670 CULTIVATION OF VINES AND SMALL FRUITS. 



the vine beneath the bud which is the lower, and from one and 

 three-eighths to two inches higher than the uppermost bud. Fre- 

 quently, the slips can be left from three-fourths of a foot to one and 

 one-half feet in length, and include quite a number of buds; but 

 there is no particular advantage in having the buds exceed three in 

 number. Horticulturalists often select those having but two buds, 

 and with plants which are of decided value they employ frequently 

 bud cuttings which are single. Slips should be removed only from 

 plants which are well -matured. There is no reason why they may 

 not be severed, unless the weather be very inclement, at any time 

 before the growth shall commence in the spring, and the buds begin 

 to swell, but it is better to prepare them in the autumn between the 

 time when leaves begin to fall, and the setting in of the winter 

 weather. They should be buried in dry, pulverized, mellow earth 

 or stowed away in dampened moss or grass, or even sawdust in the 

 sod. 



Proper Method of Cultivating: Small Fruits The 

 method best adapted to the farmer is to place the plants in rows, 

 about thirty inches apart; the plants twelve inches from each 

 other. Larger plants may be farther apart in the rows, but if it is 

 a yield of berries to which he looks, the yield will be greater when 

 the distance is less. 



Strawberries The soil of the strawberry-bed should be 

 soft and mellow, and of decided fertility. In setting out the plants, 

 make the excavations broad, to permit the roots to extend them- 

 selves. Previous to placing in the ground, remove .most all the 

 leaves and smear the roots with mud from the soil in which they 

 are to be placed. Plants should be set in the ground in spring or 

 early autumn. Autumn plants, in good condition, will yield a por- 

 tion of a crop the next year, but while spring plants will not yield 

 so largely the same year, they will have plenty of strength and 

 vigor, and are not so subject to the danger of being killed by the 

 frost. Strawberry plants need constant cultivation, because the 

 beds must be kept entirely free from weeds. It is a better way to 

 guide the runners so as to grow between the plants, as they are thus 

 more easily kept clear of weeds, and the plants should be definitely 

 set in hills, making it easier to keep them clean and free from weeds 

 and conducing to a better growth. Protection from winter, and, 

 from freezing and thawing, is indispensable, and a layer of three or 

 four inches of straw will be found the cheapest and most effective 

 means. 



Blackberries The blackberry grows wild in almost all 

 parts of the country, but can be greatly improved by cultivation. 

 The bushes require more space than the raspberry ; they must be 

 trimmed carefully and constantly; the ground must be cultivated 

 frequently, but not to a great depth, and it will be found useful to 

 lay hay or straw close to the roots of the bushes. The trunks 

 should not be allowed to grow higher than three and a half feet, nor 



