268 POPULAR FRUIT GROWING. 



be wintered over if dug and very carefully heeled in, or kept in 

 a cold cellar, but the plan recommended should be followed 

 when practicable. It is not considered good policy to plant 

 the layers in the fall as they are very liable to winter injury 

 when disturbed in autumn. In digging the layers about ten 

 inches of the cane should be cut off with the roots to facilitate 

 handling. It is generally believed that unprotected plants are 

 much hardier when the layers remain attached to the plant dur- 

 ing winter than they are if the canes are cut loose in the fall. 



Location and soil. The common varieties of the raspberry 

 succeed admirably in any good soil, but the suckering class, 

 which includes chiefly the red varieties, produce rather more 

 abundantly than the black-caps in moist, heavy loam, and the 

 latter do best in a sandy loam. A northern slope is generally 

 better than a southerly one as it is less liable to injury from 

 drouth, which frequently shortens the fruiting season in bad 

 situations; but it is well known that some varieties withstand 

 dry weather and other climatic troubles far better than others 

 of the same species. 



Manure and preparation of land. All varieties need high 

 cultivation. The land should be heavily manured, if of inferior 

 quality, and thoroughly plowed and brought into the best con- 

 dition for corn or other gross feeding crop. The best fertilizer 

 is well rotted barnyard manure. Raspberries, especially the 

 black cap kinds, will produce very well even on quite poor soil, 

 but rich land and thorough cultivation is necessary for the best 

 success with any variety. 



Time of planting. The suckering kinds may be planted in 

 autumn or spring with safety. When the work is done in the 

 autumn great care should be taken to firm the soil around the 

 roots, and a forkful of mulch over each hill is a great protec- 

 tion against winter injury. Many growers prefer to Set in au- 

 tumn, since at that season they can give the work more careful 

 attention than in the spring. Then, again, the new sprouts from 

 sets (suckers) start very early, and if the work is delayed in 

 the spring the new growth is often broken off or injured in the 

 work of planting. Black caps and other tip-rooting kinds should 

 never be set in the fall, as they are very liable to be winter- 



