REPORT OF MR. W. 8. BLAIR. 



325 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPER]MENTS WITH RASPBERRIES. 



Ten varieties of raspberries are under test. These are set in rows 6 feet apart, 

 and 33 feet long. Eaoh plot is one row, 33 feet long. The canes are kept cut to cover 

 a space of ground 1 foot wide along the entire row. They were planted in the spring 

 of 1897. The soil is a heavy clay loam. The rows were manured in the fall of 1899, 

 ond the manure worked in the following spring. 



These plots have, so far, only fruited lighth'. The raspberry Anthracnose 

 (Gloesporivm reneinm) has greatly troubled the raspberries here. It was imported 

 on some canes of the black raspberry, and quickly spread. The canes that have 

 fruited are cut out as soon after as possible. This, together with spraying with diluted 

 Bordeaux mixture, i.e., 3 pounds copper sulphate, 3 pounds lime, to 40 gallons of 

 water, has greatly reduced this disease. The old canes are sprayed in the early spring, 

 before the leaves are opened ; the young canes, when 4 inches high, and after this 

 for two sprayings, at intervals of two weeks. All of the sprayings after the first one 

 should be directed to the young canes only, as it is of no value, but rather an injury, 

 to the fruiting canes. Of course, necessarily, some Bordeaux will fall upon the old 

 canes, but the work can be done so that the base of the old canes will only be touched 

 with Bordeaux, and not the upper leaves. This work must be done early to be 

 efFective. 



This disease has been noticed in many respberry plantations. The following 

 points will enable one to detect it. The old canes are more or less blotched with dead 

 tissue of a dark brownish colour. The fruit does not fill out well, and dries up. The 

 leaves curl and fall prematurely. The young canes, when about 1 foot high, will 

 appear more or dess covered with small reddish-purple spots around the base. This 

 quickly increases in size, the centre of the spots turn to a grayish-white, and the 

 margin retains it? purplish colour. As the groAvth continues, more small spots are 

 noticed further up the cane. The leaves are also attacked by this fungus. 



The yield from the raspberry plots during the past j'ear has been as follows : — 



Name of Variety. 



Red- 



Marllioro 



Millf i-'.s Red .... 



Loudon 



Turner 



Cuthbert 



Hansell 



White- 

 Golden Queen 



Black- 

 Older 



Purple — 



Columbian 



Sliaftf r".s Colo.ssal 



DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES. 



Cuthhert. — Canes strong, vigorous, quite hardy, and suckers freely. It produces 

 fruit of large size, good quaMty, and firm. It is one of the best varieties, and for 

 shipping purposes stands ahead of most others. The Marlboro is more prolific here, 

 and fruits earlier. This variety follows as a later market sort. 



Marlboro. — Vigorous growing canes, quite hardy and suckers freely. The fruit is 

 large, firm, and of fair quality. This is a good early market sort, is a fine-looking 

 fruit, and stands shipment well. 



