Practical Pointers on Small Fruit Culture 



AMONG the many points of interest to 

 strawberry growers mentioned in Bull. 

 No. 276, N.Y. Exp. Sta., Geneva, is the 

 variation in the tendency to produce runners, or 

 to make new plants, to be observed in the char- 

 acteristics of varieties. This is a point that 

 ■deserves more attention than it usually receives. 

 Most varieties produce a moderate number of 

 new plants; some make very few, while others 

 are such prolific plant makers that, unless planted 

 far apart, the plants are badly crowded. When 

 selecting and planting varieties, these differences 

 should be borne in mind. Among the varieties 

 at Geneva that produce very many plants are 

 Mark Hanna, Ridgeway and Senator Dunlop; 

 very few plants, Challenge, Joe Mead, etc. 

 Among the vigorous plant producers at Guelph, 

 are Sadie (no use otherwise), Ruby, Standard, 

 •etc.; medium to light, Warfield, Wm. Belt, 

 Clyde, Glen Mary, Van Deman, Irene and Jo- 

 cunda. 



CULTURAL NOTES ON BUSH FRUITS 



During the past summer a bulletin. No. 278, 

 ■on raspberries and blackberries, was issued by 

 the N.Y. Agr. Exp. Sta., Geneva. Besides men- 

 tioning the best varieties and classifying them 

 according to their characteristics, such as hardi- 

 ness, earliness and so on, the bulletin contains 

 many interesting cultural directions which, in 

 part, are as follows- 



Raspberries and blackberries are nearly as 

 cosmopolitan as strawberries in regard to 

 adaptation to soils. Deep, moderately sandy 

 loams, or clay loams containing an abundance 

 of humus, usually give best results with raspber- 

 ries, while blackberries are often at their best on 

 a slightly heavier soil. It is important that 

 the soil be not too wet as this condition often 

 increases the amount of winter injury. 



There is no onr brand of fertilizers best suited to 

 raspberries and blackberries under all conditions. 

 The kind of plant food to use depends on the 

 amount and kinds already in the soil, and on the 

 physical condition of the soil. Some soils lack 

 nitrogen, others potash or phosphoric acid, and 

 many are deficient in humus which not only 

 supplies plant food, but also aids greatly in the 

 retention of moisture. Stable manure and 

 cover crops are available for supplying humus. 

 Care must be used in making applications of 

 nitrogenous fertilizers or the resuldng growth 

 will not mature, a condition which may cause 

 severe winter injury. If the soil is already rich 

 in humus, it would appear desirable in some 

 cases to avoid the use of stable manure, using 

 commercial fertilizers in its place. Wood ashes, 

 muriate of potash, acid phosphate, etc., are 

 valuable where needed. The best way to deter- 

 mine the kind and amount to use is by trial, 

 leaving check rows for comparison. 



Raspberries and blackberries, unlike straw- 

 berries, occupy the soil for a number of years, 

 and for this reason the preparation should be 

 very thorough. If too wet the land should be 

 tinderdrained. If for 1 or 2 years preceding, 

 hoed crops have been used, there will be fewer 

 weeds to fight. The land should be well plowed 

 and thoroughly fitted to receive the plants. 



Plant mainly only those kinds that appear to 

 succeed in the immediate locality, testing newer 

 ones in a small way. The varieties best suited 

 for one set of conditions may be failures else- 

 where. 



Red raspberries are usually propagated by 

 transplanting the numerous suckers which come 

 up freely around the original hills. Black rasp- 

 berries are increased by rooting the tips of the 

 nearly mature canes in late Aug. or early Sept. 

 The ends of the canes are covered lightly with 

 earth, and by late fall a large mass of fibrous roots 

 ■will be formed with a well-developed crown. 

 Varieties of purple rasplierries are hybrids, 

 produced by crossing red and black raspberries 

 and some of them may be propagated either by 

 using suckers or by rooting the tips of the canes. 



Blackberries do not sucker as freely as the 

 red raspberries. These suckers have but few 

 fibrous roots and as a rule do not make such 

 good plants as those started from cuttings of the 

 blackberry roots. The roots may be dug in the 

 fall, cut into two or three inch lengths, stratified 

 over winter and sown in nursery rows in the 

 spring, and most excellent plants are usually 

 obtained after one season's growth. Only strong, 

 healthy plants should be selected, and it is often 

 an advantage to choose these from a younger 

 plantation rather than from an old bed, the 

 plants of which may have deteriorated in vigor 

 and may be infested with various insects and 

 diseases. 



Blackberries and red raspberries may be set 

 either in the fall or in the early spring. If set 

 in late Oct. or early Nov., the rows should be 

 plowed up to, making a back furrow along each 

 row of plants. This will be a great protection 

 against winter injury. The earth should be 

 taken away from the hills as soon as the ground 

 is in working order in early spring. Such plants, 

 as a rule, start into growth earlier than those set 

 in the snring. These plants should be set as deep, 

 or slightly deeper, than they were in the original 

 beds. Black raspberry plants and the purple 

 kinds rooted from the cane tips should be set in 

 the spring instead of the fall, not covering the 

 crown too deeply, and spreading the roots in a 

 circle about the centre of the crown. It is an 

 advantage to set the plants in the bottom of a 

 shallow furrow, filling in as the plants develop. 

