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e deposited, and its
Î S ' i s e f e te o S o T h T re e s T t e j 'r u b rf a sraall t e f i t ' » » »
>?®f “ *'® '» “ - I '» " “ “ '
in the Mag. N a t. H is t. in . 245. has communic^ed the
carefully afcertained facts on the Nematus n b è su »OJ- « *>•
“ Earlv in March, if the weather is favourable, the first flies issue
frm / ftc ir chrvsalis, a few inches below the soil, at the foot of the
g o /Æ r y soon afterwards, the females deposit upon the
under surface of many of the leaves, along the ribs of each leaf, a
series of eggs which appear like strings of sma.ll pellucid ¿ lic a te
S n g b e lls (c). A Îi/g le fly will fill up " ^ s of
and as sevcrai generations are produced m one season, the destruc-
« o n of a single fly, a t an early period, is th e prevention of some
thousands of voracious successors. The w u foè
ing, &c., may be relied upon as accurate. On th e 9th of A ^ il tlm
eggs were laid ; on the 19th they were hatched ; and, if the tempe-
ra tu re is mild, the caterpillars grow rapidly, and from their number
soon destroy the foliage of the chosen burii. They usually continue
in the caterpillar state about ten days ; when, dropping to th® ®arth,
thev penetrate below the surface, and change_ into a small brown
chrVsalis ; in which dormant state they remam from t e « “ " ‘ta
sevLte en days, and then come forth as flies, which, in a "»J;
lay their respective quantities of eggs ; and I (says the writer) am
not aware that any limits of season act as a check, unless attended
with a decrease of temperature, which, of course, puts a s‘0P ‘o
their nrogress. The remedies recommended, are, diligently killing
the files in early spring, and employing children t®
bearing leaves a t a certain rate per hundred: these are to be burned
Hand-picking th e eggs, or young larvæ, will
be found, as a general preventive, th e most efficacious mode, provided
it is commenced th e moment th e injury is first perceived.
Where there is reason to dread th e ravages of insects, the method
recommended by Busch (H o r t. T ra n s ., vol.iv. p. 568.) of sprmMing
the bushes with ta r water, will, perhaps, prevent some species from
laying th eir eggs upon the leaves ; b u t this must be done before
th e fruit is large, otherwise it will taste of the tar.
4570. Remedie s. Notwithstanding the use of preventives, there are
few gardens in wh ich the gooseberry is not attacked by the caterpillar :
S i ] S f e g f e f e f y . « r ' ” » ‘S '
S t e J v f e ï 'o î the lo av » of his'plan.s almost fy o 'y
H r » a ? o " o w t e i t t e f ta rd l^ f e h 1 s ^ t e e » n 'd making nse of DPDougaPs inverted syringe Wg-
474 ) in order the more effectually to wash the under sides of the leaves. Many ¿ rd c n e r s of th e old school
a re i l d?spair at th e appearance of the gooseberry caterpillar, alleging that, do vfoat you will, the fruit
will be rendered useless for that season; but th e reason of this is, th a t these worthy men rarely p^ce ive
tlie c a te r/illa r till it is nearly full grown, and begins to attack the upper surface of the leaves;
had thev examined th e under side, they might have detected it in the incipirat state described m § 4568.
We r e /L t th l t fo this incipient ¿tate, there is no difficulty in preventing the ravages of this c^ e rp illa r
simplv bv the use of clear lime-water, which may be made from powdered lime in a few minffies ; or, if
lim fb e not a t hand; alkaline ashes of any kind may be substituted. Neither of these remedies m the
slightest degree injure the fruit or disfigure the leaves. M’here, through ignorance, neglect, or, w hat is
more common than either, the want of hands, the gooseberry caterpillar has unfortunately attained a
considerable size before it is observed, its destruction will be facilitated by first knocking it off the tree.
F or this purpose, Mr. Thompson directs one end of a stick to be placed against the upper part of the
stem of the bnsh, and the other struck with a mallet, by which the greater p art of the caterpillars will be
shaken to the ground. In order not to injure the bark, the end of the stick may be ra th e r broad, and
covered with leather ; but not so much padded as to counteract the smartness of the stroke. The first
and second strokes are the most effectual ; because, after the alarm is given, the caterpillars exert themselves
in securing their hold. When the caterpillars are on the ground, they may be easily destroyed by
sprinkling them with lime water, tobacco water, or, according to some, with a decoction of w alnut-tree
leaves, potato haulm, or chamomile flowers.
4571. F o rc in g . The gooseberry may be forced fo pots or boxes placed in pits, or in the peach-house or
vinery. Hay plants in pots in November, removes to th e peach-house in January, and has ripe fruit in the
end of April, whicli he sends to table growmg on the plants. (H o r t. T ra n s ., vol. iv, p. 415.)
S u b s e c t , 5, Black Cu rra n t— Ribes riigrum L, (Eng. B o t 1821.); Fentún. Monog. L.
and Grossulàcea: Lindi, Groseiliier à fr u it noir, or Poivrier, Fr.
