ROOT PRUNING. 197 



Mr. Brackett: It did. I thought it would be of advantage to the 

 plants to take it off entirely. I put them in a pail of water and took 

 the soil all off. I never thought of it, but perhaps that is where I 

 made my mistake. 



Pres. Underwood: You might have done this if you had had a 

 large cluster of roots. They might have become heated or mouldy. 

 That is one advantage of root pruning that Mr. Elliot speaks of. If 

 you had cut those roots in two it might have helped you. 



GROWIMG PLANTS FROM ROOTS. 



Mr. Brackett: Mr. Plant has started a new system in growing 

 raspberries. He takes the roots, cuts them in short lengths and 

 plants them in rows, and grows them in that way. I think that is a 

 nice way. 



Mr. Smith: It is the best way to grow red raspberries bj^ all odds. 



Mr. Brackett: Would you take them up with the spade or would 

 you use the plow? 



Mr. Smith: I have always used the spade. The best way I have 

 found was to dig up the roots, put them in a box and let them lie 

 until they would begin to bud. If you cut them up before they 

 start a growth a good many pieces will not put out a bud, but if you 

 let them lie a little while every piece will make a plant. If you dig 

 up the roots and plant them before they are budded, there will be 

 lots of plants missing. 



Mr. Brackett: How long do you cut the pieces? 



Mr. Smith: About two inches. 



Mr. Wedge: When would you cut the roots? 



Mr. Smith: Any time you can work the ground in the spring. I 

 never tried it in the fall. 



Mr. Pearce: I grow currants in that way; I think it is the best 

 way. 



TRANSPLANTING. 



Pres. Underwood: I would like to add a thought to this matter of 

 transplanting raspberries that might be of some help to you. It 

 has been suggested that they do not make a perfect growth in the 

 fall of the year; possibly, it has been tried, and even though they 

 might be planted early they do not make much growth until late. 

 Those plants should be put in the ground at their permanent home 

 as soon as possible. They can be shipped so as to be in good condi- 

 tion if properly packed. What you want to know is whether they 

 are in good condition when you receive them. This is true in regard 

 to everything. I think one great trouble with planters is that they 

 do not give enough attention as to whether or not their stock is in 

 good condition when they receive it. It is as simple as can be when 

 you do that. If you examine with the knife, you can tell whether the 

 roots are fresh or not. If it is a black raspberry root and you find 

 upon examining them that the roots are black, you can rest assured 

 that they have been heated in transit if it has not been freezing 

 weather — they may have been frozen, if they have been shipped 

 during freezing weather. I do not care what it is, whether rasp- 

 berry, strawberry or anything else, if planters were more careful in 



