RASPBERRY CULTURE. 153 



Raspberry Culture. 



A. 0. HAWKINS, NURSERYMAN AND FRUIT GROWER, EXCELSIOR. 



Raspberries may be planted in rows six feet apart and three 

 feet in the row, or they may be planted in rows five feet apart and 

 four feet in the row, so that they may be cultivated both ways. 

 They may be planted either late in the fall or early in the spring. 

 Fall planting is preferable when the ground has been soaked with 

 heavy rains. There is no danger of winter killing when roots 

 freeze up in wet ground. A fall like the one just past (1916) was 

 very injurious to the raspberry plants, as the ground froze up 

 with entirely too little moisture in the soil. Nothing but plants 

 of one season's growth should be used, and care should be taken in 

 selecting plants that are free from root knot and crown gall. 

 Before planting the canes should be cut back to within eight or 

 ten inches from the root, so that the vitality of the plant will go 

 into the new growth which comes from the root. Set the plants 

 with the crown about one inch below the surface of the ground 

 and tramp the soil down firmly over the roots. Cultivate shallow 

 once a week until about the middle of September. The best cul- 

 tivator to use is a harrow-tooth cultivator with a sixteen-inch 

 sweep. A sweep wider than sixteen inches is not desirable. As 

 soon as the plants are through fruiting, cut out all the canes that 

 have fruited and burn at once. If this is neglected insects and 

 diseases will sooner or later ruin the plantation. The writer has 

 not found it profitable to keep a raspberry patch more than three 

 years. Planted in new ground they yield the most. Where the 

 soil is not rich it should be made so by applying a heavy coat of 

 manure between the plants as soon as they are planted. One 

 good application will be enough for three years. Fertilizer 

 applied after the first year will have a tendency to bring the 

 feeding roots too near to the surface of the ground and make the 

 canes too soft to stand winter injury. In this state most varie- 

 ties need winter protection. Cover all the canes with earth any 

 time after October fifteenth. 



The following varieties need winter protection for best 

 results: King, Marlboro, Cuthbert, Columbian, Golden Queen 

 and all the Black Cap varieties. 



Varieties that are doing well without winter protection are : 

 Number Four, Idaho and St. Regis. By far the best variety ever 

 fruited by the writer is Number Four. This variety originated 



