THE FRUIT GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 23325, 22 July 1939, Page 21

THE FRUIT GARDEN

Sometimes those who are interested in growing different varieties of fruit have varieties of bush fruit such as gooseberries or currants which do remarkably well in their soil, and they would like to increase their stock. I often have brought to my notice bushes which the owner has struck himself, or generally it is herself, as I find through the demonstrations that the ladies take a very keen interest in the propagation of stock in various forms. Through the lack of knowledge the cuttings are freqently taken wrongly in the first place, and after they have been planted' into their fruiting quarters in a very short time the bush becomes a mass of wood and often it is impossible to clean out the weeds, etc., which have been allowed to grow in between the growths. All trees or bushes when well trained are a source of delight in the garden. To have well-balanced bushes, in the first place the cuttings must be made correctly. With gooseberries, which no doubt are the most popular of our bush fruits, either for culinary or dessert purposes, the wood to form the cutting should be taken from the last season’s growth and be well ripened and about the size of a lead pencil. The length of the cutting should be about 12in. The cutting should be cut just below a joint and all the buds should be removed from the stem except about six from the tip. The cuttings should then be inserted up to half their length making sure that the soil is firm around the cutting. This can be done by pressing in the soil with the foot. After the cuttings are rooted and ready for transplanting into their fruiting quarters, the young bushes will have a clean stem with no growths arising from the bottom. In time the bushes will have at least about a foot of clean stem from the level of the ground. By employing this system the ground underneath may be kept clean, and, what is very important, the bushes can be fed when the fruit is commencing to swell. Also, a mulch can be placed around the bushes from time to time. Gooseberries are just the same as other fruits. If we require good quality fruit we must cultivate the bushes in a practical manner.

lied currants should be treated in the same way as advised for gooseberries, so that the bushes may bo equipped with a clean stem not less than Gin after being rooted. Black currants are somewhat different, as it is the new wood that carries the fruit, so the cuttings must be prepared in a different manner. The length should be about the same, but the lower buds are not removed, as black curarnts do better on what is known as the stool shape; that is, allow the growth to come away every season from the base. As the bushes become a size such as is required, all other wood should be removed ; only that which is well ripened should be allowed to remain. In this way the base can be kept clean from weeds, etc. The above methods are explained weekly at the demonstrations.