4572. The hlack currant is a nativo of most parts of Europe, especially the more
northern part.s. It abounds in the woods in the north of Russia ; and in the subalpine
regions of Siberia, where the branches and berries arc very large and sapid. In
Britain, it is found in wet hedges, on the banks of rii’ers, in alder swamps, and sometimes
in woods.
4573. Use. T h e fru it, which has apecullar flavour, and disliked 13/ some, is seldom brought to thedesscrt;
b ut it is eaten in puddings and tarts, and made into jellies and wines. The Russians put theberries into
brandy, and th e Irish into whiskey, in the same way as the English put cherries ; the Russians also
ferment the juice w ith honey, and so form a strong and palatable wine. Many cotta,gers, who cannot afford
to mix green tea with common bohea, substitute one or two dried leaves of black currant, the flavour produced
by which, few persons ean distinguish from th at of a mixture of green and Mack tea.
4.5?4. V a n e tie s. In th e H o r tic u ltu ra l S ociety's Catalogue o f f r u i t s there are six varieties, besides three
synonymes ; but Mr. Thompson informs us th a t th e Black Naples is the largest and best, and that the
black grape is the next best. The common black, the Cassis o f th e F rench, comes aiso very fine in some
situations.
4575. P ro p a g a tio n . By cuttings. See Gooscheri-y.
4.576. Soil a n d site. A moist soft soil and shady situation, such as are afforded by borders of north
exposure, are preferable. Miller says, “ the fruit is always best when th e plants are placed in an open
situation, and light loamy soil.”
4.577. F in a l P la n tin g . As only a few plants are io general required for private gardens, these may be
placed a t the distances recommended for gooseberries, in the margin of a shady border, or against a wall
of a north exposure. Neill says, it produces most fruit as a standard, but the largest berries when trained
to a wall.
4-578. Mode o f bearing. The black currant bears chiefly on the shoots of the preceding year, and also
from snags or spurs, which, however, are less abundant, and of smaller size in the black cu rran t than in
th e gooseberry or red currant.
4.579. P r u n in g . Attend to the generai directions given for pruning gooseberries, observing to depend
lc.ss on spurs than on the preceding year’s wood, cutting out the old as it becomes naked and barren, to
make room for th e new.
4580. In se c ts a n d d iseases. The black currant is seldom attacked by insects, though, in some situations,
the Abraxas grossulariàta feeds as freely on its leaves as it does on those of th e red currant or the gooseberry.
4-581. G a th e rin g the f r u i t . Se e R e d C u r ra n t.
4582. Forc ing. The black currant may be forced in pots like th e gooseberry. In Russia this is often
doiie for the sake of th e fragrance of the leaves.
S u b s e c t . 6. lied Currant — Ribes rùbrum L. (Eng. B o t 1289.); Pentándria Mono-
gynia L. and Grossidäcece Lindl. Groseille à grappes d’outre vier. Fr, ; Joluxnnishecre,
Gcr. ; Aalbes, Du. ; Uvetta, Ital. ; and Grosetla, Span.
4583. The red currant is a native of the nortliern parts of Europe, and found in
hedges aud woods in England. The bcn'ics of this shrub, in its wild state, are red ;
cultivation has produced white and pale-red berried varieties. Professor Martyn
observes, that “ the cun-ant does not seem to have been known to the ancient Greeks
and Romans, as the southern nations of Europe have not even an appropriate name to
it at this day. The old French name groseilles d’outre mer, proclaims their liaving been
strangers imported. Our English name of cun-ant is evidently from the similitude of
the fruit to tliat of the U'va coriiithiaca, the small grape of Zante, or the common grocers’
corinths, or cun-ants.” The red cuirant has been long cultivated in Britain, and very
much improved in the size of the bunch and bcrrj. It required only twenty-nine
bunches of the largest red cmrants grown iu 1833 to weigh a pound, and twenty-two
bunches of the wliite currants.
4.584. Use. T h e fru it is acceptable at the dessert, befog of an agreeable acid taste. It is much used for
jellies, jams, and wines. Forsyth says, it is themost useful of all the small fruit, either for the table or the
kitchen ; and that it continues longer in succession than any other. According to Withering, the juice
gives an agreeable acid to punch ; and Professor Martyn says it was acommon beverage in Paris in 1763.
Its medicinal qualities are similar to those of other subacid fruits, allaying thirst, lessening an increased
secretion of the bile, and correcting a putrid and scorbutic state of the fluids.
4585. Varieties. I n th eH o r tic u ltu r a l Soc ie ty 's F ru it Catalogue are enumerated nine varieties o fth e red,
and four of the white currant ; but 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. The Champagne is a pale red or
flesh-coloured fruit, valued by some for its appearance in the dessert.
4586, P ro p a g a tio n a n d n u r s e r y c u ltu r e . The same as in the gooseberry. With a view to obtaining
improved varieties from seed, th at indefatigable horticulturist, Knight, procured cuttings, in the year
1810, of the finest varieties of the red and the white currant, which he planted in pots of verv rich mould
and placed under a south wall, to which the trees were subsequently trained. At the end of three years,
within which period the pots had been as often changed, the trees were first suffered to produce blossoms.
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