The Cultivation of Fruits 129 
trenched, and manured. The pruning for the first few 
years will consist in cutting out all weak shoots, and thin- 
ning out the others, to ensure light and air getting into 
the bush to ripen the wood thoroughly. As time goes on 
it will be found necessary to cut back some of the older 
branches, to keep the bushes within bounds. It will be 
noticed that here and there, on the old branches, young- 
shoots are thrown out. The old branches should be cut 
back to one of these young shoots, which will grow and 
take its place. This should be done at every pruning; the 
bushes will then always be kept in good fruiting condition. 
If carelessly managed for a few years a season or two of 
fruiting may be lost in getting the bushes back into proper 
condition again. 
As the fruit is generally produced on the previous 
year’s wood, on no account should the shoots which are 
left be cut back. 
Like all other crops, if the bushes are to be kept in 
good fruiting condition, the soil must be supplied with food 
to make up for what the crop of fruit, &c., takes out of it 
each season. A topdressing of vegetable mould — the well- 
rotted refuse from the kitchen garden — has been found to 
be very efficient for this purpose, if forked lightly into the 
soil; failing this, well-rotted farmyard manure will answer 
the same purpose. 
It is not so necessary to protect this fruit, as birds do 
not seem to be particularly fond of it, if there is anything 
else to be obtained. There is, however, a terrible scourge 
to be contended against in the Black Currant Mite, which 
has caused tremendous havoc in the Black Currant plan- 
tations. 
( C 525 ) 
10 
