HORTICULTURE 251 



to escape injury from late frosts, (d) In laying raspberries it is im- 

 portant that the work be done before the severe frosts of autumn. 

 The bending should be in the roots and as little as possible in the 

 stems, (e) Trellises for raspberries are often used to advantage in 

 gardens and in locations much exposed to the wind. For use on a 

 large scale the best form is two wires stretched one on each side of 

 the row and fastened to posts at each end and then tied together at 

 intervals with twine. The wires should be about 2 feet from the 

 ground. Such a trellis allows the plants to sway in the wind, and at 

 the same time prevents them from breaking and keeps them out of 

 the way of the cultivator. 



The Fruit. The fruit is red or yellow in color in the red rasp- 

 berry class, and black, yellow, and purple in the cap class. The varie- 

 ties vary in fruitfulness, vigor, size, and color of fruit. 



The purple varieties do not sell well in most markets, and are 

 therefore grown chiefly for home use. 



Picking and Marketing. Do not pick when the fruit is wet, 

 and be particular to pick clean. Store in a cool shady place, and 

 transport in a good spring wagon. Red raspberries are generally 

 marketed in pint boxes, and black caps in quart boxes. In the West 

 only the gift package is used, but in the Eastern States the return 

 package is the custom. The selecting of the kind of package best to 

 be used should receive most careful consideration by the grower. 



THE BLACKBERRY. 



Cultivated blackberries are grouped under five heads, as follows : 

 (a) The high bush of the clearings and fence rows of the Northern 

 States, with long clusters, as those of the Ancient Briton. (6) The 

 type with lower growth and short clusters, as those of the Snyder. 

 Both of these groups are probably forms of the Rubus villosus. (c) 

 Trailing dewberries, as the Lucretia and Austin, known botanically as 

 Rubus canadensis. (d} Forms that are intermediate between these 

 species are probably hybrids of the two species just referred to. The 

 Wilson and Rathburn are of this class, (e) The cut-leaved or ever- 

 green blackberry (Rubus laciniatus), which is probably a form of 

 the European blackberry (Rubus fruticosus). This variety is culti- 

 vated on the Pacific Coast, where it remains green all winter and is 

 very prolific. 



Propagation. (a) The high bush blackberry is propagated by 

 suckers and root cuttings. (5) The dewberry is propagated by 

 layers. 



Soils. (a) The best soil for the high bush blackberry is a heavy 

 clay loam, but it grows well on a wide range of soils, (b) The dew- 

 berry is best adapted to a warm sandy or gravelly soil, but even under 

 best conditions is not nearly as reliable a bearer as the blackberry. 



Planting, Cultivation, and Pruning. (a) Plant and cultivate 

 the same as for the suckering raspberry. (6) It is important to 

 pinch the high bush blackberry canes at least once when 2 feet high, 

 as this encourages the low setting of the fruit buds, (c) Spring 

 pruning should not be done until the canes are in flower and the 

 amount and location of bloom are seen. As a rule about one-half 



