1702 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



Black Diamond. — Very productive; berry large, firm, and a good 

 shipper if picked in time; season four or five days later than Kansas; bush 

 very vigorous, less susceptible to anthracnose than most varieties. 



Palmer. — Productive; fruit medium size, juicy, sweet, firm, good qual- 

 ity; season early; one of the best early varieties for commercial purposes; 

 bush strong grower, lacking somewhat in hardiness. 



Cumberland. — Productive; fruit large, black, sweet, firm, quality good; 

 season medium early; bush strong, vigorous, hardy. 



Ohio. — Productive; fruit medium, black, firm, very seedy; season 

 medium; bush strong grower, lacking somewhat in hardiness. Best 

 variety for evaporating. This variety yields more dried fruit to the 

 bushel than does any other variety. 



Gregg.— Productive; fruit large, black, moderately juicy, sweet, good 

 quality; season late; bush strong grower, somewhat lacking in hardiness. 

 One of the old standard varieties. 



Management 

 The directions for planting, tilling, and fertilizing as given for the red 

 raspberry apply equally well to the black raspberry. The diseases and 

 insect pests that attack the latter are much the same as those that attack 

 the red raspberry. The description of these and the methods of their 

 control are given in the closing pages of this lesson. 



Pruning 



There is a slight difference between the methods of pruning the red and 

 the black raspberry, a variation due to different habits of growth. As 

 stated previously, the canes of the black raspberry grow long and droop 

 to the ground, whereas the canes of the red raspberry are shorter and 

 upright. Because of this long-growing and drooping habit of growth of 

 the canes, growers pinch off the tips of the black raspberry in order to 

 make the canes branch. A branched cane is desired because it contains 

 more fruit buds than does a straight cane. 



The work is done when the canes are twenty-four to thirty inches high, 

 which in New York is usually during late June or July. If it is done in 

 time the tender tips may be pinched off with the fingers and the use of 

 shears is not necessary. The patch must be gone over more than once, 

 since the canes will not all reach the desired height at the same time. 

 The last pruning can be done during picking time as the grower goes back 

 and forth through the patch. The canes then develop lateral branches, 

 which become strong and mature by autumn. These, in turn, are headed 

 back in spring. 



