2912 



RASPBERRY 



RASPBERRY 



species, and bears black fruit. The acreage of this class 

 is, at present, much less than that of the red raspberry. 

 The Gregg, one of the first varieties of this species 

 introduced into cultivation, is also one of the leading 

 varieties grown at present. 



Yellow-fruited varieties have come from both the 

 American species, the erect-growing sorts from R. 

 strigosus, and those with recurved canes rooting at 

 the tips from R. occidentalis. Pur- 

 ple-caned varieties, of which the 

 Columbian is the most widely grown, 

 are hybrids between R. strigosus 

 and R. occidentalis. 



Up to the present time, the greater 

 part of the varieties under cultiva- 

 tion have appeared as chance seed- 

 lings. Recently, however, many 

 promising new varieties have been 

 originated as a result of systematic 

 effort to produce better sorts. Thus, 

 as the result of definite breeding 

 work, the New York State Experi- 

 ment Station has originated the 

 June red raspberry, and the South 

 Dakota Experiment Station the 

 Ohta and Sunbeam red raspberries. 

 These, as well as other 

 experiment stations, have 

 many promising varieties 

 under test. L. E. Wardell, 

 a practical grower of Marl- 

 boro, New York, has orig- 

 inated the Empire red 

 raspberry, another promis- 

 ing variety. Many others 

 are also trying to originate 

 better varieties, some of 

 whom are using in their 

 work foreign species 

 recently introduced into 

 this country. 



Geographical distribution. 



The limit of the suc- 

 cessful culture of this fruit 

 corresponds closely with 

 the distribution of its wild 



3347. Raspberries trained to the hill system. 



3348. Raspberries trained to the solid-row 

 system. No support used. 



forms. The southern limit is south- 

 ern Virginia, along the mountains 

 to northern Georgia, southern Ten- 

 nessee, westward through the Ozark 

 Mountains and southern Oklahoma. 

 It is chiefly grown in northern 

 regions. The great commercial cen- 

 ters of the industry are, at present, 

 in New York State and 

 Michigan. Smaller centers 

 of its culture, aside from 

 the proximity of the large 

 cities, are found near 

 Hagerstown in western 

 Maryland; in central New 

 Jersey; near Kansas City, 

 Kansas; about Loveland, 

 Colorado, and in the Puy- 

 allup Valley of Washing- 

 ton. The culture of the 



serymen secure their stock by digging in the spring suck- 

 ers sent up during the previous summer. Some growers 

 who wish to increase their own plantation wait until 

 young suckers begin to come up in the spring and trans- 

 plant these. The black raspberries, as well as the pur- 

 ple varieties now raised, are propagated by encouraging 

 the tips of the young canes to root. As the young canes 

 bend over and the tips approach the ground, soil is 

 thrown over the tips. Plants suit- 

 able for setting the following spring 

 will be formed during the remain- 

 der of the growing period by these 

 rooted tips. By pinching back the 

 tips in early summer when the canes 

 are about 2 feet high, they will 

 branch and several plants may be 

 secured from each cane. 



Culture. 



The raspberry thrives best in a 

 deep fertile loam containing plenty 

 of humus. Most varieties grow 

 better on the heavier than on the 

 lighter types of soil, though this is 

 not universally true. The soil must 

 be well drained and a location with 

 good air-drainage should 

 be preferred to lowlands, 

 as certain varieties are 

 peculiarly susceptible to 

 poor air-drainage. Ferti- 

 lizers are not generally 

 used on raspberry fields, 

 and among growers using 

 them their composition 

 varies widely. The use of 

 fertilizers should depend 

 on the needs of the partic- 

 ular soil, and such needs 

 can be determined only 

 by actual tests of the soil 

 with varying amounts and 

 kinds of plant-foods. 



Two methods of culture 

 __ are commonly used, the 



3350. Raspberries trained to the two-wire trellis. Canes in hill system and the solid- 



erect position. row system. Under the 



first system the plants are usually 

 set 5 feet apart each way, while 

 under the second system they are 

 set 3 or 4 feet apart in the row, the 

 rows being from 6 to 8 feet apart. 

 Under the hill system less hand- 

 labor is required for the returns in 

 fruit than under the solid-row sys- 

 tem. The plants should 

 be set as early in the spring 

 as possible, as the mois- 

 ture conditions are usually 

 better in early spring. In 

 setting the plants, the 

 principal requirement is 

 that the soil shall be 



3349. Raspberries trained to a single wire trellis. 



3351. Raspberries trained to the two-wire 

 trellis. Canes arched over upper wire and 

 tied to lower wire. 



3352. Raspberries trained between the two wires of a 

 horizontal trellis. 



raspberry, however, is not confined 

 to these centers, but is widely dis- 

 tributed throughout the northern 

 districts. 



Propagation. 



The red varieties are propagated 

 by the use of suckers which spring 

 from the underground parts. Nur- 



3353. Raspberries trained between the 

 two wires of a horizontal trellis, one-half of 

 canes tied to the wire on one side and one- 

 half to the wire on the other side. 



thoroughly firmed about 

 the roots. Vegetable inter- 

 crops may be grown be- 

 tween the rows during the 

 first sjsason and should help pay 

 the cost of cultivation for the first 

 year. Cabbage, cauliflower, beans, 

 peas, and lettuce are often used for 

 this purpose. Cultivation should 

 be thorough and frequent, not only 

 the first year, but after the planta- 

 tion comes into bearing. Especi- 

 ally when the berries are growing 



