Planting Blackberries. 391 
D. Edson Smith, of Orange County, who has much expe- 
rience with small fruits, describes his method of laying out and 
planting on a large scale, with a view to irrigation, as follows:— 
Plow deeply and harrow thoroughly several times before setting out. 
Lastly, open a trench with your plow where the row is to be, twenty 
inches deep; go along with a basket of plants, a four-foot lath and a 
shovel, and set a plant in this trench every four feet and fill the dirt 
around it with the shovel. If the trench is too deep in places for the 
length of the plant root, fill in a little dirt; if not quite deep enough in 
places, scoop out a shovelful. Aim, in preparing the ground with plow 
and smoother, to leave it dishing each way toward the row of young 
plants, so that irrigating water turned in at the upper end will run 
along the row of plants as in a trough. Aim to have the ground around 
the set plants a few inches below the general level of the land. After 
the plants are all set in a row, go along with a rake if there are but a 
few plants, or with a horse-hoe if there are many, and fill in the trench 
between the plants. It is a pleasure to set out plants in this way, and 
such deep, rich, well-stirred soil delights the plant roots, so that they 
grow rapidly in every direction, and the plants throw up their heads in 
a manner entirely satisfactory to all concerned. If the ground is dry, or 
there is no rain soon after setting out the plants, irrigating water should 
be turned down the row, or at least a quart or two of water poured 
around each plant; then, before the soil hardens, stir it well with culti- 
vator and hoe. All future care resolves itself into frequent waterings 
and frequent stirrings of the soil. Allow no weeds to appear, and keep 
three inches of surface soil well loosened with the horse and hoes. 
These small fruits require frequent waterings, cspecially when forming 
fruit and during the fruiting season. 
Cultivation—Thorough cultivation of the surface soil is 
essential for retention of moisture. After the plants attain size, 
cultivation should be secured with as shallow-cutting tools as 
possible so as to prevent injury to the roots, which not only 
weakens the plant, but increases the growth of suckers between 
the rows. A horse-hoe with a long knife running horizontally, 
or with duck-foot teeth, well sharpened, answers well in keeping 
the ground clear of weeds and suckers, and the surface loose. 
Frequency of cultivation depends upon irrigation, for the 
cultivator must alwavs follow the application of water. The 
benefits of surface cultivation, as described in Chapter XIII, are 
of especial force in this connection. 
The spaces in the row which can not be reached with the 
cultivator must be kept clean from weeds, and free from baking, 
by the use of the hoe. It is advisable that the cultivation be the 
cleanest possible, for moisture exhaustion by weeds can not be 
afforded. 
Pruning and Training —There is a little difference in the 
way of training blackberries practised in this State. Of course 
this does not include the “let alone” system, which is. not fol- 
lowed by any good grower. The difference lies mainly in the 
