18 



THE RASPBEREY. 



The raspberry is the most popular bush fruit in Canada. Beginning to ripen 

 just as the strawberry season is over, a supply of this fruit can be kept up for three 

 or four weeks in the hottest part of the summer, when, owing to its refreshing char- 

 acter, it is very much appreciated when eaten raw with cream and sugar, and is uaed 

 in this way in large quantities. Not only is the raspberry popular in the raw condi- 

 tion, but it is very generally used for canning and preserving. Raspberries, when 

 made into ' raspberry vinegar ' make a very refreshing drink which is especially appre- 

 ciated in the country. 



Soil. — The red raspberry succeeds best in a deep, rich, loamy, cool, moist soil. On 

 light soils and in soils which are liable to dry out in summer the crop will be much 

 lessened in a dry time, and the growth of canes will not be strong, and hence the crop 

 will suSer the next season. 



The blackcap raspberry will succeed better on light soils than the red raspberry, 

 and it will not do at all well in cold soil. It needs a warmer soil than the red rasp- 

 berry. 



Plants. — The raspberry grows from the same root year after year, although on 

 different canes. The canes which grow one year bear fruit the next and then die and 

 new xines take their place. In the case of red raspberries the best plants for a new 

 plantation are the suckers which spring up around or near the old plants in the 

 spring. These are allowed to grow throughout the season and then dug up and planted 

 out early in September after the ground becomes moist, or planted early in the spring. 

 Plants should be cut back to within six or eight inches of the ground at the time of 

 transplanting. The blackcap and most of the purple-cane raspberries do not make 

 suckers as do the -red, but they multiply by tija. Long slender growths are thrown 

 out shortly after the fruiting season is over. In nature where they are more or less 

 protected these take root, but in the open field where they are exposed to wiind it is 

 necessary to hold the tips down with a little soil, when they will soon root. The 

 plants are left unitl late fall or early spring, when they are dug up. If ordered from 

 a distance, tips which have had a year's growth are the best for planting. Care should be 

 taken not to plant blackcaps too deep. If the roots are covered with more than two 

 inches of soil they are liable to rot. 



Preparation of the 8oil. — The better the soil is prepared before planting the better 

 the results will be. Deep ploughing and liberal manuring are important. A hoed crop 

 the previous season will help to make good conditions for' rapid growth. If the sub- 

 soil is hard it should be loosened to enable the roots to get down where there is a 

 regular supply of moisture, which is important in dry weather. 



Planting, Cultivating, and Pruning. — ^The suckering varieties of raspberries 

 should be planted in rows six feet apart and three feet apart in the row, or another 

 good method is to plant them in hills five feet apart each way, when they may be kept 

 cultivated both ways. As it is important to have a perfect stand, a good plan is to set 

 two plants close so that there will likely to be at least one grow. The plants of sucker- 



