Page Ten 



BETTER FRUIT 



March, 1922 



Approved Culture of Red Raspberries 



TFll'', mild climate of the Pacific 

 Northwest makes it especially well 

 adapted to the growing of rasp- 

 berries, but not all of the land is suitable 

 to raspberry culture. 



The soil bejt adapted for them is a well 

 drained sandy loam or shot clay. If the 

 natural drainage is not sufficient to keep the 

 water from standing on the field, then tile 

 or box drains should be put in. Care should 

 be taken to avoid frost pockets as good air 

 drainage is very essential. 



Varieties — Of the 5 7 varieties, the 

 Cuthbert, Antwerp, Marlboro, King and 

 St. Regis are the most common. 



The Marlboro and Antwerp usually be- 

 gin to ripen about June 15, which is ten 

 days ahead of the Cuthbert. 



The St. Regis is known as the everbear- 

 ing, as it bears a light crop in the last of 

 June and July, then bears another crop in 

 September and on until the frost catches 

 them. Only a few are grown and thev 

 are not profitable as a commercial berry. 



The Marlboro, (or Red Cane), Antwerp 

 and King are known as the sour raspberries. 

 They have stout upright canes, thev yield 

 heavily and are good shippers, but are poor 

 berries for the cannery, as they cook to 

 pieces. 



The Cuthbert has tall slim canes that 

 droop when loaded with fruit or foliage. 



The berries are sweet, of fine texture, 

 good shippers, remain whole when cooked, 

 and are what the canners all want. So I 

 shall confine myself principally to the 

 Cuthbert. 



Preparations for Planting — The field 

 should be well plowed. If there is anv 

 sod it should be thouroughly disced and 

 harrowed, and put in fine condition for 

 planting. Then, with a marker, lav off 

 the field in rows, seven feet apart. It is 

 best to run the rows north and south as it 

 is much cooler for the pickers and the 

 berries do not sun scald, as they do if the 

 rows run east and west. Then "furrow out 

 the rows with an eight-inch plow or a 

 potato hiller, going twice in a row. 



Obtain plants from a one-year-old field 

 that are free from disease and cut them 

 back to about 12 to 15 inches long. Put 

 two plants in a hill, 2^^ feet apart. It 

 will require 5,000 plants per acre. The 

 planting may be done in fall or spring. 



I recommend two plants to the hill be- 

 cause you never have enough canes the 

 first year. Although some plants are sure 

 to die, they will seldom both die !n the 

 same hill, therefore you will have prac- 

 tically a perfect stand. Some root crop, 

 such as potatoes, cabbage or kale, may be 

 grown between the rows the first year. 



I think the furrow system is much better 

 than planting with a jpade as you are %-erv 



By G. E. Davis, 



Sumner, Washington 



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Specific and friictictil information 

 on the planting and ctiture of red 

 raspberries was giz'en at the annual 

 meeting of the Western Washington 

 Horticultural Associattion, at Mt. 

 Vernon, February 15-17, by Mr. 

 Dazis, who knows ez'ery phase of the 

 subject from the grozver's standpoint. 

 The infortnation there given is pre- 

 sented here. The discussion gives 

 details so carefully the beginner 

 might use it as his only guide in 

 planting and caring for a nezc yard. 

 It is needless to point out that, com- 

 ing as it does, from an authority of 

 zvide experience in the heart of one 

 of the country^ s ?nost famous berry 

 lections, the article sets forth the most 

 approved practices there in vogue. 



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apt to plant too shallow, and as raspberries 

 3l\v.iys grow up, one crown on top of the 

 preceeding year. It is much better to get 

 them too deep than too shallow, and again, 

 with the furrow system, you gradually work 

 the dirt toward the plants covering the 

 weeds and save hoeing. 



T)OSTS AND Wire for New Field — 

 -*- The posts should be 7 feet long with 

 8 inch face, set about 40 feet apart. The 

 end or anchor posts, 7J4 feet long, should 

 be set at least 3 feet in the ground, the 

 center posts 2^2 feet. By setting them 40 

 feet apart it requires 150 posts per acre. 

 Use No. 12 wire, putting 2 wires on the 

 east or face of the row, one about 3 feet 

 high to hold the young canes, the other 

 43^ feet to support the bearing canes. Put 

 one wire on the west, or back, side of the 

 row to hold the young canes. For con- 

 venience in adjusting, the wire should 

 not be stapled to the end posts, but wrapped 

 around the post, then, with an end about 3 

 feet long, twist back around wire. 



It requires 140 lbs. of No. 12 wire per 

 acre. Use two 1 0-penny nails on the back 

 or west side of posts, driven at 45 degree 

 angle, one 3 feet from the ground, the 

 other 43^ feet. When the young canes 

 get about 3J4 feet high, raise the wire, 

 swing it out over the canes and hook it 

 back on the bottom nail. Then, later in 

 the season, raise the wire to the top nail. 



Cultivation — The ground should be 

 stirred every week or ten d.ays with planet 

 jr. cultivator, spike-tooth harrow or spring- 

 tooth cultivator, but always set the tooth 

 that runs next to the row one half inch 

 shallower than the others so as not to dis- 

 turb the roots of the plants. It is a good 

 plan to harrow with spike-tooth after a 



rain. This keeps ihc ground from form- 

 ing a crust and losing the moisture, as we 

 need to conserve all the moisture possible 

 during the summer months. 



Removino Old Canes — The old and 

 all surplus canes over six to the hill may 

 be removed as soon as the picking season 

 is over, or may be left until the next spring 

 when they are easily broken out, carried 

 out and burned. I use the latter system 

 in my yards. 



Weaving — With 5 or 6 canes to the hill, 

 divide the hill and bring the canes over the 

 top of wire and in behind the end post. 

 Take the rest of the hill over the top of 

 the wire and in behind the part of the 

 hill you have just woven and so on, being 

 careful not to draw the canes down on the 

 wire too tight. Leave them up 1 or 2 

 inches so every bud may come out and 

 mature. 



Then, with a pair of hand clippers, cut 

 off the ends of the canes where they lap 

 past the next hill, usually cutting off 1 or 

 2 feet. 



rpERTILIZER— Berries require lots of 

 -*- fertilizer. In my yards I have been 

 applying 10 tons of cow or sheep manure 

 per acre, for several years. This should be 

 put on in February. If you can not get 

 barnyard manure, then use one-half ton or 

 more per acre of some commercial berry 

 fertilizer, with an analysis of 2-10-2 or 

 higher. 



Plowing — This should be done early 

 in the spring. Open two furrows or dead 

 furrows in the middle of the row, as deep 

 as you can plow with a one horse plow. 

 Harrow this thoroughly, then plow these 

 back and on over .« close to the row as 

 possible, plowing about 1 inch deep next to 

 the row. Harrow immediately after. 

 Cultivate, then keep cultivating all summer, 

 as that is the secret of successful berry rais- 

 ing. 



Hoeing — Berries should be hoed early. 

 Too many growers do not hoe until the 

 weeds are a foot high thinking it cheaper 

 to hoe only once. But It is cheaper and 

 much better for the crop to hoe twice or 

 even three times. 



In May go through the berries with a 

 V-shaped scraper that shoves the dirt over 

 to the rows. Then, with a short handle 

 garden rake or potato fork, draw the dirt 

 up to the row. This keeps a fine dust 

 mulch for the rest of the season. 



Thinning Young Canes — This should 

 be done when they are about 2 feet high. 

 Care should be taken to select the strongest 

 ones. Leave about 6 or 7 to the hill, as 

 some are apt to get broken in picking. 



Picking — Here is where the greatest 

 care should be exercised. No matter how 



