RASPBEKKIES AND BLACKUEKKIES. 



19 



in the furrows, co veering them temporarily with the feet, and after- 

 wards more carefully with a hoe, firming them in with the feet at 

 the same time. The rows should preferably run north and south, 

 for planted in this way the fruit is shaded by the new growth dur- 

 ing the hottest part of the day during the period of ripening. 



Depth to Plant.— Black-cap raspberry plants should be set 

 about the same depth in the soil as they naturally grew. The roots 

 should be carefully spread and the soil well firmed over them. The 

 suckering kinds should be planted a little deeper than they natur- 

 ally grew and be well firmed in. 



Cultivation.— The soil should be kept loose with a horse culti- 

 vator and the rows free from weeds. If the land gets hard the one- 

 horse plow may be used, but the land should be kept flat and as 

 free from ridges as possible. Frequent cultivation, especially in a 

 dry time, is important. 



Pruning and Thinning.- Not more than two shoots should be 

 permitted to grow from each root the first year, and these should 

 be pinched off when eighteen inches high to encourage the growth of 

 lateral branches, for it has been conclusively proven that raspber- 

 ries fruit more heavily on the laterals than on the main cane. The 



second and succeeding 

 years the suckering 

 kinds will produce a lot 

 of sprouts a'l around 

 the hill ; four or five of 

 those nearest the hill 

 should be allowed to 

 grow and the rest treat- 

 ed as weeds. If a great 

 lot of these suckers are 

 allowed to remain but 

 little fruit will be pro- 

 duced. Black-cap rasp- 

 berries will this year 

 send up a half dozen or 

 so of sprouts at the 

 base of the old plants, 

 and enough of these 

 should be removed to allow the remainder to properly develop. All 

 these sprouts should be pinched once when from twelve to eighteen 

 inches high {Fig. 8-9). As soon as the fruit has been gathered the 

 old canes which have borne fruit the current ^ear should be cut out 

 and destroyed. (Fig. 10.) In the spring the suckering kinds 

 need no pruning, but the lateral canes of the Black-cap varieties 

 should be shortened back to twelve or fifteen inches {Fig. 11). This 

 is very important, as the branches of this kind are so slender that 

 they will bend to the ground and break under the weight of fruit 

 unless severely pruned, or they may set more fruit tlian they can 

 mature and the whole be lost. When pruned in this manner the 



Fig. 8. A, young black raspberry cane as it 

 appears before pinc/iing. B, the same a 

 short time after being pinched, showing the 

 way growth starts from the buds. 



