268 



PRUKING. 



from alternate freezing and thawing in the winter. The 

 young canes or suckers are shortened full one half, aad 

 planted at the distance of two or three feet. Any flowers 

 that make their appearance on them the first season 

 should be removed, in order to turn all the sap to the 

 benefit of the leaves and new roots, and the production 

 of a young cane for the next season. 



Pruning. — The stem is biennial — that is, the canes 

 are produced one season and bear fruit the next, and then 

 die. For example, in fig. 128, A is the old cane that has 

 borne, and is of no further use. B is 

 the young cane produced at its base 

 last season. The fruit buds produce 

 small shoots, «, <7, «, that bear the 

 fruit. The pruning is very simple ; 

 it consists merely in cutting away 

 early in the spring the old cane that 

 has borne. Some people do this as 

 soon as the fruit is gathered, on the 

 ground that the young cane is 

 strengthened by so doing ; but this is 

 questionable. It may be, on the 

 whole, safer to leave it to finish its 

 natural course, and cut it away at the 

 spring or winter pruning. 



mi • 1 1 1 i cross line b. C, radical 



The young cane is shortened to ^^^^ ,^ p,„,„,, ^ ,^„, 

 three feet, or three and a half or four, next season, 

 if it be quite stout and vigorous. When the plants have 

 been a year or two in their place, several canes will be 

 produced from one stool in the same season ; but three 

 or four only are reserved, and these the strongest. Each 

 one is pruned or shortened as above, in order to concen- 

 trate the sap on the bearing buds on the centre and lower 

 parts. This not only increases the size, but improves the 

 quality of the fruit. When the suckers become very 



Fig. 128. 



The Raspberry. A, the 

 old cane that has borne 

 and will be cut away. B, 

 the young cane for next 

 season, to be shortened at 



