The Portland daily press., 1880-07-19
Why Not More Currants?

Perhaps when we consider their real val
ne, currants are more neglected than any
other of the small fruits. Their value in
the family is too well known for us to en-
force, but theil market value is greater than
that of most if not all other fruits. By this
we do not refer altogether to the money re-
ceived for them, but to the fact that there
are not so many drawbacks to getting the
money at all. If currants are ripe they may
be picked to-day, tomorrow or next week,
and must not, like the strawberry or rasp-
berry, be picked by the clock. Currants
sustain less damage in transportation; the
delay of train or boat by accident does not
cause the loss of the crop; if the fruit does
not sell within few hours after it gets to
market it will keep until the next day. As
to the actual profit from an acre of currants,
we have no figures, but we notice that those
who have had an acre, are very apt to add
another to it, which is quite as expressive
as if we saw their account of sales. But the
currant worm! Whoever finds that an OBJ
stacle should not cultivate currants-or any
other small fruits. We do not know of one
of them that will yield profitable crops with
out care, and the currant requires less care
-currant worm included-than any other.
Buy some currant bushes, get good big ones
plant them up against the fence, settin g
them SO close to one another that their
stems will touch and soon interlock; acting
upon the principle tibet the more bush the
more room for fruit" do not cut them-n
short follow the too common treatment of
this fruit, and we have every reason to be-
lieve that currant culture will not pay
This is not the method of those who are in
creasing their plantations.
The soil should be as good as can be had
and especially free from excess of moisture |:
n will friu hnft NOT, g.,
nure.
The Varieties.-Our largest growers de-
pend upon La Versailles, or as more gener-
ally called, Versallaise, and White Grahe.
80 Tar as we have seen, these of the true
sorts-and this is is important-will, under
good culture, do all in size of fruit and pro-
ductiveness that any currants will do, though
it may be that some others may be found to
prolong the season. There is so much con
fusion among currants that if one appears
to have desirable qualities it is difficult to
obtain it true to name, not from intentional
wrong on the part of the nurseryman, but
currants are so "mixed.''
Cuttings or Enthusiastically those who
have plantations have so much surplus
wood from pruning that they are glad to sell
cuttings at avery low rate: one can purchase
these and plant them in bed or buy plants
one or two years old. Of course the pur-
chase of plants will give fruit year or two
sooner. while the outlay will be more. Cut
tings should be planted in the fall, and it is
doubtful if they can be had in spring.
Planting is better done in the fall, but
may be done in spring, but the plants should
be taken up as soon as the frost will allow,
as they start into growth very early. If
lifted after the buds have pushed, this you ng
growth may be injured, if not destroyed, in
transportation, to the injury of the future of
the plants. In setting out the plants, four
feet each way is the least distance for heal
thy growth and comfortable working, while
five, or still better six feet will in the end
give better results than to set close AT
planting, some pruning may be needed, but
this will depend so much upon the former
treatment and present condition of the
plants that no directions can be given.
The Curant-Worm is as likely to come
upon young bushes as upon old ones; hence
the plantation should be looked to daily, and
if any ragged leaves are seen, look for the
enemy. On small bushes much may be
done by hunting for the eggs, which are
upon the under side of the leaves, especially
near the ground. When the enemy is dis
covered, use powdered white hellebore,
either busting it from bellows or mixing
with water.-American Agriculturist.