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Corinth, whence their name; in the 13th and 14th centuries they were known as raisins de Corauntz. In the Ionian Islands the currant-vine is grown on the sides of the See also:

LOWER

lower hills, or in the valleys, the grape-vine occupying the higher and less open and See also:

rich ground. Gypseous marls, or calcareous marls containing a little See also:

GYPSUM

gypsum, are preferred to See also:

LIMESTONE

limestone soils, as they allow of deep penetration of the roots of the vines. The most favourable situations are•those where a See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply of See also:

WATER

water can be obtained for the See also:

IRRIGATION (Lat. in, and rigare, to water or wet)

irrigation of the plantations. This is carried on from the end of See also:

OCTOBER

October to the See also:

close of the See also:

YEAR

year, after which all that is necessary is to keep the ground moist. The vines are planted in rows 3 or 4 ft. apart. See also:

PROPAGATION

Propagation is effected by grafting on See also:

STOCKS

stocks of the grape-vine, or by planting out in See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring the See also:

young, vigorous shoots obtained at the end of the previous year from old currant-vines that have been cut away below the ground. The grafts See also:

bear fruit in three years, the slips in about See also:

double that See also:

time. The vine stock for grafting is cut down to the See also:

DEPTH

depth of a See also:

FOOT

foot below the See also:

SURFACE

surface of the See also:

SOIL

soil; two or three perpendicular incisions are made near the bark with a See also:

CHISEL (from the O. Fr. cisel, modern ciseau, Late Lat. cisellum, a cutting tool, from caedere, to cut)

chisel; and into these See also:

CURRICLE (Lat. curriculum, a small car)

CURRICLE are inserted shoots of the last year's growth. The engrafted See also:

PART

part then receives an application of moist marls, is wrapped in leaves and See also:

BOUND, or BOUNDARY (from O. Fr. bonde, Med. Lat. bodena or butina, a frontier line)

bound with rushes, and is covered with See also:

earth, two or three eyes of the shoots being See also:

LEFT

left projecting above ground.

In See also:

DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December the currant plantations are cleared of dead and weak See also:

wood. In See also:

FEBRUARY

February the branches are cut back, and pruned of median shoots, which are said to prevent the lateral ones proceeding from the same bud from bearing fruit. In See also:

order effectually to water the trees, the earth See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round about them is in February and See also:

March hoed up so as to leave them in a See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of See also:

basin, or is piled up against their stems. In March, when the leaves begin to show, the ground is thoroughly turned, and if requisite manured, and is then re-levelled. By the See also:

MIDDLE

middle of See also:

APRIL

April the leaves are fully out, and in See also:

JUNE

June it is necessary to break back the newly-formed shoots. The fruit begins to ripen in See also:

JULY

July, and in the next See also:

month the vintage takes See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place. At this See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season See also:

RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain is greatly dreaded, as it always See also:

DAMAGES (through O. Fr. damage, mod. Fr. dommage, from Lat. damnum, loss)

damages and may even destroy the ripe fruit. The plantations, which are commonly much exposed, are watched by See also:

DOGS, ISLE OF

dogs and armed men. In Cephalonia the currant-grape is said to ripen at least a See also:

WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=change, turn)

week earlier than in Zante. To destroy the oidium, a fungal pest that severely injures the plantations, the vines are dusted, at the time the fruit is maturing, with finely-ground See also:

BRIMSTONE

brimstone. The currants when sufficiently ripe are gathered and placed on a drying ground, where they are exposed to the See also:

sun in layers See also:

HALF

half an See also:

INCH (O. Eng. ynce from Lat. uncia, a twelfthpart; cf. " ounce," and see As)

inch thick; from time to time they are turned and swept into heaps, until they become entirely detached from stalk. They are then packed in large butts for exportation.

