THE iLi^ii^ois f^ii:m:er. 



201 



more or less according to the material 

 length of the cane, and the object we 

 have in view for the crop. 



Those varieties which are disposed to 

 branch should be spurred-in to about 

 two or three inches, particularly the va- 

 rieties of the species Occidentalis — as 

 they may thus be intertwined, and ren- 

 der each other a mutual support without 

 the necessity of tieing. When there are 

 no branches to spur-in, the canes should 

 be confined together at the top by a 

 willow tie. That is always done when 

 stakes are used. But I have been sup- 

 posing the absence of all supports, and 

 am providing for the pruning of the 

 canes so that they shall stand alone. 

 Most persons trim their canes too long, 

 leaving four or five feet at the Black- 

 caps, and three or four to the red sorts. 

 I should prefer to have the former but 

 three, or less, and the red varieties from 

 two to two and a-half only, except when 

 unusually strong canes present them- 

 selves. An accidental observation has 

 shown that the finest shoots, producing 

 the greatest number of the largest 

 fruits, may be forced out of the lower 

 buds — those which in the usual mode 

 of trimming never break, or break fee- 

 bly, and are afterwards smothered by 

 those above them. 



This accidental observation has been 

 improved upon by judicial pruners, and 

 by training some canes quite long for the 

 early berries — some at the medium 

 length, as recommended above, for the 

 main crop, at mid season ; but by a 

 severe cutting back of others, say to 

 one foot, the season of one variety of 

 the raspberry may be prolonged to six 

 weeks, instead of passing away in two or 

 three. This is considered a great desid- 

 eratum, and may be practiced with ad- 

 vantage either by the amateur or the 

 market gardener. I ask every one of 

 the Society to try the experiment, if 

 only on a small scale; try it first with 

 the Black-cap or with the Purple Cane, 

 and you will be astonished at the result 

 in the increased production of your 

 bushes, and the increased size and value 

 of your fruit. 



The pruning of the ever-bearing va- 

 rieties should bo somewhat modified — 

 here still greater severity is needed to 

 produce a full autumnal crop, and to 

 have that crop coming on early in the 

 season to avoid the frosts ; for there is 

 not much satisfaction in seeing an abund- 

 ant display of blossoms and unripe fruit 

 enveloped in a November snow-storm. 

 The caries that have survived the rigors 

 of winter should be thinned out more 

 severely than with the common sorts ; 

 indeed, hardiness is not an essential with 

 the ever-bearing raspberry. If the canes 

 have been frozen, one has less compunc- 

 tion in removing them, and the plant is 

 left free to produce a new crop of wood 



for later fruits. If, however, they have 

 survived the winter, a few may be left 

 for the summer fruitage — only a few ; 

 the new canes should be encouraged, and 

 if too numerous, the weakest may be 

 thinned out. If very strong and succu- 

 lent, it will be well to tie them to stakes 

 or some sort of support, to keep them 

 from the ground, and from being broken 

 by the wind. 



Some cultivators advise the entire 

 removal of all the old wood — sweeping 

 all away close to the ground. This in- 

 sures a free and strong growth of thrifty 

 fruit-bearing canes for the autumual 

 crop ; indeed, some plants will be very 

 poor bearers in the fall, unless subjected 

 to such treatment. I have seen a con- 

 siderable plantation of the Ohio without 

 a single attempt at blossoming in the 

 autumn. 



Statistics. — The productiveness and 

 the profits of growing the raspberry are 

 proverbial, and yet I have no results, 

 in figures, to present to you with this 

 report. The gross amount sent forward 

 to this market, from a region where tUey 

 are grown to a considerable extent, has 

 been laid before you by one of my col- 

 leagues, ttpon a previous occasion, and 

 it is hoped that some others, who are 

 to report upon this topic, will supply 

 the want, and give us the figures, especi- 

 ally the cost, in every detail, and the 

 product, for a series of yearSj of an 

 acre of raspberries. 



