218 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
son’s growth for bearing the coming summer; these 
should be cut off at the top to about four-fifths of their 
original height, and neatly tied together. If they are 
slender and not sufficiently rigid to bear the future weight 
of leaves and fruit, they should be secured to a stake. 
In tying them together, they should be allowed to spread 
open at the top in the form of a wine-glass. 
There are twenty or thirty named varieties of the Rasp¬ 
berry, but we are able to speak from personal know¬ 
ledge of but few of them. The White or Yellow Antwerp, 
is an excellent one and of large size; for excellence it is 
commonly considered as standing at the head of the list; 
but it partakes of a slight musky flavor, hence it is con¬ 
sidered by some as inferior to others. The Red Antwerp 
is highly esteemed, but is inferior to the preceding.* 
The Red Cane is a good bearer and has a pleasant flavor. 
The White American is a very valuable one, and is pro¬ 
bably too much neglected. The Black, American or wild 
raspberry, (Rubus Occidentalis) affords an excellent fruit, 
which probably might be much improved by cultivation. 
The Currant. 
The currant is very hardy, grows freely, and almost 
uniformly bears abundant crops; the pleasant flavor of 
the fruit is well known,' and ripening early in summer 
when but few kinds of fruit are yet mature, it becomes 
of great value. 
As to soil, Loudon says, “ it generally does well in 
any common garden ground, well tilled and recruited; it 
bears the greater crop in a strong loam, or improved 
clay, somewhat moist; the earlier in a light sandy mould, 
which is not poor. Previous to planting the ground 
should be dug two feet deep.” 
The mode of propagating the currant is by cuttings . 
The shoots for this purpose are to be of last year's pro¬ 
duction, and of vigorous, straight and thrifty growth. 
Before planting, every bud is to be cutoff closely except 
two or three near the top, to prevent the growth of too 
many stems. They should be inserted at least six or 
eight inches into the earth. Instead of allowing numer¬ 
ous shoots to spring up from each root, they should be 
drained to a single upright stem to the height of a foot, at 
which point the branches should radiate on all sides, in 
an upward direction, so as to form a handsome spreading 
top. 
Currants, on account of their hardiness, are commonly 
totally neglected in culture, and are suffered to become 
overrun with grass and weeds, and to become crowded 
with suckers and numerous branches. Inferior fruit is 
always the result. To prevent this and increase the fla¬ 
vor and size of the fruit, they require proper and season¬ 
able pruning, as well as cultivation of the soil. The 
leading requisite to be observed in pruning, is to cut 
away all superfluous shoots, especially those of less 
thrifty growth, and also old, unproductive branches, so 
that air and light may be freely admitted, and the fruit 
not too much crowded upon the bushes. Neill, author 
of the treatise on Horticulture in the Edinburgh Encyclo¬ 
pedia, says that Macdonald of Dalkeith House, “raises 
currants of the best quality. A good deal depends on the 
way in which he manages the bushes, especially during 
the ripening of the fruit. He prunes the bushes at the 
usual season of midwinter, shortening the last year’s 
shoots down to an inch or an inch and a half. Next 
summer the plants show plenty of fruit, and at the same 
time throw out strong shoots. As soon as the berries be- 
gin to color, he cuts off the summer shoots to within five 
or six inches above the fruit. Sun and air thus get free 
access, and more of the vigor of the plant is directed to 
the fruit; the berries are found to be not only of higher 
flavor, but larger than usual.” JCenrick says, “Mr. A. 
D. Williams of Roxbury, Massachusetts, practices winter 
pruning on perfectly similar principles, and with the 
most decisive results.” 
