market reports 

 we find Black Currants frequently quoted at 

 higher prices than red ones. In our . own 

 markets the demand for them is steadily 

 increasing from year to year, so that, no 

 doubt, more attention will soon be given to 

 their culture. They certainly have that ad- 

 vantage over other kinds that they are unmo- 

 lested by the attacks of the Currant-worms. 

 They are also more vigor- 

 ous and hardy than the 

 other varieties, and, except 

 the annual pruning, require 

 hardly any care after being 

 once planted. 



The accompanying illus- 

 tration, reduced to four- 

 fifths of the natural size, 

 represents the new variety 

 "Black Champion," now 

 introduced from England. 

 It was awai'ded a first-class 

 certificate by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, and 

 was pronounced by the 

 committee the finest Black 

 Currant they hail ever seen. 

 The berries are of remark- 

 ably large size, globular, 

 and jet-black. The bunches 

 are very long, and the flavor 

 of the fruit is said to be 

 particularly luscious and 

 delicate. The extreme 

 fruitfulness and robust 

 habit of the plant , as well 

 as its power of resisting 

 drought, are also men- 

 tioned as important feat- 

 ures. 



A Black Currant of larger 

 size and milder flavor than 

 the older kinds cannot but 

 prove a desirable addition 

 to our fruit list, and will no 

 doubt find a permanent 

 place in our fruit-gardens. 

 Black Currants are also 

 used extensively for jellies 

 and conserves, which, if 

 properly prepared, are 

 quite free from the musky 

 flavor of the fresh fruit ; it 

 is also stated, by good 

 authority, that no inconsid- 

 erable part of the French 

 claret sold here consists of 

 Black Currant juice. 



OLD STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 



It is the all but unanimous verdiet of pro- 

 fessional fruit-growers that old Strawberry 

 plants cannot be transplanted, and are of no 

 value whatever for planting ; consequently I 

 have always rejected as worthless all plants 

 that had any black roots. But some inci- 

 dents of practical experience lead me to the 

 belief that there are some exceptions to this 

 rule, and that there are conditions under 

 which old plants may be used to advantage. 



Several years ago, the plants in one of our 

 fields were badly damaged by the white grub, 

 and as we had but few young plants of this 

 variety to replace the ones lost, we dug up, 



about the 10th of July, an old bed thai 

 just finished fruiting, and filled out all 

 vacant spaces with these, except a few n 

 where we used what young plants we 

 The ground was in fine condition for pi 

 ing at the time; but, as we had no rain 

 nearly a month after it, ninety per een 

 the young plants died, while fully seve 

 five per cent, of the old ones lived, and s. 

 to In' strong plants, that produced a 

 crop of fruit the next season. 



A market gardener who saw these 

 plants in bearing was so fa vorably impre 

 with them that he decided to plant an 



MPION CURR/ 



of just suehplauts. They were set out the 

 middle of July, on ground from which a 

 crop of Peas and Potatoes had just been re- 

 moved. Eor a whole year I did not see nor 

 hear anything of my friend, when I received 

 a very interesting and pleasant letter, in 

 which he said : 



"The old plants T set out hist year just 

 managed to live through July anil August. 

 One or two good showers about the 25th of 

 August, however, gave them a start, and 

 they made a very rapid growth through Sep- 

 tember and October, and the middle of No- 

 vember, when I covered them for winter, I 

 had as fine a lot of plants as I ever saw. . . 



Eave jusl finished marketing the fruit this 

 week, and have sold $392 worth of berries 

 from the acre of ground; but, what is of 

 more value to me, is the lesson I learned, 

 that old plants are as good (if not better) 

 than young ones for summer planting." 



The varieties were Crescent, Windsor Chief, 

 and Charles Downing, the soil a clay loam, 

 that had been used for market gardening 

 for a number of years, and was doubtless in 

 just the right condition to produce tine 

 Strawberries. 



In another instance, last spring, when in- 

 advertently all the young plants of a new 

 and rare variety had been 

 disposed of, we were ob- 

 liged, for our own use, to 

 <lig up and transplant every 

 plant from an old bed. 

 For ten days after plant- 

 ing a cold, dry, north-west 

 wind prevailed, yet, to my 

 surprise, nearly all these 

 plants grew, while a large 

 portion of young plants 

 near by, and planted about 

 the same time, were killed. 

 Most of the old plants put 

 forth strong and vigorous 

 runners, and by fall had the 

 ground completely matted 

 over with young plants, al- 

 though the rows were four 

 feet apart. 



Now, after such evi- 

 dences as these, must we 

 still hold on to the anti- 

 quated idea that old Straw- 

 berry plants are worthless F 

 Or would it not be better 

 for every one to determine 

 for himself by inexpensive 

 experiments, — what I have 

 strong proofs to believe a, 

 fact, — that for July and 

 August planting, and es- 

 pecially in a dry time, old 

 plants are preferable to 

 young ones, and that even 

 for spring planting they are 

 of more value than is gen- 

 erally supposed. 



J. H. Hale. 



FIG- CULTURE. 

 The principal difficulty 

 with growing Figs out- 

 doors is that the wood does 

 not always ripen fully be- 

 fore winter. The condi- 

 tions in this respect are 

 quite similar to tender 

 Grapevines : they could en- 

 dure the coldest weather, provided their 

 wood were well matured. 



Small plants may be sufficiently protected 

 by placing boxes or barrels over them and 

 filling in the space with dry leaves or straw. 

 Large bushes are generally laid down by 

 digging a shallow trench along one side, 

 loosening the roots on the opposite side, 

 tying the branches together in a bundle, and 

 bending all over in the trench. Roots and 

 branches are then thickly covered with soil 

 and straw or stalks. In spring the soil is 

 removed again, the bush turned back , and 

 the roots are placed in their proper position. 

 They may also be wintered in a cellar. 



