CHAPTER XIII 

 BUSH FRUIT PRUNING 



207. The bramble fruits. — As already noted (56, 72) 

 raspberries, blackberries and dewberries usually produce 

 their fruit upon shoots of this year's development from 

 buds which have lived over winter upon canes of last 

 year's growth. The exceptions are those varieties, such 

 as St. Regis raspberry, in which the buds instead of 

 resting over winter push out into growth the same season 

 as the cane grows. In all cases the canes die after they 

 have finished fruiting. 



Four pruning practices are based on this method of 

 growth. 1. Unnecessary shoots are remo^■ed from the 

 crown of each plant and from between the rows. Thus 

 half a dozen, or often less, canes arc left in each crown, 

 stool or hill. 2. The tops of the canes are pinched when 

 they reach the height favored by the grower. This tends 

 to develop branches low down on the canes, which are 

 also made sturdjr enough to stand without supports. 

 3. The laterals produced on the canes are shortened, 

 generally in spring before growth begins, so as to develop 

 finer fruits from the reduced number and more compactly 

 borne blossoms. 4. The canes that ha\ e fruited are cut 

 out of the hills, preferably as soon as the fruit has been 

 harvested, but usually during the winter when time is 

 less at a premium. 



208. Pruning and training red raspberries. — In the 

 pruning of all brambles method No. 1 is in general use. 

 With the red raspberry the second is only occasional]}^ 

 used in commercial plantations, the canes being allowed 

 to develop to their full size without any summer atten- 

 tion. Lateral shortening (No. 3. above) is the same 

 as for the other brambles, but removal of the old canes 