In conclusion, allow me to apologize 

 for the haste which must be too appar- 

 ent in these pages. The time stolen 

 from other labors has not been sufficient 

 to allow of proper research nor suitable 

 arrangements. Would it were better 

 worthy your acceptance. 



Finally, let me recommend for practi- 

 cal purposes home use and market, in this 

 region, in the order of their naming, re- 

 spectfully, the following well-known and 

 well-tested varieties. 



Purple Cane ; Kirtland ; American 

 Red ; American Black or Black- cap ; 

 Ohio ; Catawissa ; Belle de Fontenay, 

 for autumnal varieties : 



For Amateurs— Orange ; Red Ant- 

 werp ; Yellow Antwerp ; FastolflF; Bar- 

 net; Franconia — all tender. 



Remarks. — We would like to have 

 cond'^nsed the foregoing from its ex- 

 treme length, but could find nothing 

 that we could afford to spare. It is cer- 

 tainly the most clear and practical arti- 

 cle on the subject of the raspberry that 

 we have seen. It completely strips 

 the subject of all its former mystery, 

 and we think it will do much towards a 

 beginning that shall supply our city, 

 and rural population with abundance of 

 this very valuable fruit. Our people 



have become discouraged with the ten- 

 der European varieties, and now that 

 our own native varieties receive such 

 high commendation, certainly they will 

 be cultivated. In a previous article, we 

 recommended staking, but it will be 

 seen that the Dr. by his mode of prun- 

 ing discards the use of stakes which will 

 save a large amount in the cost of cul- 

 ture. Our plantation of Purple Cane, 

 though set last spring, produced a good 

 show of fruit. Will not every farmer 



plant at least the Black-cap ? Ed. 



■» 



Farmer's Clothes. 



It is a gradual change going on in 

 society now-a-days, so that it is really 

 fashionable to dress conveniently. The 

 " dress'' or swallow-tail coat is perhaps 

 the most inconvenient and unsuitable 

 article of dress to be worn out of doors 

 that can be, and yet how many men go 

 to church in this ball coBtume^ and think 

 they are well dressed. Our attention is 

 called to this garment at this time by 

 seeing from our office window a char- 

 coal dealer, standing in the rain, dressed 

 in black pantaloons and a dress coat. A 

 red shirt and overalls would be appro- 

 priate, and with it a blue frock he would 

 look like a man of sense. 



Clothing should slways be appropri- 

 ate and convenient. In farm labors 

 the body has to undergo as many pe- 

 culiar bendings and take as many atti- 

 tudes as in the sailor'is, but not as con- 

 stantly. We go aloft in the barn, we 

 climb fences, spring upon horseback, dig 

 in narrow ditches, and go through all 

 sorts of movements in using the axe and 

 flail, the hoe and pick, the scythe and 

 shovel ; and our clothing, like the sail- 

 or's should be loose and easy, warm, 

 not in the way, and many-pocketed. A 

 Dutchman's frock is a good dress to go 

 to market in; and, depend upon it, a 

 farmer in a frock will be better attend- 

 ed to in market, whether he is purchas- 

 er or seller, than if he comes in an 

 old fashioned rusty broadcloth suit, like 

 a poor gentleman, or decayed profes- 

 sional man. By his very dress he shows 

 that he is not above his business, and 

 buys and sells as a farmer. 



A sailor's dress is after all not ex- 

 actly the best dress for a farmer. The 

 farmer should wear boots — thick, water- 

 proof boots for much of his work. The 

 sailor wears shoes- The pantaloons of 

 the farmer should tuck into his boots, 

 hence, as little cloth as possible should 

 be in the legs. For our own part we 

 like the style worn by the old country- 

 men, whose breeches button moderately 

 tight about the ancle and half way up 

 "the calf. Like tfce sailor's, the farm- 

 ers' pantaloons should be supported by 

 the waist-band and not by suspenders 



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