The Red Currant is the most highly flavored; but the 
White, being larger and not so sour, is by many preferred 
to the former. In the Catalogue of the Horticultural So¬ 
ciety of London, are enumerated nine varieties of the red 
/ These two varieties require protection in winter in the vi¬ 
cinity of Boston., by bending down the branches and covering 
them with earth; but this care is not generally needed in this 
State, except for the Yellow Antwerp. 
and four of the white currant. Loudon says, “ the best 
are the Red Dutch, Knight’s large red, Knight’s sweet red, 
and Knight’s early red . The best white currant is the 
White Dutch.” But rich soil, clean culture, and good 
pruning, has doubled the size of our common varieties. 
The Gooseberry 
Is propagated by cuttings like the currant. To succeed 
well, it should grow in very rich soil. Pruning the 
gooseberry is of still more importance than that of the 
currant. The following directions are from Bridgman: 
“ The shoots retained for bearers should be left at full 
length, or nearly so; the first pruning should be done be¬ 
fore the buds swell, so as not to endanger their being rub¬ 
bed off in the operation. Cut out all superfluous cross 
shoots, and prune long ramblers and low stragglers to 
some well placed lateral or eye; retain a sufficiency of 
the young well situated laterals or terminals, to form suc- 
cessional bearers. In cutting out superfluous and de¬ 
cayed wood, be careful to retain a leading shoot at the 
end of a principal branch. The superfluous young late¬ 
rals, on the good main branches, instead of being taken 
off clean, may be cut into little stubs of one or two eyes, 
which will send out fruit buds and spurs. Some persons, 
not pruning the gooseberry bush on right principles, 
cause it to shoot crowdedly, full of young wood in sum¬ 
mer, from which the fruit is always small, and does not 
ripen freely with full flavor; on which account it is an 
important point in pruning, to keep the middle of the 
head open and clear, and to let the occasional shortening of 
the shoots be sparing and moderate . Between the bearing 
branches, keep a regulated distance of at least six inches 
at the extremities, which will render them fertile bearers 
of good fruit.” 
The gooseberry is cultivated with greater care and 
success in England than elsewhere; and Lindley enume¬ 
rates 722 varieties, some of which have furnished speci¬ 
mens of single fruit weighing an ounce and a half. But 
most of the English varieties, and especially those of 
large size, are unadapted to culture in this country on ac¬ 
count of mildew; and neither culture, pruning, nor any 
other remedy has been found that can be relied on as a 
remedy. There are some medium and smaller varieties, 
which are entirely free from it, and these chiefly are to 
be recommended here. Sufficient information however 
as to their names, has not been obtained for a list to be 
given. j. j. t. 
PLOWING ORCHARDS, 
If well done, and the trees not run over nor lacerated, 
is found to be a difficult work. To make it easy, get a 
short one horse whipple-tree about fifteen inches long, 
and attach one of the horses by long traces to the plow; 
fasten the other horse before it, and let them go tandem . 
A careful boy or man rides the forward horse, and ano 
ther holds the plow. After the intermediate space be¬ 
tween the rows has been plowed in the usual manner 
by horses abreast, as near to the trees as convenience and 
care will admit, finish the rest with the tandem team, 
rigged as just stated. The long traces will allow the 
plow to run as near the trees as is needed, ami the short 
whipple-tree can scarcely be made to touch a tree. Well 
tested by experience. J. J. T. 
THE GLANDERS. 
Messrs. Editors. —Whilst writing, I will mention a 
fact for your Veterinary department. More than 30 years 
since the glanders of the most virulent kind, was amongst 
the horses of the neighborhood in which my father lived. 
Great numbers died off. His horse was taken, and under 
the belief that he also would die, my father commenced 
an experiment on him with a strong decoction of tobacco 
juice, given internally. In a short time the horse broke 
out all over his body in sores. These cured up in a 
month or so, and the horse was sound, soon fatted, and 
was, as long as I knew him afterwards, a sound and 
healthy animal. This was the only horse in all the 
neighborhood that recovered. Some farmers in this vi¬ 
cinity, noted for fine sleek horses, give occasionally 
Scotch snuff to their horses. J. B. Cook. 
