Cultivation Of Currants

Currante are aptly termed a nseful fruit, inasmuch as tliey lili in a space of a fortnight after strawberries, raspberries and cherries, and beíore early applea and peáis, witli a remarkable combination of sweet and acid that afforda any number of agreeable dishes both in the green and ripe states. In addition to their usefulness in a raw condition, tliis fruit is greatly prized by the housekeeper, who makes from red varieties most acceptable jellies and jams and the favorito home wine. The currant is easy of propogation, another argument in favor of its flnding a place in every garden, be it large or small. A yearling shoot, from six inches to one foot long, taken off close to the old wood and planted half or two-thirds its length in the ground will niake a strong, well-rooted plant by the autumn. To prevent shoots from springing up below the surface of the ground the eyes on that part are cut out, or they inay be left theflrst season and removed when the plants are root ed. Currant bushes should set fully four feet apart, that the fresh air may pass irci'ly through tliem and the wood should be properly thinned to promote satisfactory bearing. The soil is best when it is deep, rich and well worked. In regard to varieties the black Xaples is the largest and best black currant; it bears protusely and is valuable for jams and jellies. The eherry is very large, witli dark-red color, and desirable for market purposes, while the Versailles, also lar e and greatly resembling the eherry is considered as excellent if not the best sort for table use. Among white kinds the white grape stands flrst on the list, being larzer than the white Dutch, which is proper size they will exclaim, "Who could wait lor sueh whips to bear?" "We may all be in our graves beforo tliat time." ïrue enough, there may be exceptional cases when a few large tree, removed and planted with extraonliiiary care, may be asuccess, bul in a general way the trees that plant most successf ully and thrive best af ter planting and ultimately make the most healthy, productive and long-lived trees, are those transplantecl young - say apples three to four years, pean and plums two to four years, cherries two years, peaches one year. The age meana the growth of the bud or graft, and has no reference to the age of the stock grafted or budded upon. The older the tree the greater the check in transplanting, and this is why the young trees will overtake and pass the older and larger tree in the race of growth. Bat whateyer may be the age, size or character of your tree, look well to its roots. Hare them all, or as man y of them as may be possible, preserved from mutilation or injury of any kind and protect them from the air, so that they will not be dried to death before yon get them in the ground. I see people every year handling trees as if they were dry brush, and it should be an indictable oftence. PBTJNING AT TRANSPI,ANTING. This is a mooted question, hut jng experience shows that whatever theory may teach, it is safe to shorten back tlie branches at time of planting; this by reducing the numbei of leaf-buds, and consequently leaves, reduces their evaporating power while the tree is forming new roots and getting used to its new home. A good rule, as far as we can make a rule, is to cut back the young shootsto two or three buds at the base and where shoots are too close, cut out some of them altogether. IIOW FAIÍ ArART. The average distances may be given as follows: Standard trees - Apples :?() f eet, pears and cherries 20 f eet; the smaller class of cherries will do very well at 15 to 18 feet ; plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines 16 to 18 feet, quinces 10 to 12 feet. Dwarf trees - Apples on paradise stock six feet apart, and nothing in the whole range of fruit culture is more interesting than these miniature apple trees, three or four feet in height and the same in diameter, whether in blossom or fruit. Pears, eherries and plums 10 to 12 feet. Currants, gooseberries and raspberries three to four feet. These distances can, of course, be varied to suit circumstances.