486 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



The dewberry which has recently been most largely planted in 

 central and southern California is known as the Gardena because 

 of the prolificness and profitability of a patch grown by W. M. 

 Gray, of Gardena, Los Angeles county. Its qualities are vigorous 

 growth, hardiness, regular and profuse yield of large, early berries. 



Pruning and Training Trailing Berries. With reference to the 

 handling of trailing blackberries and the blackberry-raspberry hy- 

 brids which are continually becoming more popular, it may be said 

 that there is no one best way. There are several good ways, ac- 

 cording to the desires and convenience of the growers, and this 

 is the reason why there is an apparent conflict in which all con- 

 testants may be right, each from his own point of view. The vari- 

 eties are sufficiently alike to be discussed together. What seem 

 to us the essentials in pruning them are these. 



First, they all bear on canes which grow the previous year, and 

 the fruit comes on laterals which break from them. In this mild 

 climate there is continuous break of laterals which may cover 

 quite a long period and the same wood may seem to be bearing 

 twice. This second bearing is of so little account that the general 

 rule to remove old wood after its main fruiting is a good one. 



Second, the wood which grows this year will therefore bear 

 next year, and it will send out bearing laterals sufficiently with a 

 number of treatments. The new cane may be pinched at any time 

 during growth and it will then send wood laterals (not fruit later- 

 als) at once and each of these laterals will have the same character 

 that the main shoot would have had if it had not been pinched : 

 that is, it will send out fruiting laterals at the same date the fol- 

 lowing season. 



Third, it does not matter whether you make the new growth 

 bunchy by laterals following pinching or whether you let it run 

 out and cut off part of it at the end of the growing season or 

 whether you shorten it in and at the same time cut away closely 

 all the laterals which it may have made on its own account when 

 it was running out. In all cases there will be dormant buds enough 

 to give fruiting shoots on whatever part of the cane you reserve. 



Fourth, the way you prune, then, depends upon serving your 

 own convenience in the training of these shoots up to a post, along 

 on a wire or along on a ridge on the ground whatever suits 

 you best to keep the fruit out of the dirt, and to promote such 

 cultivation as is desirable, etc., will be accepted by the plant as not 

 interfering with its starting fruiting shoots from whatever dor- 

 mant buds you have allowed it to retain on the wood which it 

 matured the previous season. 



