118 BUSH-FBUITS 



less than three feet and supported by a wire. At the 

 spring pruning the laterals are cut back to from one 

 to two feet in length. This is an operation demand- 

 iug much judgment, for it is a fruit-thinning process. 

 Too close pruning will diminish the yield, too little 

 will allow more fruit to set than can be properly ma- 

 tured. Not all varieties are alike in fruiting -habit. 

 The Taylor, one of the best all-round varieties in cul- 

 tivation, does not bear fruit close to the main stem. 

 Four to eight buds at the base of the branches usually 

 produce no flowers. Unbranched canes often fail to 

 develop flowers within two feet of the ground. Close 

 pruning of this variety, therefore, will take away most 

 of the fruit. Other varieties under observation bore 

 flowers within three or four buds of the main stem. 

 Erie is said to behave like Taylor in this respect and 

 Early Harvest is said to bear its fruit -buds near the 

 main stem at times and near the tips at others. 

 It is, therefore, better to defer spring pruning until 

 the buds develop, unless the grower is sure of his 

 ground. 



In the West, where moisture is deficient, growers 

 often prefer to do no summer clipping, merely cutting 

 back the main canes in spring to three or four feet in 

 height. The plan is particularly applicable to varieties 

 which overbear. 



As with the other brambles, the old canes are 

 best removed as soon as through fruiting, while 

 they are more easil}^ cut, thereby disposing of what- 

 ever fungus spores and insects may be harboring 

 about them. 



