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Ottawa Bulletin No. 56 gives the figures of an experiment conducted to 

 determine the advisability of cutting back in the summer or leaving the plants 

 unpruned. In almost every instance there is a considerable margin in favor of the 

 unpruned rows. This is contrary to the beliefs of many growers, but the experiment 

 shows quite conclusively that it will pay growers to investigate before arriving 

 at conclusions. 



There are more patches suffering from poor soil than from soil that is too 

 rich. But the first season — that is, the spring the plants are set — a single row of 

 tomatoes, corn or potatoes may be grown between the rows of raspberries. Straw- 

 berries are sometimes used, but as the vines spread out a great deal and require 

 much moisture, and the fruit is not removed till the following summer, when 

 growth has almost ceased, they are not recommended, though some apparently get 

 good results. 



Manuring. The scientific manuring of the raspberry is just in the experi- 

 mental stage. As a rule even in the best patches no regular method is followed. 

 But barnyard manure is the standby of all. There is a danger when this is used 

 in quite large quantities — say twenty tons per acre every year — of producing an 

 excess of cane or wood growth. The general practice, where the land has been 

 built up or is already in good heart, is to apply about ten tons per acre of good 

 manure annually. This adds a sufficient quantity of humus and with commercial 

 preparations keeps the soil in fair condition. Where the soil is poor a much larger 

 quantity must be added at first. This may be applied and plowed under, either 

 in the spring or fall or applied as a mulch in the fall and plowed under in the 

 spring. 



Commercial preparations are gradually coming into favor, but it cannot be 

 said that as yet any number of growers have reached a standard and are applying 

 them in regular quantities. Various quantities are applied ranging from two 

 hundred to six hundred pounds or more per acre. This is usually in the propor- 

 tion of two pounds of bone meal or superphosphate to one of muriate of potash. 

 No quantity of nitrate of soda is used. The growers depend on manure largely 

 for their supply of nitrogen, because, except in special cases, it is much cheaper. 

 The following is recommended for a yearly application on soil that is in good 

 heart, and it will replace in the soil the quantity of fertilizer constituents removed 

 by one hundred crates of fruit 



12 tons of barnyard manure, 



100 lbs muriate of potash, 



200 lbs. bone meal. 



The nitrate of soda cannot take the place of barnyard manure, but preparations 

 other than those mentioned containing the same quantities of available potash 

 and phosphorus may be used. 



Piclcing and PacMng. The picking and packing is usually done by help ob- 

 tained in the neighborhood, but where the areas under this fruit are exceptionally 

 large it is necessary to employ much outside labor. The Indians have proved 

 very satisfactory workers where it is possible to get them. The labor question is 

 very acute at times, so much so that in a few cases some berries have gone to waste 

 each year. This fact would lead one to suppose that raspberry production had 

 almost reached its maximum in the Niagara Peninsula, but the well-known law 

 that '^demand draws labor" seems to work exceptionally well here; so much so, 

 that though the acreage is increasing rapidly each year, the quantity that wastes 

 each year is not increasing any more proportionately. 



The fruit is picked directly into quart boxes, and should be carefully selected 

 and sorted while picking, as nothing is gained in quality and appearance by extra 



