47 8 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



to horizontal wires fixed between upright poles. These espaliers (for 

 such are formed by the poles and wires) should be 5 feet apart, and 

 each plant about 2 feet from its neighbour. If autumn planting is 

 impossible postpone the work until the month of March. This is 

 preferable to planting in midwinter, when the soil is cold and wet, 

 although such good progress cannot be expected from spring-planted 

 canes as from those put in during October. The latter have an oppor- 

 tunity of becoming established before winter, and are then ready to 

 start well in spring. Raspberry canes may also be trained to single 

 stakes, placed in rows 5 feet apart, with a distance of 3 feet between 

 each stake in the row. 



The shoots, or " canes " as they are generally called, of the Rasp- 

 berry are produced every year either from a perennial (i.e. living for 

 several years) root-stock, or from the roots. In the latter case they 

 are termed suckers. It is not advisable to keep the root-stocks of 

 Raspberries more than six or eight years ; but replant with younger 

 canes, as from these finer fruit is obtained in greater abundance. The 

 canes that develop one season produce fruit the next ; thus while the 

 canes of the past year are bearing fruits, others are developing to 

 provide the following summer's crop. It will thus be apparent that 

 the cultivator should endeavour to produce as many firm healthy canes 

 every year as can be comfortably found room for. When the fruit 

 is gathered the canes upon which it was borne should be removed, for 

 they are of no further value. Cut them off at their base and draw 

 them downwards to avoid injuring the remaining ones. If the Rasp- 

 berries are grown against stakes not more than six or eight new canes 

 must be allowed to remain annually. When trained against horizontal 

 wires leave a space of several inches between each cane. Those shoots 

 not required for fruiting the following year should be removed early in 

 the season, soon after they make their appearance. The whole vigour 

 of the plant may then be concentrated in developing only the neces- 

 sary growths. 



Summer Treatment. This consists in destroying weeds by means 

 of hoeing the ground, covering the surface of the latter with manure, 

 and allowing no more than the necessary number of canes to remain. 

 When the fruits are swelling, if the weather is at all dry, a good water- 

 ing will prove helpful. As above mentioned, after the fruits are gathered, 

 cut away the old canes so that the younger wood may not be interfered 

 with. In the autumn shorten back the strongest canes of those that 

 are to bear next year's crop of fruit to about 5 feet, less vigorous ones 

 to, say, 4 feet, and the remainder to about 3 feet. Such a method 

 prevents overcrowding. 



Propagation. The most convenient method of increasing the 

 Raspberry is by means of suckers, which, as already mentioned, are 

 produced from the roots. The strongest of these should be carefully 

 detached, and planted in good soil in the autumn, and eventually 

 trained either to stakes or wires. When planting cut down the shoot 

 to within 10 or 12 inches of the soil. This will bring about the 