 Under these conditions they withstand drought 

 better and the canes are not so easily blown 

 over by the wind. 



The distance apart of rows and of plants de- 

 pends on the system of cultivation, the varieties, 

 the natural richness of the ground and the loca- 

 tion. In general the plants should not be 

 crowded. Red raspberries may be set closer 

 than black raspberries, and blackberries should 

 be set the farthest apart. These distances may 

 vary from 3x6 ft. to 4x8 ft., depending on 

 conditions. 



The ground should be kept well cultivated and 

 the plants hoed as occasion requires. In young 

 plantations, if the plants-have been set properly, 

 cultivation may be given both ways thus reducing 

 the expense of keeping down the weeds. The 

 cultivation should be shallow as the roots lie 

 near the surface. On heavy clay soils it may 

 sometimes be desirable in some seasons to plow 

 early in spring, following with the cultivator till 

 fruiting time. During the picking of the fruit 

 there is little opportunity to cultivate, but the 

 ground should be thoroughly stirred as soon as 

 the harvest is over. If desirable a cover crop 

 may be sown in late Aug. or early Sept. 



During the first 2 years it is not always neces- 

 sary to give the land solely to the berry plants. 

 Potatoes, cabbages, strawberries, etc., are often 

 grown with advantage between the rows, so that 

 a considerable income from this source may be • 

 obtained before the berry plants fully occupy 

 the ground. 



Summer pruning is not generally practised 

 with red raspberries, but may often be done with 

 advantage to black raspberries and blackberries. 

 It consists in pinching or cutting off the tender 

 ends or tips of the new shoots at a height that 

 may vary from 18 inches to 24 or even 30, the 

 blackberries usually being pinched somewhat 

 lower than the black raspberries. The result of 

 this pruning is the formation of rather low 

 stocky plants with numerous lateral branches 

 which will not require a trellis. As the young 

 plants do not all develop at the same time it is 

 necessary to go over the plantation several times 

 in order to pinch the growth at the proper height. 



The canes growing one summer, bear fruit 

 the next season and then die, while new canes 

 develop each year for the succeeding year's 

 crop. Frequently the canes which have fruited 

 are allowed to remain until the following spring 



96 



before removal, but better results are usually 

 seciu-ed by cutting them out and burning as 

 soon as the berry crop is harvested. By this 

 method the insects and fungous diseases frequent- 

 ly infesting those canes may be destroyed, and the 

 young canes have more room to develop. Each 

 spring the plants should be gone over, cutting 

 off the weak ends of the canes and thinning out 

 some of the smaller ones where the growth is too 

 dense. From 3 to 5 canes a hill are usually 

 preferable to a larger number. 



The winter protection of the plants is largely 

 confined to the colder climates. Blackberries are 

 usually much more tender than raspberries. 

 Winter protection consists in laying down the 

 canes and covering them with a thin mulch of 

 straw and earth. 



General Finait Notes 



W. B. Rittenhouse, Beamsville, Ont. 



Last season many peach orchards, from over- 

 bearing and not thinning, and owing to the dry 

 season, produced an abundance of small, in- 

 ferior fruit that netted the growers little or no 

 returns. Orchards, properly pruned, sprayed, 

 fertilized, cultivated, and where thinning the 

 fruit was practised, well rewarded the owner for 

 the care and expense spent upon them. Prices 

 for peaches ruled about 20c. a bskt. more than 

 last year. High-grade peaches, properly and 

 honestly packed, always can be sold. Trash is 

 not wanted in any market. 



When on a trip to the west, my attention fre- 

 quently was drawn to the fact that Ont. is in- 

 juring her reputation and soon will lose her hold 

 upon the fruit market unless she adopts other 

 tactics. We must grow only those varieties 

 that are adapted to long distance shipping. The 

 Ontario grower must be honest and correct in 

 the way he puts the fruit in the package. 



APPLES 



For some years, the apples in my orchard 

 were of inferior quality, being infested with 

 worms and scab. The bulk of the crop was 

 No. 2. The orchard had been fairly well cared 

 for. An attempt was made at spraying, but a 

 poor one. Only one application a year was 

 made and with a pump that -was not of much 

 use. Last season we used a pump with which 

 we sprayed the orchard 3 times. At harvest 

 time, a cleaner and better lot of apples was hard 

 to find. 



A few years ago I visited the largest and 

 oldest-bearing apple orchard in B.C., the Cold- 

 stream Ranch. I was much interested in the 

 fine, clean, firm apples that grew and the care 

 ■with which they were put up in boxes. They were 

 sold f.o.b., at prices that would astonish Ont. 

 growers, to dealers in Calgary, Winnipeg and 

 other western points. That fruit entered the 

 same market as the inferior stuff from Ont. Not 

 only the dealers, but the consumers, had just 

 cause to say unpleasant things of Ont. fruit. 

 Last season, at least, 1 grower in B.C. contract- 

 ed his entire crop at $1.50 a box, f.o.b. shipping 

 point. 



Ont. apples are superior in flavor. If they are 

 put up properly in boxes, they should command 

 as good, and even better prices than B.C. apples. 

 For the western trade, they must be strictly No. 

 1 or Fancy. In B.C., the acreage adapted for 

 fruit growing is limited. That province cannot 

 supply both home demands and the west. Ont. 

 growers have a grand chance to secure and hold 

 the western market. There is no fear of over- 

 production in this province. 



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