Culture of Raspberries 



1703 



The headiiig-in of these lateral branches in spring is omitted by half 

 the growers. The practice is a good one, provided it is done intelligently, 

 and the point to be considered in such heading-in is the fruiting habit of 

 the variety. In some varieties the fruit clusters develop near the base 

 of the branch, whereas in others they develop near the tip. In the former 

 case the heading-back of the branches is desirable, while in the latter it 

 is not recommended because too much of the fruit-bearing surface is 

 often removed. Probably the reason why this pruning of the laterals is 

 not more widely practiced is because the grower does not know the fruiting 

 habits of the particular varieties in question. 



Briefly summarized, the pruning of the black raspberry is as follows: 

 The old canes should be cut out and burned soon after fruiting. The new 

 canes should be pinched back when twenty-four to thirty inches high, 

 and thinned to not more than five or six canes to each crown. This 

 pruning, which is called summer pruning, will be done during June or 

 July. In the spring the lateral branches are cut back so that the remain- 

 ing buds will develop into strong fruit clusters. The amount of this 

 cutting back will depend on the variety, the bearing habits of which can 

 soon be determined by observation. 



Yields and incomes 



The yield of the black raspberry is usually a little higher than that of 

 the red. Basing his figures on the replies of fifty-eight growers, Card* 

 computed the average yield to be about 2,493 quarts, or nearly 78 bushels, 

 per acre. In the study in the commercial patches in western New 

 York the yield was somewhat less. The average yield is given below: 



Variety 



Number of 

 acres 



Yield per 



acre 

 (quarts) 



Income per 

 acre 



Kansas 



Black Diamond 



Palmer 



Kansas and Black Diamond 

 Kansas and Cumberland. . . . 



52 

 20 

 18 

 38 

 6 



1. 741 

 1,429 

 1,476 

 1. 156 

 1 ,281 



$131.04 

 103.06 



in -55 

 92.59 

 98.71 



It is probable that the difference in yields and incomes for the varieties 

 as shown here is due to soil and climatic influences as well as to variety. 



Evaporation. — The black raspberry is used for evaporating purposes 

 more than any other bush-fruit. Card, in his book on bush-fruits, f has 



* F. W. Card, 

 t F. W. Card. 



Bush-Fruits, p. 101. 

 Bush-Fruits, pp. 102-103. 



