40 



HEDGE SYSTEM, 



mark out the rows six feet apart, and set the plants three feet apart in the row. Keep 

 well cultivated, and when one foot in height pinch off the tops, and as side branches 

 grow out, pinch those off also within a foot of the main stalk. The second year, allow 

 the main stalk to get two feet in height before pinching back, and the side branches 

 two feet in length, A row thus grown will form a perfect hedge, and will yield 

 double the bulk of larger, finer fruit than if they had been allowed to take their own 

 course. The third year, and each year afterwards, the new growth can be allowed to 

 get two feet in height before nipping back. 



If desirable, Strawberries can be grown half way between as before described. If, 

 however, this double cropping is practiced, the plants must be kept highly fed with 

 the best composts. If the ground was not sufficiently enriched before the plantation 

 was set, they can be enriched by throwing composts around each hill. The best for 

 this purpose is leaf and rotted wood mould, from the woods. Ashes are also good, as 

 it keeps the grubs away from the plants. 



As soon as they are through bearing, cutout the old wood and carry it out of the 

 plantation, This must be done right after the last picking, so that the new growth 

 that is coming on rapidly will have plenty of rodni, and can be properly, pruned. 

 Kemember in cultivating <the sucker sorts, if fruit is the main requisite wanted, to hoe 

 and cultivate off the suckers as fast as they appear as you would weeds, for if allowed 

 to grow they detract the strength from the main hill. 



TO INCREASE THE PLANTS 



of Sucker sort*;, we much prefer to keep a plantation for that purpose, or by root 

 cutting, as it will destroy a bearing plantation in a short time to cut and mangle the 

 roots by digging up plants that grow therein. 

 If, however, it is desired to take plants from a standing plantation, they can be 



freatly increased by running a cultivator through with three cr four strong blades 

 astened in the plaee of the teeth. Pass through the rows each way and the knives 

 will cut up the roots, causing them to send up an inumerable number of plants, 

 which will form very fine fibrous roots. Another way in a small plantation; is to 

 take a sharp spade and cut around the bushes, commencing near the bush and cutting 

 ~- circles around it, each time further off. Many object to the Sucker variety, on account 

 of suckering. 



We certainly would not discard such desirable sorts as the Philadelphia, Clark, 

 Naomi, Franconia, and Kirtland, because of this. We believe in an assortment of 

 fruits, so that if one sort fails another may hit. The red raspberry is in too great 

 demand in every market, and pays too well to think of not cultivating it because it 

 " suckers," and besides there is no*fruii that gives better satisfaction for table use. 



PRUNING. 



On the next page we give drawings to show how the plant appears when properly 



pruned. Fig. 29. shows a plant as it appears the first Spring after plantingout, or what 



we call a one year old plant, if formed as we have before described. Fig. SO shows 



^he same bush as it appears the middle of June, with the leaf and fruit, and also the 



Tiew growth growing above all. ' 



At this time the new growth should be pinched off as indicated by the light line 

 across the top, if not it will grow spindling, and present some such an appearance as is 

 shown by big. 31, while if pruned in June, as shown by Fig. 30, and the side branches 

 nipped back in July or August, it will present the second year some such an appear- 

 ance as Fig. 32, requiring no stakes, and yielding enormous crops of the largest, finest 

 fruit. 



MULCHING. 



Nothing contributes more to a large crop of fruit than a liberal supply of some 

 coarse material being put close around the bush, that is on the space that cannot be 

 reached with the cultivator. Some advocate mulching the entire surface, but we 

 object to this, first, because it is too laborious, and takes' too much mulching material, 

 and is too expensive; and, secondly, we believe a constant and thorough cultivation 



