366 On the cultivation of the Raspberry. 



shade may be effected in the open garden, by planting a row 

 of running beans on the south side. Having selected a 

 proper place, proceed to prepare the soil. 



Soil. — A good soil is the most important requisite. Hav- 

 ing marked out the size of the bed, if the earth is not natural- 

 ly very rich and deep, preparations should be made to trench 

 it. First cover the surface with three or four inches of bog 

 earth, if to be procured, or, in its place, leaf soil, and if these 

 are not conveniently to be had, good old rotten hot-bed ma- 

 nure, which has laid at least six or eight months: that from 

 hot-beds made in April will do for use in the following Octo- 

 ber, and if a portion of the bed was leaves, it is so much the 

 more to be preferred. Having spread the manure upon the 

 surface, it should then be trenched in two spades deep, or 

 about eighteen inches, placing the manure at the bottom of the 

 trench. Level the surface, and spade in an inch or two more 

 of the same kind of manure, and after allowing a week for the 

 bed to settle, it will be ready for planting. 



Procuring Plants. — The success of planting out depends 

 considerably upon a judicious selection of plants. Suckers of 

 all sizes are generally thrown up, and many cultivators would 

 naturally select the largest: such, however, are not the best; 

 those of medium size, neither too large nor too small, have 

 the finest roots, and spread more rapidly than the others. In 

 selecting, reference should be had to the roots rather than the 

 tops. 



Planting out. — Having prepared the beds, and secured a 

 sufficient number of plants, preparations may be made for set- 

 ting out. A spade, a rake, and a garden hoe will be the prop- 

 er implements to accomplish this. The bed being maiked 

 out, stretch the line across the bed, from east to west, at the 

 distance of two feet from the walk: commence on either side 

 of the line at one end, by taking out the earth the width and 

 depth of the spade; place in the plant against the line, and 

 throw the soil out of the second hole to fill up the first: in this 

 way proceed until the whole bed is planted, treading the soil 

 lightly around each plant; with the rake smooth and level the 

 whole, and the work is finished. The rows should be three 

 feet apart, and the plants three feet apart in the rows. 



Winter treatment. — On the approach of cold weather it will 

 be necessary to protect the plants for the winter. The best 

 method of doing this is simply to bend the branches down to 

 the ground, and cover them with four or five inches of the 



