BLACKBERRIES AND DEWBERRIES 1373 



The older plantations will bear heavier applications of plant food 

 than those which are younger, but the danger of winter injury 

 resulting from an immature excess of growth must be kept in 

 mind and the plants be fed accordingly. 



PROPAGATION 



IJlackberrios may be propagated by suckers as described under 

 red raspberries, page l'J.".\ <>r by root cuttings. Plants from root 

 cuttings are usually preferred, as they have a larger and more 

 fibrous root system. Roots one-eighth of an inch or more in 

 diameter are cut into about four-inch lengths usually in the 

 fall stratified in sand over winter, and sown three or four inches 

 apart in nursery rows in the spring. By this method good plants 

 may he secured in from one to two years. Commercial growers 

 usually increase their plantations by digging up the suckers which 

 develop along the rows. 



Dewberries are propagated by tip-layers as described under 

 black raspberries, page l-'JUi'. 



Blackberry plants may be set either in fall or spring. If set 

 before winter, the rows should be back-furrowed to prevent heav- 

 ing. The plants should be set fully as deep or slightly deeper 

 than they stood in the nursery. Dewberries should be set in 

 spring as described for black raspberries, page 1362. 



CULTURE 



The distance between plants is governed partly by method of 

 culture and partly by the richness of soil and the variety. The 

 bushes make a dense, thorny growth which should not be crowded. 

 Blackberries require more room than raspberries eight feet by 

 three feet if intended for matted rows, or, if kept in hills, the dis- 

 tance may be from eight feet by four feet to seven or eight feet 

 apart each way. 



The spacing of dewberry plants depends on the method of train- 

 ing: if grown in hills and staked, about four feet by four feet; if 

 trained on a- trellis, about six feet by three feet. After thorough 

 preparation of the soil, the land may be marked both ways and a 

 furrow opened one way, the plants being set at the intersection of 

 the cross mark with the furrow, or they may be set with a spade 

 after the ground has been marked. 



