PRUNING 215 



A wire is stretched along the posts about 2\ feet above the 

 ground and the canes are tied to the wire. A modification 

 of this trellis is made by nailing a cross-piece, 18 inches 

 long, to the post near the top. Two wires are then stretched 

 along the posts and fastened to the cross-bars. The brambles 

 are now allowed to grow between the wires, which forms a 

 support on either side of them. 



Brambles of the upright growing type, as some of the black- 

 berries, are supported by tying the canes to a trellis made 

 by stretching two or three wires along several posts set at 

 intervals of from 15 to 20 feet. The trailing types of bram- 

 bles are sometimes allowed to run along the wires of the 

 trellis similar to that of the grapevine. Either two or three 

 wires can be fastened to the posts. The number of wires is 

 determined by the type of the bramble. If the brambles 

 are planted in hills, which is occasionally done, posts can 

 be set at each plant and the canes fastened to the post. 



Pruning. — The blackberries and the raspberries are suffi- 

 ciently alike to make the pruning of each practically the same. 



Both the blackberry and the raspberry have a great 

 tendency to sucker. These suckers not only grow about 

 the parent plant but also between the rows. A certain 

 percentage of all these suckers should be removed as soon 

 as they appear, and especially those which grow between 

 the rows. 



As soon as the berries are picked, the old canes which 

 have just borne the fruit, should be cut off close to the 

 ground and burned. This practice allows the young canes 

 more room in which to develop and at the same time destroys 

 any diseases or insects that are present. 



In some sections the plants are topped, that is, the tip 

 of the canes are pinched off with the fingers when the canes 

 have reached a height of 2\ or 3 feet. This pinching back 

 of the canes causes them to branch and they are better able 

 to support their fruit without breaking over. 



The canes should be thinned out in the row, so that 

 only four or five are grown in one clump. This practice 

 is conducive to good healthy plants and also produces the 

 best quality of fruit. 



