150 ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



Plants of either kind are usually set two in a hill, hills 

 three feet apart and rows seven feet apart. If the rows 

 extend north and south, the fruit during ripening time will 

 be somewhat shaded by the new growth, which is an ad van- 

 age. The spacing may be reduced, but wide spacing has 

 some advantages, chief among which is the fact that it 

 admits plenty of sunshine and makes cultivation possible 

 even when the branches are bearing fruit. 



When the new plants are set, they are cut off close to 

 the ground, and are not allowed to bear fruit the first year. 



The red raspberries, propagated by root sprouts, should 

 be set a little deeper than they were originally. The black 

 raspberries, propagated by stolons or layers, should be set 

 about their original depth. 



Cultivation. — Clean cultivation is especially necessary 

 for the red raspberry, as it spreads rapidly if not checked, 

 soon exhausting its vitality. The spaces between the hedges 

 should be plowed at least once a year, and perhaps less in- 

 jury is done to the roots if spring plowing is practiced. The 

 subsequent cultivating should loosen the soil only to a depth 

 of two or three inches. 



Pruning. — Raspberries require summer and winter prun- 

 ing. The summer pruning consists in stopping the young 

 shoots when they are about eighteen inches high. Thfs 

 tends to produce branches and root sprouts and so increase 

 the wood growth. In the winter cut out aU stems that 

 have produced fruit, and dead and diseased ones. 



Winter Protection. — In some severe climates raspber- 

 ries need winter protection. The roots are loosened at one 

 side of each plant, and the top is bent over and covered 

 with earth. A layer of corn fodder or straw may be added 

 later, if more protection seems warranted. This covering 

 should be removed in the spring, and the plants raised as 

 soon as danger of freezing and thawing is past. 

 Questions: 



1. How general is raspberry culture? 



2. How many types of raspberries are there? 



3. What soil does each type require? 



4. How is each type propagated? 



5. Tell what you can of time and manner of setting each type? 



6. Describe cultivation and pruning of each type. 



