210 Agkicultubal Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



were taken out, adding at least ten per cent to the crop. The season 

 was somewhat dry, and the strong new growth in the rows where they 

 were left, of course, absorbed a great deal of moisture from the soil, 

 and may account entirely for the reduced yield here. In a general 

 way, also, the fruit was a little earlier where the new canes were taken 

 out." 



In general, it may be said that our results fully agree with those of 

 Mr. Hale. The young canes were removed in both cases about the 

 time the plants were in blossom. 



Forcing Raspberries and BlacJcherries. — When the ground began 

 to freeze in the fall of 1892, several strong raspberry and blackberry 

 plants of bearing age were dug about and when frozen, the ball of 

 earth, with the plant, was lifted and transferred to boxes about 20 inches 

 square in the forcing-houses. They were placed in a cool or lettuce- 

 house and came on very slowly, the temperature evidently being too 

 low for them, and no fruit ripened before April. One plant placed in a 

 warmer house came on much more rapidly. As spring approached, bring- 

 ing higher temperature and more sunshine, the plants began to blossom 

 freely. At first, no hand pollinating was done, but it did not take long 

 to prove that no perfect fruit would be formed without it, and after- 

 wards the flowers were pollinated as they appeared, with good and per- 

 fectly normal fruit as the result. This can be quickly done by knock- 

 ing off the pollen and catching it in a small watch glass set in a 

 convenient handle of wood. The pistils are then dipped in this pollen 

 in the same way in which tomatoes are pollinated. (See page 52, 

 Bulletin 28.) 



With young plants started in boxes or large pots in spring so as to 

 be well established when transferred to the forcing-house in the fall or 

 winter, there seems to be no reason why good crops of raspberries and 

 blackberries can not be grown under glass. They appear to require a 

 comparatively high temperature, however, and demand artificial pol- 

 lination. 



Thinning the Fruit — To test the feasibility of thinning berries, 

 rows of Cuthbert raspberries and Early Cluster blackberry were 

 thinned by clipping off the tips of most of the clusters, and also by 

 reducing the number of clusters, especially in the raspberr3^ The 

 result was not encouraging, for the eye could detect no increase of size 

 in the berries on thinned plants, and as the principal object was to 

 increase the size and attractiveness of the fruit, it seems to have failed 

 of its purpose. It should be said, however, that the season was favor- 

 able for berries and the crop was very tine. In a very dry season or 