The See also:

WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine made from the currant grape is inferior in quality, but is said to be capable of much improvement. The fresh fruit is luscious and highly flavoured, but soon cloys the See also:

PALATE (Lat. palatum, possibly from the root of pascere, to feed)

palate. (2) The currants of See also:

BRITISH

British See also:

KITCHEN (O.E. cycene; this and other cognate forms, such as Dutch keuken, Ger. Kiuche, Dan. kokken, Fr. cuisine, are formed from the Low Lat. cucina, Lat. coquina, coquere, to cook)

kitchen-gardens—so called from a resemblance to the foregoing—are the produce of Ribes nigrum and R. rubrum, See also:

DECIDUOUS (from Lat. decidere, to fall down)

deciduous shrubs of the natural order Ribesiaceae, indigenous to See also:

BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain, See also:

NORTHERN

northern and central See also:

EUROPE

Europe, See also:

SIBERIA

Siberia and See also:

CANADA

Canada. The former See also:

SPECIES

species bears the See also:

black, the latter the red currant. See also:

White currants are the fruit of a cultivated variety of R. rubrum. Both red and black currants are used for making tarts and pies, jams, jellies and wine; the latter are also employed in lozenges, popularly supposed to be of value in relieving a sore See also:

THROAT (O. Eng. protu, prote or }Prota, possibly from preotan, to press, whence threat, or, with loss of initial s, connected with strut, to swell)

throat, are occasionally preserved in See also:

SPIRITS

spirits, and in See also:

Russia are fermented with See also:

HONEY (Chin. me ; Sansk. madhu, mead, honey; cf. A.S. medo, medu, mead; Gr. p Xt, in which 0 or b is changed into X; Lat. mel ; Fr. miel ; A.S. hung ; Ger. Honig)

honey to produce a strong liquor. Currants will flourish in any fairly good soil, but to obtain large crops and See also:

FINE

fine fruit a good rich See also:

LOAM (O.E. lam; the word appears in Dut. leem and Ger. Lehm; the ultimate origin is the root lai-, meaning " to be sticky," which is seen in the cognate " lime," Lat. limus, mud, clay)

loam is desirable; with an See also:

ANNUAL

annual dressing of farmyard manure or cowdung, after the See also:

winter pruning, for established trees. The See also:

PLANTS

plants are best propagated by cuttings, which should consist of strong well-ripened young shoots taken off close to the old wood. These should be planted as soon as possible after the wood is matured in autumn about 6 in. apart. The plants are grown with the best results as bushes, but may also be trained against a See also:

wall or trellis. In the See also:

MATTER

matter of pruning it must be See also:

BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne in mind that red and white currants See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form their fruit buds on wood two to three years old, and the See also:

main shoots and See also:

side branches may therefore be cut back. Black currants on the other See also:

hand form fruit buds on the new wood of the previous year, hence the old wood should be cut away and the young left.

The black currant is subject to the attacks of a See also:

MITE

mite, Phytoptus ribis, which destroys the unopened buds. The buds, when attacked, recognized by their swollen See also:

APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance, should be picked off and burned. The attacks of the caterpillars of the See also:

GOOSEBERRY

gooseberry and other moths may be met by dusting the bushes with See also:

lime and See also:

SOOT (0. Eng. sot, cf. Icel. sot, Dan. sod; possibly from root sed, to sit)

soot when the plants are moist with See also:

dew or after syringing. The following forms are recommended for cultivation:—Black: See also:

Lee's Prolific, See also:

Baldwin's or See also:

CARTER, ELIZABETH (1717-1806)

Carter's See also:

CHAMPION (Fr. champion, Late Lat. campio from campus; a field or open space, i.e. one " who takes the field " or fights; cf. Ger. Kampf, battle, and Kampfer, fighter)

Champion and Black See also:

Naples; Red: See also:

CHERRY

Cherry, Raby See also:

Castle, Red Dutch and See also:

COMET (Gr. Koµieiis, long-haired)

Comet; White: White Dutch. A kind of black currant (Ribes magellanicum), bearing poor and See also:

ACID (from the Lat. root ac-, sharp; acere, to be sour)

acid fruit, is indigenous to Tierra del Fuego.

End of Article: CURRANT

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