Page 4 



BETTER FRUIT 



May. ig20 



A field t.f CutliliLTt raspberries being grown under the linear system of culture. Two 



wires on either side hold the canes erect. The wires about four feet above the ground 



and the canes topped about six feet from the ground. 



Photo taken at I'uyallup, Washington. 



on a wide range of soil types provitled 

 suitable moisture conditions prevail, 

 the best results will be secured only by 

 studying the peculiar requirements of 

 the diflferent varieties. A fine, deep, 

 sandy loam is perhaps the most desir- 

 able soil for growing raspberries, be- 

 cause it is managed so easily. Equally 

 good yields of some varieties will be se- 

 cured on clay and on sandy soils if they 

 are well managed. In general, how- 

 ever, though the black raspberries seem 

 to do best on sandy soils, they are 

 grown extensively and succeed well on 

 clay soils. Among the red raspberries 

 the Ranere does best on sandy types, 

 but the June prefers a clay soil. Other 

 varieties, such as the Cuthbcrt and the 

 King, succeed on a wide range of soil 

 types. 



The most important, perhaps, of all 

 the factors entering into the growing 

 of raspberries is the moisture supply, 

 and where there is the possibilit>' of a 

 choice, the soil which will furnish an 

 ample supply of moisture at all times 

 .should be chosen. At no time, how- 

 ever, .should there be wet places in the 

 plantation. Thorough drainage as well 

 as a full supply of moisture is essential. 



Another important factor is air drain- 

 age. Cold air settles to the lower levels 

 and plantations situated on land ele- 

 vated above the surrounding fields will 

 not be as subject to the extreme cold 

 of winter as plantations on the lower 

 levels. Winter injury to the canes may 

 often be avoided by choosing a site 

 higher than the surrounding country. 

 Furthermore, plantations on the higher 

 elevations are not as subject to frost 

 injury in late spring as those not so 

 favorably located. 



In the southern states, a fourth factor 

 in the selection of a site is of some im- 

 portance. If raspberries are to be 

 grown in those states, a northern or 

 northeastern slope is preferred for the 

 plantation, as humus and moisture are 



retained better in fields on such slopes 

 than on southern slopes. 



For home gardens, the chicken yard 

 is frequently a desirable place for the 

 raspberry patch. Poultry keep down 

 weeds and enrich the soil, and do not 

 often injure the berries. 



Preparing the Land. 



The same thorough preparation of the 

 soil should be given for a raspberry 

 plantation as for corn or similar crops. 

 For the best results the plants should 

 never be set in a field which has just 

 been in sod, but should follow some 

 hoed crop. Land which produced a 



crop of potatoes the previous year and 

 which has later been plowed and thor- 

 oughly pulverized is in the best physi- 

 cal conilition for setting the plants, and 

 any field on which crops have been 

 grown which leave the soil in a similar 

 condition is prepared properly for 

 raspberries. 



Planting. 



The time of planting raspberries 

 varies in different parts of the United 

 .States, according to the local condi- 

 tions. In general, however, the plants 

 should be set in early spring in the 

 eastern part of the United States, but 

 on the Pacific Coast they should be set 

 during the rainy season, whenever it 

 is possible to do the work. 



Because better plants of the black 

 and purple varieties can be secured in 

 the spring, that is the best season for 

 setting them. Red raspberries, how- 

 ever, may be set in the autumn with 

 good success in sections where the 

 winters are mild or where there is a 

 good covering of snow to protect the 

 plants. Some of the advantages of au- 

 tumn planting in sections where this is 

 possible are the following: 



(1) There is usually a much longer 

 season in which the planting conditions 

 are favorable than in the spring. 



(2) During the winter the plants be- 

 come thoroughly established in the soil 

 and they start growth quickly in the 

 spring. 



(3) In the autumn the leader buds 

 from which the new canes develop are 

 dormant and are not broken easily. By 

 spring, however, they have grown to a 

 considerable length, often several 

 inches, and then are broken very easily 

 in planting. Unless the root is vigorous 

 such plants may not develop new 

 shoots. 



Occasionally when growers wish to 

 Continued on page 35. 



Raspberries planted on the linear system and trained to a wire trellis. The canes are 



arched over the wire, tied to the low?r wire and the projecting ends cut otT. 



Photo taken at Sumner, Washington. 



