31 JULY 1953, Page 16

Black Currants.

Black currants have cropped well in this district but our own crop was small because the rather old bushes were too ruthlessly pruned last summer. Correct pruning is the removal of the old shoots from the point of sprouting of strong new shoots, since the black currant fruits mainly on new wood. All weak shoots should be removed completely because they seem to persist in a weak growth even when the rest of the tree is gaining strength after a season of heavy crop. Anxious to remove as much as possible of the old wood at ground level last summer, I over-pruned and found my mistake too late.

IAN NIALL.