SMALL FRUITS 



445 



Selection and Preparation of Soil. — The soil upon which red rasp- 

 berries thrive best is a sandy or clay loam of a glacial drift formation. 

 The.y thrive well upon moderately rich, deep soils and yield largest returns 

 under these conditions. 



The preparation of the soil for red raspberries should be the same 

 as for any small fruit, preferably one or two seasons' preparatory tillage 

 in a "hoe crop," which will to a very large extent rid the land of weeds. 

 Such crops as potatoes, beans, cowpeas and plants of this nature are good 

 preparatory crops. 



Planting. — The distance to plant will depend very largely upon the 

 purpose for which the plantation is intended. If it is a commercial plan- 



Land that will Produce Good Farm Crops will Produce Bush Fruits. 1 



tation upon soil which is not especially valuable, the plants should be 3 

 feet apart in the row, and the rows not less than 6 feet apart. This will 

 allow of cultivation in both directions for two or three years, and will 

 permit the use of horse-power implements, and consequently will lessen 

 greatly the cost of tillage. On city lots or in a home fruit garden, where it 

 becomes desirable to combine in the same plantation raspberries and other 

 fruit-bearing plants, the distance can be somewhat lessened, but even under 

 these conditions the plants should not be set closer than 2 feet apart in the 

 row and the rows not less than 4 feet apart. 



In home fruit gardens small holes can be opened with a spade, the plant 

 roots spread in the ordinary fashion for planting larger plants, and the 



1 Courtesy of The Pennsylvania Farmer. 



