THE BLACKBERRIES 



feet, the branches which form as a result of 

 the pruning usually are slender and weak. 

 Too often they die in the spring of the fruit- 

 ing year, if indeed they live through the win- 

 ter. Since some canes reach the proper height 

 before others it is not practicable to "tip^' the 

 >vhole plantation at one time. 



Some growers prefer to let the canes grow 

 as long as they will without tipping and to cut 

 them back more or less severely in the spring 

 of the fruiting year. Many good berries are 

 produced in this way, but it is likely that the 

 crop is reduced somewhat. 



Spring Pruning — The next pruning which 

 the cane should receive is in the following 

 spring — the spring of the fruiting year. This 

 pruning should be done after severe weather is 

 past but before growth starts. Long canes 

 should be headed in and laterals on branched 

 canes should be shortened. The severity of 

 this pruning varies with the fruiting habits of 

 the variety and most effective pruning de- 

 mands some observation of the parts of the 

 cane which produce most of the fruit. 



Some varieties, like Ward and Lawton, pro- 

 duce their fruit low on the cane or well in 

 toward the bases of the laterals and may be 

 headed in without reducing the crop. A few 

 others, like Early King, Taylor and Wauchu- 



79 



