PRUNING AND TRAINING RASPBERRIES. 



rE are too fond of shortening all 

 the reserved canes to one height, 

 and, as a consequence, there are 

 usually thickets of fruiting shoots, at the 

 tops of the stakes of fences and few 

 lower down. The canes, whether trained 

 to single stakes, fences, or espaliers 

 formed with other wires or stakes, or 

 grown market-grower's fashion (that is to 

 say, without supports of any kind), 

 should be shortened and laid in at 

 least three different lengths, the smallest 

 of those reserved at the preliminary 

 thinning being the hardest cut. Shorten 

 the latter to a length of i8 inches, leav- 

 ing others to from thirty inches to three 

 feet in length, and in the case of the 

 taller growers the strongest canes may 

 be left to a length of five feet or rather 

 less. In this way perfect columns, fen- 

 ces, or hedges of fruiting growths are 

 had, and a greater weight of fruit ob- 

 tained than by shortening and training 

 in the common fashion. It is true some- 

 what hard pruning is apt to favor sucker 

 growth from the roots, varieties of me- 

 dium height being particularly liable to 



produce far more sucker growths than 

 desirable. This may to a certain extent 

 be checked by either hoeing or hand- 

 pulling, those left in the rows or near to 

 the old canes also requiring to be timely 

 and freely thinned out. There must be 

 no hesitation about pruning newly- 

 planted canes. Unpruned or only 

 lightly shortened canes may and do pro- 

 duce fruit, but it is usually of an inferior 

 character or comparatively worthless, 

 added to which the plants will be ex- 

 hausted in the attempt, and form no 

 young canes worthy of the name. Cut 

 them down to within six inches of the 

 ground, and if they were properly planted 

 all will push up strong young canes 

 equal to bearing fruit next year. In this 

 way the foundation of profitable rows of 

 plantations of Raspberries will have 

 been laid. Newly-planted canes should 

 also be mulched, as owing to not having 

 had time to send their "anchor" roots 

 down deeply into the soil drought will 

 quickly affect them. They ought further 

 to be assisted by watering during dry, 

 hot weather. 



THE ADVANTAGES OF JUDICIOUS PLANTING. 



UDICIOUS planting and the 

 skillful culture of plantations 

 Q\Jy combine national and private 

 interests in an eminent degree ; 

 for, besides the real or intrinsic value of 

 the timber or ostensible crop, with other 

 produce of woods, available for the arts 

 and comforts of life, judicious forest tree 

 planting improves the general climate of 

 the neighborhood, the staple of the soil, 

 as regards the gradual accumulation of 

 vegetable matter, affords shelter to live 

 stock, beautifies the landscape, and thus 



greatly and permanently increases the 

 value of the fee simple of the estate and 

 adjoining lands. 



If we turn to these soils emphatically 

 termed wastes — exposed, elevated lands, 

 moors, marshes and sterile sands — com- 

 posing a fair average of this Dominion, 

 and naturally clothed by the lowest and 

 least valuable products of the vegetable 

 kingdom. The inferior grasses, rushes 

 and sedges, we find that upon them the 

 more valuable domestic animals can 

 not exist. If we consider the reason 



415 



