1502 



RASPBERRY 



RASPBERRY 



conditions would not warrant the growing of fruit to be 

 sold fresh. Hybrids of B. sfrigosus and B. occiden- 

 f alls — known as B. neglect i(s—ha,ve given the purple- 

 cane class, of which Shaffer (Fig. 2082) is a leading 

 example. For further notes on species of Raspberry, 

 see Bubus. 



Raspberries are extensively grown in the northeastern 

 states. They thrive best in deep, moist soil. The lighter 

 loams are preferable for reds and the heavier loams for 

 blacks. The prime essential is that the land shall be 

 able to withstand drought well; but it must not be over- 

 wet. Much may be done to improve the drought-resist- 

 ing quality of soils. If the subsoil is hard and impervi- 

 ous it may be improved by underdraining or subsoiling. 

 This will provide a deeper reservoir for the storage of 

 moisture. Still more important is the proportion of 

 vegetable matter. A soil rich in humus admits water 

 more readily and in larger quantities, retains it longer 



2081. Box of Cuthbert Raspberries (X /i). 



and therefore resists drought better than one that is de- 

 ficient in humus. Humus may be increased by the ap- 

 plication of stable manure and by plowing under green 

 crops, but the process must be gradual. Undecayed 

 vegetable matter is not humus, and its addition in 

 large quantities may augment the difficulty which the 

 increase in humus is designed to correct. Thorough 

 soil preparation must therefore begin several years pre- 

 vious to planting, if the land has been improperly 

 handled theretofore. Otlicr imjiurtant oiRces of humus 

 are the holding of nitrogen to prevent its loss, and the 

 unlocking of mineral elements from the soil. The well- 

 known fact that brambles thrive so well in virgin soil, 

 is, no doubt, largely due to the abundance of humus 

 which such soil contains. 



Stable manure is permissible as a fertilizer, except 

 for red Raspberries when growing on moist, rich soil, in 

 which case it forces growth too much. Leguminous 

 crops may furnish all the nitrogen needed. Floats, 

 ground bone or basic slag will supjily phosphoric acid, 

 and potash may be obtained from wood ashes or nmriate 

 of potash. Upon the soil of the Rhode Island Experi- 

 ment Station, which is a light sandy loam with gravelly 

 subsoil, the addition of nitrogen does not increase the 

 yield, although the soil is not naturally fertile <and ni- 

 trogen has been applied annually for a series of years. 

 Other crops have been upon the land until recently. 

 Even plots from which mineral elements have also been 

 omitted do not fall far behind those which have been 

 liberally dressed with the three essential fertilizing ele- 



ments for a series of years, judging from the first crop 

 only. No one can tell the grower how to fertilize his 

 plants; the question must be settled upon his own farm. 

 Cover-crops have not been extensively used, but are 

 likely to receive more attention. Where crimson clover 

 will thrive it is well adapted to the purpose, although 

 somewhat difiS.cult to uproot in spring. 



Planting may be done in fall or spring, but spring is 

 to be preferred for black-caps. Plants secured from 

 young plantations are preferable, since they possess 

 greater vigor and are less likely to carry disease. The 

 individuality of the parent-plant, while generally dis- 

 regarded, may be a determining factor in the profitable- 

 ness of the offspring. Black-cap plants are obtained by 

 burying the tips of the growing canes, late in summer, 

 when they begin to thicken and throw out roots. When 

 thoroughly rooted, the layer is severed and the "tip" 

 (Fig. 2083) is used for planting. Reds throw up numer- 

 ous suckers from the roots and these are oftenest used 

 in planting, though root-cuttings are available. For 

 near-by planting the young suckers, moved in early 

 summer, may be used. Plants are preferably set in 

 check-rows, six or seven feet apart, with plants four to 

 SIX feet apart in the row. Cross-cultivation in early 

 spring and after fruiting will materially aid in keeping 

 a plantation in good condition. Without it the reds 

 quickly form thick hedge-rows. With intensive methods 

 hoed crops may be grown between the rows the year of 

 planting; with common farm methods they are better 

 omitted. 



Thorough tillage should be given till midsummer, 

 when a cover-crop should be sown. In especially dry 

 climates, as upon the Plains, tillage should 

 be continued throughout the season. Plow- 

 ing between the rows in spring is undesir- 

 able and is unnecessary if tillage has been 

 good the previous year. With reds some 

 form of cultivator with square-pointed teeth 

 or cutting-blades is advantageous in de- 

 stroying suckers. 



Tender varieties may be protected in win- 

 ter by laying tliem down and covering them 

 with earth. To do this loosen the soil at 

 one side of the root and bend the plant in 

 that direction. The plants are usually bent 

 in the direction of the row so that the tops 

 will lap over the crowns. 



The young shoots of black-caps should be 

 nipped off as soon as they reach a height of eighteen to 

 twenty-four inches, that a well-branched self-supporting 

 bush may be obtained. In spring following, the branches 

 should be shortened to one to two feet. This spring 

 pruning is the fruit-thinning process of the year and 

 should be done with judgment. The poorer the soil or 

 the less able it is to withstand drought, and the less 

 intensive the culture, the more severe should the prun- 

 ing be. Anthraenose may give less trouble, and the 

 plantation will last longer, without summer pinching, 

 but the yield will be much lower. With reds summer 

 pinching is undesirable after the year of planting, 

 unless with exceptionally vigorous varieties on strong 

 soil. The older canes are best removed as soon as fruit- 

 ing is over. They are more easily cut then and their 

 removal gives a good opportunity for cross-cultivation 

 (in case the check-row system is used) and a thorough 

 cleaning-up before the season's tillage is abandoned. 

 Early removal may also help to check the spread of 

 certain enemies. Plantations may be kept in bearing 

 many years if desired, but it is seldom profitable to 

 do so. 



The fruit demands care in picking and in handling 

 thereafter. It should never be picked when wet. Red 

 raspberries are especially difficult to ship and are 

 usually marketed in pint baskets rather than quarts. 

 Reds yield less than blacks and usually sell at a higher 

 price. 



Enemies are numerous. Crown- and cane-borers must 

 bo controlled by cutting out and destroying the infested 

 canes. Red rust sometimes sweeps away plantations of 

 black-caps. A ])lant once attacked can never be cured 

 and should be root(Ml out and burned at once. Anthrae- 

 nose is esiiocially troublesome. Only plants free from 

 it should l>o set, and the plantation should bo aban- 



