66 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



them with your hands, and as stated before always leave loose dirt on 

 the surface so that the ground will not dry and pack around the plants. 

 The time of planting depends greatly upon the condition of the 

 ground, and the locality in which you are planting. In the berry 

 districts of Sonoma County, January is the best month in which to 

 plant, although good results are obtained if the work is done later 

 in the season. The ground should be moist, but not wet during the 

 time that this work is being done. 



PRUNING. 



As to pruning, very little is necessary during the first two years of 

 the plants' life. They do not reach full bearing growth until about 

 the third year. In pruning the Lawtons do all the summer pruning 

 you can, until as late as August, and during the winter time remove all 

 the old dead wood. This is the wood that produced the crop the 

 previous season. 



Berries should be staked. In Lawtons put in only one stake the 

 first year, and the second stake the second year. In this case use a 

 6 foot stake, 2 inches by 2 inches, and drive it firmly in the ground. 



After this is done tie the berry canes to the stakes, tie one half to 

 each side and tie them tight, at the same time avoid breaking any of 

 the side branches. 



With Logans and Mammoths, use stakes of same thickness, but 5^ 

 feet long, and drive them a suitable distance apart, so that when the 

 wires are stretched, they will not sag with the weight of the berries. 

 This work should be done during the winter time, while the ground 

 is soft. 



The pruning of the Loganberry and the Mammoth Blackberry is 

 much more simple. There is very little to do the first year, but after 

 the second year all the old wood should be removed. Do this imme- 

 diately after the crop is harvested. By removing the old wood early 

 it gives the young runners, or vines, a chance to make better headway 

 and growth. Loganberries and Mammoth Blackberries put out runners 

 much like the wild blackberry, and these grow to a considerable length. 

 These must be trained on trellises; stretch the wires along the stakes 

 and roll the berry vines on them, dividing one half each way, if only 

 one wire is used, and if two wires are used divide the vines into four 

 parts along the wire. 



Berries do not reach their full bearing stage until about the third 

 year, and a good berry field even planted as an intercrop in an orchard 

 will produce from three to five tons of berries to an acre, and in some 

 instances more, all depending on the kind of soil they are planted in 

 and a great deal on the care and attention given them. 



CULTIVATION. 



Cultivation is the next important factor with berries and this work 

 should be carried out properly, in order to insure good fruit and 

 thrifty vines. Immediately after the vines are set out not so much 

 work is needed as in the years that follow. Begin cultivating the 

 ground early in the spring if the rains permit and continue until late 

 in the summer. This work is mainly to retain the moisture, which can 

 be done by keeping the ground loose and at the same time it keeps the 

 weeds down. This will all help to increase the yield of both the trees 



