32 PIOTOBIAL PBAOTIOAL FBJJIT GROWING. 



tell o£ old, neglected bushes, nearly as thick as a thorn hedge, which have 

 been caused to bear splendid fruit by being thinned under practical 

 instructions, and afterwards dressed with a fertiliser. I agree that such 

 bushes are not satisfactory subjects to take in hand, but they are never 

 beyond improvement. IE operating on them myself I invariably attack them 

 from the base, first clearing away any suckers which may be springing up 

 from the rootstock, then getting to work on some of the main branches with 

 a small saw. With three or four of these cut away access can generally be 

 got to the centre of the bush, and then the secateurs will quickly clear a 

 space between the principal growths. 



Gooseberries ought to be so trained that when gathering time comes the 

 grower has only to take hold of the tip of the branch and draw it down to 

 be able to pass his hand freely along the spurs, and gather the fruit rapidly 

 and comfortably. This condition is easily secured when he has the training 

 of the bushes from an early stage. The nurseryman who raised them from 

 cuttings will probably have shortened them in their first year, perhaps also 

 in their second, so that they have about half a dozen strong young shoots. 

 Tliese may be shortened one-tliird their length at planting, but after that 

 the leaders may be allowed to extend. Fruiting spurs will develop on these 

 branches. As regards the side shoots tliat push from them, the lower ones 

 should be shortened to six leaves in August, and cut back to two buds the 

 following spring ; the upper ones, or such of them at least as space can be 

 found for without crowding, may be left to bear. In looking over the young 

 wood with a view to select a few for retention, first remove any that grow 

 towards the middle of the bush. Gooseberries should not be pruned in 

 autumn, but in spring, as if left somewhat crowded in the winter and dusted 

 with lime while wet less damage is done by birds. (For details see Fig. 19, 

 page 31.) 



Itaspberries. — The Raspberry is about the easiest of all the small 

 fruits to manage, and perhaps the most neglected. It is a case of familiarity 

 breeding contempt, presumably. There are a few Easpberry stools in 

 nearly every garden, just as tliere is a boot-scraper. The one is as common 

 an object as the other, and excites about as much attention. This is a little 

 unfortunate. The boot-scraper, while serving a useful, if modest, purpose, 

 does not bear crops of delicious and useful fruit ; tlie Easpberry does. It is 

 not unreasonable, therefore, to suggest that tlie Easpben-y claims a some- 

 what higher dignity than the boot-scraper. On most of the principal points 

 of pruning in the case of Raspberries experts are agreed, notably in regard 

 to the value of shortening young canes after planting. Inexperienced 

 growers are invariably eager to rush their canes into bearing at once, and 

 are very apt to demur when advised to sacrifice fruit the first year. Yet 

 this advice is the very best which could be given. Canes that are hard 

 fruited immediately after planting will surely be followed by a meagre crop 

 of weak suocessional canes. There is full accord on another point, namely, 

 that established stools should be annually thinned out, the canes tliat have 

 borne fruit being removed, and those which have pushed up from the base 

 retained for fruiting the following season. I do not agree, however, with 

 the advice to cut the old canes out right from tlie base directly the fruit has 

 been gatliered, because I believe that when the sap begins to fall it 

 nourishes the basal buds. Good Grape growers do not usually spur their 

 Vine laterals close in to the rod directly they have cut the bunches : they 

 shorten the shoots haltw.-iy back when the leaves begin to lipen, and 

 defer the final pruning till the sap has fallen. So I think it should be with 



