35 



the centres by one and two horse brakes, 

 followed by hand hoeing against the plants. 



The cost during the first year is often 

 reduced by growing a crop between the rows, 

 such as early potatoes, which thus shares the 

 cost of cultivation and rent with the rasp- 

 berries, but also uses up the manure. The 

 annual pre-war cost of cultivating raspberries 

 may be estimated as follows : — 



Pre-war Annual Cost of Cultivating 

 Raspberries, pee acre. 



£ s. d. 

 (November). Cutting out old canes 



and thinning new canes ... ... 5 



Tying up the canes cut out 2 



Taking up " spawn " 10 



Hoeing out between and close to stools 6 

 Manuring (with say 1 ton of wool 



waste) ... ... ... ...3 5 



Ploughing between rows, 7s. ; forking 



between canes, 7s. ; (or digging the 



whole space between the rows by 



spade, £1 Is. Od.) 14 



(March). Heading canes off at about 



2ft. Sin. high 2 6 



(April). Forking out couch-grass ... 2 

 (April to October). Horse-hoeing five 



times 15 



(April to October). Hand-hoeing five 



times 1 10 



(July to August). Picking, say, li 



tons at ^d. per lb 5 16 7 



Carriage to market in gallon baskets 



and tubs, H tons, at, say, 16s. 



per ton ... ... ... ...1 



Market toll and salesrcan's charges 



at 7i per cent, on £28 15s. Od. ...2 3 2 

 Eent, rates, tithe and taxes 2 10 



£19 1 3 



Receipt li tons at £23 ... £28 15 



Balance to cover superintendence, 

 interest on capital for two years 

 (during which there is little return) 

 and profit £9 13 9 



Note. — Present cost : materials have risen 

 100 per cent, quite, and labour rather more 

 than that. The price received for raspberries 

 has increased about three-fold pre-war price. 



It will sometimes be found that the young 

 cane of the current year's growth tries to fruit 

 the same autumn. It is not good policy to 

 let this happen. Women should be sent 



round in late August and September to cut the 

 tips off where the canes are forming blossoms. 



The next year's cultivation of the rasp- 

 berry begins after the picking is finished, the 

 rows are hand- hoed and, as soon as the leaves 

 have fallen, the old canes that have borne 

 fruit are cut out near to the ground line, and 

 the new canes are thinned. These thinnings 

 are tied up with string and stored for the use 

 of the pickers, as fuel for the next year. 



The young plants that have been produced 

 at the aides of the parent stool are then dug 

 out. These young plants, or " spawn " as 

 they are called, when taken from young 

 plantations, and of good variety, may yield a 

 good return, but it is not advisable to allow 

 much spawn to grow, as it takes from the 

 strength of the parent plant ; therefore it is 

 usual to hoe off and thus destroy most of 

 these shoots during tht summer unless speci- 

 ally wanted for propagation. 



In cultivating raspberries it must always 

 be borne in mind that one is dealing with an 

 essentially surface- rooting plant, so whatever 

 digging is done in the rows must be light. 

 Some growers now prefer prong-hoeing to 

 digging, both in autumn and spring. 



The plantations are usually dunged once in 

 three years, for which purpose a truck that is 

 narrow enough to run between the rows 

 without injuring them is used ; if dung is not 

 used, manure of some kind is probably given 

 each year. Fish salt is good for raspberries ; 

 it consists of fish scales and pieces of fish, 

 which, with the salt, is sown broadcast and 

 hoed in. Besides acting as a manure, it helps 

 to keep the soil moist during summer, as salt 

 appears to absorb moisture from the air. 



It is advantageous for the soil to be turned 

 over early in winter to allow frost to pul- 

 verize it. 



After the winter is over, the canes are 

 headed off to a height at which they are 

 suflSciently strong to hold the weight of the 

 fruit without requiring to be stringed. 



Between March and October the land is 

 horse-hoed ; first with a heavy two-horse hoe, 

 then during the rest of the season with a one- 

 horse hoe, the object being to keep down 

 weeds, and keep a good tilth, which enables 

 the soil to keep more moist than when hard 

 and crusty. If in the early part of the year 

 the land is cloddy, a small ribbed or flat 

 roller is used in the rows, for this purpose 

 narrow ribbed (Cambridge) rollers are manu- 



C2 



