THE RASPBEERT. 267 



sned in laying in the branches. The plants were about 

 five feet apart, and the branches were fastened to the 

 wall in a sort of fan form. The proper way to treat the 

 currant as an espalier is, to produce two strong branches 

 on a stem six to twelve inches high. These branches are 

 trained out in a horizontal manner like two arms — one on 

 each side ; and from the shoots which they will produce, 

 as many as are to be had at the distance of six inches 

 from one another are trained in an upright position, as in 

 the grape vine (fig. 121). 



These upright shoots are managed in the same way as 

 the branches of a bush; they are annually shortened back 

 a little to ensure a good supply of fruit buds. 



The hlack currant produces its best fruit on the wood 

 of the preceding year, therein differing from the others. 

 In pruning it, the young wood must be preserved, and 

 branches that have borne must be cut back to produce a 

 succession of new bearing wood, as in the filbert. 



Manuring. — ISTo other fruit tree is so patient under bad 

 treatment as the currant, and yet none yields a more 

 prompt or abundant reward for kindness. In addition to 

 the annual pruning described, the bushes shoald receive 

 a dressing of old, well-prepared manure, two or three 

 inches deep, spread all around as far as the roots go, 

 and forked lightly in. It is a great feeder, and, with- 

 out these annual dressings, the soil becomes so poor that 

 the fruit is really not worth gathering. 



PLANTING, PEUNING, AND TRAINING THE RASPBERRY. 



Planting. — ^The raspberry succeeds well in all good 

 garden soils. The most advantageous and economical 

 position for a raspberry bed in the garden, is generally in 

 the wall border, facing north. In this situation the fruit 

 ripens sufiiciently, and the canes are not so liable to suffer 



