CHAPTER XXXIII. 



THE RASPBERRY. 



PROPAGATION. The varieties which have originated from 

 the red-fruited species are usually increased with great 

 facility by suckers ; but plants with better roots may be ob- 

 tained by planting under glass, with a mild bottom heat, cut- 

 tings of the roots an inch or more in length. The American 

 Blackcap and -its varieties {Rubus occidentalis) are propagated 

 readily by layers, the tips of the recurved branches when 

 slightly buried soon taking root. This layering may be 

 done in August or September, the tips of the shoots having 

 been nipped about midsummer, and when these branch and 

 form tips bare of leaves, bury them in the soil at an angle of 

 forty-five degrees, and they will form fine roots before win- 

 ter. New varieties are raised from seeds, and come into 

 bearing the second or third year. 



The soil for the raspberry should be rich, and an admixture 

 of swamp muck is useful. A strong, deep loam is the only 

 soil from which a full crop may be expected every season. If 

 sandy or gravelly, or a stiff, cold clay, it cannot be relied 

 upon. But the most important requisite is depth, only to be 

 attained by deep ploughing or trenching, which will go far 

 toward affording a remedy for any natural defect of the soil. 

 The more tender varieties may be raised on higher, drier, and 

 firmer spots of ground, where they are less liable to severe 

 frosts. 



The stems of the raspberry are biennial, the canes growing 

 the first season and bearing fruit the second, after which they 

 die, and the new ones take their places. As soon as growth 

 ceases and the leaves drop, the old canes should therefore be 

 cut away. When the new canes-of the blackcap kinds have 

 reached a sufficient height, the tips should be pinched off, to 

 prevent their growing taller, which will cause them to be- 

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