Choice of Land Its Preparation Planting. 165 



I have often planted in May and June, successfully, by taking up 

 the young suckers when from six inches to a foot high, and setting them 

 where they are to grow. Immediately on taking them up, I cut them 

 back so that only one or two inches of the green cane is left, and thus 

 the roots are not taxed to sustain wood and foliage beyond their power. 

 This can often be done to advantage, when the plants are on one's own 

 place, and in moist, cloudy weather. My preference, however, is to plant 

 the latter part of October and through November, in well-prepared and 

 enriched land. The holes are made quite deep and large, and the bottom 

 filled with good surface soil. If possible, before planting, plow and cross- 

 plow deeply, and have a subsoiler follow in each furrow. It should be 

 remembered that we are preparing for a crop which may occupy the land 

 for ten or fifteen years, and plants will suffer from every drouth if set 

 immediately on a hard subsoil. On heavy land, I set the plants one 

 inch deeper than they were 

 before ; on light soils two or ^ 



three inches deeper. I cut 

 the canes off six inches 

 above the surface (see Fig. 

 C), for leaving long canes is 

 often ruinous, and a plant is , 



Winter Protection of 



frequently two or three years 

 in recovering from the strain of trying to produce fruit the first year. 

 The whole strength of the roots should go toward producing bearing 

 canes for the season following ; and to stimulate such growth, I throw 

 directly on the hill one or two shovelfuls of finely rotted compost 

 and then mound the earth over the hill until the cane is wholly 

 covered (as in Fig. D). This prevents all injury from the winter's cold. 

 When severe frosts are over, the mound is leveled down again. Under 

 this system, I rarely lose plants, and usually find that double growth is 

 made compared with those set late in spring. I have always succeeded 

 well, however, in early spring planting; and well to the north, this is, 

 perhaps, the safer season. With the exception of mounding the earth 

 over the hill, plant in March or April as I have already directed. 



CULTIVATION. 



In cultivation, keep the ground level do not let it become banked up 

 against the hills, as is often the case, especially with those tender varieties that 



