Currants
Currants. The Currant, being one of the hardiest and most productive of fruits, is often neglected, the patch allowed to become foul with grass, never thinned or trimmed, the worms eating the leaves until, in the course of time, the plants weaken and die. Along the fence is no place to plant Currants, or, indeed, any other fruit; plant out in the open, at least 5 feet from anything that will interfere with cultivation. No fruit crop will respond more readily to good care than the Currant. Clean cultivation and a liberal use of manure or fertilizers will certainly be followed by well paying crops. One- or two-year-old plants may be set 4 by 6 feet. Trim the bush by cutting off most of the suckers below the surface of the ground. If the season is dry, a mulch of straw or leaves will assist the plants to establish themselves.
The red and white Currants bear mostly on two-year-old or older wood. A succession of young shoots should be allowed to grow to take the place of the old bearing wood. Cut out the canes as they grow older. The partial shade afforded by a young orchard suits the Currant well, and if the ground is in good condition no bad results will follow to the orchard, provided the Currants are removed before the trees need the entire feeding space.
A Currant patch should continue in good bearing for 10 to 20 years, if properly handled. One very important point is to keep the old, weak canes cut out, and a succession of two to four new ones coming from the root each year. For home use, White Imperial and Moore’s Ruby are excellent. Prince of Wales is a heavy bearer and excellent for cooking. Wilder, Victoria, Cherry and White Grape are meritorious varieties.
To combat the Currant worm, spray thoroughly with Paris green to kill the first brood, just as soon as holes can be seen in the lower leaves—usually before the plants are in bloom. For the second brood, if it appear, spray with white hellebore. For borers, cut out and burn the affected canes.
Cuttings. Cuttings are parts of plants which are inserted in soil or water with the intention that they shall grow and make new plants. They are of various kinds. They may be classified, with reference to the age of the wood or tissue, into two classes; viz., those made from perfectly hard or dormant wood (taken from the winter twigs of trees and bushes), and those made from more or less immature or growing wood. They may be classified again in respect to the part of the plants from which they are taken, as root Cuttings, tuber Cuttings (as the ordinary “seed” planted for potatoes), stem Cuttings and leaf Cuttings.
The planting of dormant wood Cuttings
Dormant wood Cuttings are used for grapes, currants, gooseberries, willows, poplars and many other kinds of soft-wooded trees and shrubs. Cuttings are ordinarily taken in fall or winter, but cut into the proper lengths and then buried in sand or moss where they do not freeze, in order that the lower end may heal over or callus. In the spring these Cuttings are set in the ground, preferably in a rather sandy and well drained place. Usually, hardwood Cuttings are made with two to four joints or buds, and when they are planted, only the upper bud projects above the ground. They may be planted erect, as the picture shows, or somewhat slanting. In order that the Cutting may reach down to moist earth, it is desirable that it should not be less than 6 inches long; and it is sometimes better if it is 8 to 12 inches. If the wood is short-jointed, there may be several buds on a Cutting of this length; and, in order to prevent too many shoots from arising from these buds, the lowermost buds are often cut out. Roots will start as readily if the lower buds are removed, since the buds grow into shoots and not into roots. Cuttings of currants, grapes, gooseberries, and the like may be set in rows which are far enough apart to admit of easy tillage either with horse or hand tools, and the Cuttings may be placed from 3 to 8 inches apart in the row. After the Cuttings have grown for one season, the plants are usually transplanted and given more room for the second year’s growth, after which time they are ready to be set in permanent plantations. In some cases, the plants are set at the end of the first year; but two-year plants are stronger and usually preferable.
