The Currant. 307 
have, however, in the variety under notice, one which bids fair to 
take a place at the liead ofthera all. This is "May's Victoria." 
Though recently raised from seed, and as yet confined to a limited 
number of collections, its merits are so great, that it will soon find 
its way into every garden. The berries are of very large size, of 
a rich deep color, often measuring five-eighths of an inch in di- 
ameter, and the bunches are irom five to six inches long. The 
flavor is also excellent, and what is of greater importance, the 
fruit will h^ng in perfection ibr a much longer time than the 
white or red Dutch. 
J'his variety was raised by Mr. William May, nursery-man, of 
Yorkshire, England, and the fruit was exhibited at one of the 
shows of the London Horticultural Society, and was awarded the 
prize, both for its size and excellence. It has been but little dis- 
seminated, owing to the high price of the plants; but, as they 
are easily multiplied, we may soon hope to see it introduced into 
every garden where the production of fine fruit is an object. 
Our plants produced a few specimens last year, and from the 
ordinary size of the clusters and berries, we thought it had been 
overrated; but the present season, when the bushes had acquired 
sufficient strength to bear a crop, w^e M'ere happily disappointed 
in finding the fruit and branches of such large size and beautiful 
appearance; and our drawing (Fig. 25,) is an accurate represen- 
tation, by measurement, of the size of both berry and bunch. 
The plants are of exceedingly vigorous habit, with foliage dif- 
fering from the white and red Dutch, in being thicker, deeper 
green, and not so firmly cut at the edge; in good rich soil, the 
annual shoots are very stout and strong. 
The currant, as we have stated in the article before alluded 
to, requires to be severely pruned when the object is large, and 
handsome bunches and berries — it would be useless to expect fine 
fruit unless this is attended to. At the spring pruning, every 
new shoot should be headed back to four or five eyes, and the old 
wood wholly cut out, or as much of it as possible, as it is only on 
the young and vigorous wood that the best fruit is to be produced. 
By attending to these suofo- est ions, the cultivator may have the 
finest iruit. 
We may therefore highly recommend the Victoria currant; and 
as its production is one step towards a superior I'ruit, we hope our 
amateur cultivators may be induced to follow up the experiment, 
until something still better shall be the result." 
We find the history of this currant given in a recent number 
of the Gardeners' Chronicle, from its discoverer, Mr. Charlton, a 
well-known nursery-man in Northumberland. It appears some 
forty years ago, Mr. C, then an apprentice to a jobbing gardener, 
who took care of Capt. Smith's gardens at Houghton Castle, was 
