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IOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  A  Jin  COTTAGE  GARDENER  September  25,  1902. 
Currants. 
To  establish  a  plantation  of  Currants,  red  and  white,  or 
black,  the  bushes  should  be  planted  in  autumn,  just  as  soon  as 
the  leaves  have  fallen  or  are  falling.  Black  Currants  do  well,  as 
a  rule,  on  stiff  and  moist  ground,  which  ought  also  to  be  moderately 
rich,  while  red  and  white  succeed  on  drier  ground,  which  mush 
be  well  drained,  deeply  dug,  and  freely  enriched.  The  distance 
apart  in  planting  may  be  the  same,  namely,  5ft  or  6ft  apart. 
Red  and  white  Currants  can  be  grown  as  cordons  on  walls  or 
fences ;  but  black  Currants  are  only  profitable  grown  as  bushes. 
Red  and  white  Currants  are  pruned  the  same,  but  black  Currants 
Japanese  Wineberry. 
are  treated  differently.  Red  and  white  varieties  should  be  en¬ 
couraged  after  planting  for  the  bushes  to  produce  an  equal  number 
of  stems,  which  must  be  considered  as  permanent.  Five  or  six 
main  stems  make  a  good  bush. 
The  first  season  they  grow  vigorously.  At  the  winter  pruning 
shorten  one-third,  and  during  the  next  season  side  shoots  will 
form,  which  in  July  may  be  summer  pruned.  At  the  following 
winter  pruning  shorten  these  to  within  an  inch  of  main  stem, 
and  the  leading  shoots  to  9in  or  lOin,  the  annual  shortening  of 
the  latter  being  necessary  to  induce  side  shoots  to  push,  but  after 
the  full  extension  of  the  main  stems  is  secured,  closely  prune  back 
the  leaders  each  season. 
The  culture  of  red  and  white  Currants  on  walls  is  practically 
the  same  as  the  system  adopted  for  Gooseberries,  or  as  that  just 
detailed  for  bush  Currants,  the  main  stems  being  secured  at  equal 
distances  on  the  wall  or  trellis.  If  grown  on  a  north  or  east 
wall  the  fruit  will  ripen  and  hang  late,  thus  prolonging  the 
supply.  Currants  make  abundance  of  fibrous  roots  near  the 
surface,  hence  mulchings  of  manure  are  beneficial,  and  constitute 
the  best  method  of  affording  nutriment. 
Black  Currant  bushes  will  succeed  in  situations  where  it  may 
not  be  advisable  to  grow  other  berries,  yet  they  should  not  have 
an  ill-drained,  waterlogged  position,  but  a  rich,  holding,  moist 
soil.  The’  bushes  may  be  grown  with  and  without  short-  main 
stems.  In  the  latter  case  they  will  throw  up  strong  sucker-like 
growths  from  below  ground,  while  in  the  former  all  growths  have 
to  be  secured  from  the  various  parts  of  the  permanent  branches 
originating  from  the  central  main  stem.  Both  systems  may  be 
adopted,  but  the  former  is  the  most  general. 
The  system  of  pruning  differs  from  that  of  red  and  white 
Currants.  It  consists  in  simply  cutting  out  the  oldest  growths 
and  retaining  the  young,  on  which  the  best  crops  are  produced 
the  following  year.  There  must  not  be  any  crowding,  and  the 
bushes  should  he  kept  well  balanced.  Retain  the  growths  always 
at  full  length.  The  pruning  may  be  carried  out  after  the  crop 
has  been  gathered,  or  it  may  be  deferred  until  the  winter.  Do 
not  dig  about  the  bushes,  but  maintain  vigour  by  liberal  annual 
mulchings.  Some  of  the  best  varieties  of  Currants  are  :  — 
Bed. 
Fay’s  Prolific. 
Red  Patch. 
Raby  Castle. 
Comet  Red. 
— Man  of  Kent. 
White. 
White  Dutch. 
Transparent  or 
Versailles. 
Black. 
Baldwin’s  Chinn  ion. 
Carter’s  Champion. 
Lee’s  Prolific. 
Boskcop  Giant. 
THE  WINEBERRY. 
This  Japanese  novelty  (Rubus  Phcenicolasius)  can  be  grown 
successfully  in  this  country,  although  some  growers  do  not  speak 
highly  of  it.  The  berries,  as  our  illustration  shows,  are  Mulberry¬ 
shaped,  juicy,  and  produced  in  profusion.  They  make  a  delicious 
preserve.  As  a  rule,  we  find  the  growth  to  be  robust,  and  the 
plants  fruit  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner,  the  foliage  and  ruddy 
stems  being  strikingly  ornamental.  Planted  like  Raspberries, 
or  by  a  wall,  the  Wineberry  grows  well.  It  is  a  fine  climber  for 
large  spaces. 
- <.*.» - 
Raspberries. 
Raspberries  are  delicious  fruits,  and  on  good  ground  are  profit¬ 
able,  as  if  the  canes  are  well  ripened  there  is  seldom  complaints 
of  a  failure  of  the  crop.  Good,  rich  ground  is  indispensable,  and 
before  planting  it  ought  to  be  deeply  trenched  and  freely 
manured. 
In  selecting  planting  canes  it  is  desirable  not  to  be  guided 
by  the  strength  of  the  canes,  but  by  the  quantity  of  roots  of  a 
fibrous  character.  Small,  thin  oanes  will,  therefore,  be  found  to 
possess  the  best  roots.  Plant  such  as  these  at  the  end  of  October 
or  in  November,  and  in  spring  cut  them  down  closely  to  the 
ground.  Nothing  is  gained  by  planting  stronger  canes  and 
expecting  them  to  fruit  the  first  season.  They  will  not  do  so  to 
any  extent,  while  at  the  same  time  vigorous  growth  of  young 
canes  is  checked. 
,  Raspberries,  if  grown  in  lines,  may  be  planted  1ft  apart  in 
rows  5ft-  asunder.  Wires  must  be  stretched  along  the  lines  for 
training  the  growths  upon.  Attach  them  to  stout  posts  fixed  at 
each  end  of  rows.  They  may  be  5ft  high.  Three  lines  of  wire 
will  be  sufficient.  Another  system  of  training  Raspberries  is  in 
clumps  of  three  plants,  each  clump  3ft-  apart-.  Drive  a  stout- 
stake  down  in  the  centre.  Each  season  train  in  about  six  of  the 
strongest  canes  and  cut  out  all  weakly.  Prune  to  the  height  of 
the  wires  or  stakes.  Immediately  the  crop  is  gathered  each 
season  it  is  a  good  plan  to-  cut  out  at  once  the  whole  of  the  canes 
which  have  borne  the  crop,  thus  leaving  more  room  for  the  new 
canes  to  become  well  ripened. 
Never  dig  between  Raspberries,  for  by  doing  so  a  vast  number 
of  fibrous  roots  may  be  destroyed.  Strong  weeds,  if  becoming 
established,  may  be  forked  out,  and,  of  course,  suckers  between 
the  rows  ought  to  be  removed.  Heavy  mulchings  of  rich  manure 
may,  every  season,  be  given  to-  Raspberries  during  the  winter 
season,  and  frequent  applications  of  liquid  manure,  when  avail¬ 
able,  afforded  in  summer.  The  liquid  will  also  be  beneficial  in 
winter  to  well  established  rows. 
Like  other  small  fruits  Raspberries  are  subject  to  the  depreda- 
