DIVISION OF HORTICULTURE 



375 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



RASPBERRIES. 



These did not yield quite so well this year as they did in 1911. The stand is 

 not perfect in all cases so that the yields reported are not comparable and so do not 

 do justice to the different varieties. The plantation was arranged for twenty plants 

 of each variety, the rows 7 feet apart and two rows of each variety with ten plants 

 in each row. In very few cases were there enough plants to fill the space and although, 

 as has been said, the comparative yields are not reliable they are of sufficient interest 

 to warrant reporting. The yield of the Marlboro computed per acre would be 3,068 

 boxes. 



Test of Varieties. — (Irrigated). 



Marlboro . . 

 Early King. 



Loudon 



Sunbeam. . . 

 Herbert. . . . 

 Cuthbert . . 



Sarah 



Ruby 



Variety . 



Date of first 

 ripe fruit. 



July 5 



.- 5 



■i 18 



.. 13 



h 2< 



„ 13 



,, 27 



,. 5 



Date of last 

 picking. 



Aug. 22 



„ 15 



■> 30 



.. 30 



,. 19 



„ 12 



N 19 



July 20 



Actual yield. 



pts. 



29£ 

 27^ 

 24| 

 18 

 9| 



5 



Size of berry. 



Large. 



Medium. 



Large. 



Medium 



Small. 



Medium. 



Small. 



Medium. 



In the growing of raspberries here it has been found that it is absolutely neces- 

 sary to bend the canes down and cover them with earth in the fall before heavy frosts 

 set in and then uncover them in the spring about the time the buds start to swell. 

 To cover with earth it is necessary that the rows be put 7 or 8 feet apart so that there 

 is room for a ditch from which to get the material. Covering with straw or manure 

 has not been satisfactory, because we do not get enough snow to protect the canes 

 during the winter when they are dried out with our drying winds. 



strawberries (irrigated). 



The strawberry crop from a commercial standpoint was a failure this year. The 

 writer has raised strawberries in the Lethbridge district in his own garden for the 

 last twelve years and this is the first year that the blooms have been seriously affected 

 with frost. The low temperature that did the damage was on June 6. It destroyed 

 all the fruit that was set at that time and injured the blooms, the result being that 

 the fruit which followed was inferior and mis-shaped. Considerable fruit was 

 obtained, of course, but it was small and irregular in shape. 



A new plantation was set out consisting of twenty-eight varieties. An excellent 

 stand was obtained and the prospects are bright for a good crop this coming season. 



Strawberries are an easy fruit to grow in southern Alberta. Heavy mulching 

 in the winter appears to be necessary; for this purpose, old straw or hay in which 

 the weed seeds have been destroyed by sprouting is the best. If there are any spots 

 on the patch from which this material blows off during the winter they should be 

 re-covered. Barnyard manure or litter does not do well as a substitute for the straw 

 or hay as it is apt to settle down too closely and sometimes smothers the plants. The 

 period of blossoming can be retarded a week or ten days by leaving the mulch on as 

 long as it appears to be safe. By so doing a damaging frost may be avoided. 



