7i6 



TESTS OF CURRANTS. 



brief, it has "dropped out of sight," the old tree is 

 dead, and the episode is forgotten by fruit-growers. 



If there is any moral to this last incident, it is to 

 the effect that nothing should ever be ' disseminated" 

 by a grower until it has been tested so long that its 

 characteristics are fixed beyond a doubt. One of the 

 indirect advantages of a law which permits a man to 



have the pleasure of paying twenty-five dollars or so 

 for an " exclusive right " to sell a new variety, is that it 

 willmake him amazingly careful to ascertain that he has 

 a new variety to sell, before he parts with his hard- 

 earned ducats, and so avoid innocently duping his 

 neighbors. Charles H. Shinn. 



Alameda Co., California. 



TESTS OF CURRANTS. 



SEEDLINGS CRANDALL FAY. 



ESTING, digging up and throwing 

 away seedling currants have been 

 my experiences for years. It has 

 been rather discouraging work, 

 but the student of plant life knows 

 how firmly fixed in their habits 

 our common fruits seem to be. 

 Indeed, it is well that they are so 

 fixed, for reversion and deterior- 

 ation under ordinary cultivation 

 are thus happily prevented. 



I find that the vital point in improving plants is to 

 raise the seedlings under the best possible conditions. 

 For if the young plants are started into existence under 

 ordinary circumstances there will be no cause for any 

 variation, and the plants will simply repeat the parent 

 forms. 



My observation is that there is less tendency to sport 

 in currant seedlings than in anything I have ever grown ; 

 and there is little or no tendency to reversion. Nearly 

 all the seedlings are as good as the parent forms, 

 except in the case of Fay. The fruit of the seed- 

 lings of this variety is not so large as that of the parent 

 plants ; and there is a curious fault of Fay's currant that 

 does not seem to repeat itself, generally, in the seed- 

 lings, namely, the tendency of the stronger growing 

 shoots that come up from the bottom to become loosened 

 by the wind or by handling. This same defect is also 

 seen in the old Cherry currant, which I think is the par- 

 ent of the Fay. I also find that nearly one-half of the 

 seedlings of Fay bear white fruit. 



Grape seedlings upon my grounds come as albinos in 

 about the same proportion, and the strong shoots on 

 some of the seedlings have a tendency to become loose 

 and easily detached. I have not observed either of 

 these peculiarities in wild plants. 



The seedlings of most of the currants are stronger and 

 more vigorous than their parents. There seem to be 

 two causes for this result. In the first place most of my 

 seedlings have been artificially cropped, and some of 

 them are real hybrids. Second, I think the old sorts 

 have more or less run out. 



The Crandall currant seems to be a sport of the old 

 Missouri currant, and it is not so fixed in its habits as 



most cf our older currants. I think it is of little value, 

 except perhaps for hybridizing. I do not desire to con- 

 vey the impression that there is no hope in new seed- 

 ling currants, or in the labors of the hybridist. This is 

 not in accordance with my observation. But the work 

 must be better done, the subject more carefully studied, 

 and the materials for experimentation more closely 

 sought out. All my work heretofore has not been 

 in vain, though most of it certainly has been. I have 

 two white seedlings, saved out of the hundreds thrown 

 away, that show improvement. One is like White 

 Grape in every respect, except that the fruit is decidedly 

 larger. The other is similar, but its distinctive feature 

 lies in the foliage. For some unknown reason this does 

 not seem to be relished by the worms. Perhaps this 

 variety is a cross with the black, or the Missouri cur- 

 rant, although no other trace of that variety can be seen. 

 I have both upon my grounds, and have several times 

 attempted to hybridize them. But the pregnant fact, 

 nevertheless, is that the foliage of this variety seems 

 distasteful to the worms, and they let it severely alone. 

 I intend to have this variety tested by some of our lead- 

 ing nurserymen, under other conditions, and if it con- 

 tinues to be so near worm-proof in other places, I shall 

 feel that my long task of attempting to improve our cur- 

 rants has not been in vain. 



Fay is somewhat deceiving. It has the largest 

 berries, but these contain really less pulp and juice 

 than some other currants. The seeds are more numer- 

 ous, and as large again as those of other varieties, and 

 it consequently makes less jelly than do the smaller 

 currants. The unusual size of Fay is largely due to 

 its unusual development of seeds. There are twice as 

 many seeds in the Crandall currant as in ordinary va- 

 rieties, but they are not so large as those of Fay. The 

 skin of the latter is also rather thick, so it will be seen 

 that there is little room for pulp, and pulp, not skin and 

 seeds, is what is desired. 



The Crandall currant ripens at the wrong time of the 

 year, during the raspberry season. But its flavor is bet- 

 ter and more fruity than that of the common black cur- 

 rant. The berry is about the size of Lee and the clus- 

 ters are emaciated, like its supposed parent. It may 

 yet prove useful in hybridizing. 



New York. D. S. Marvin. 



