RASPBERRIES. 



235 



be pruned, in order that the ground may be 

 surface-manured, leaving it there to be washed 

 in by rain, as it is not wise to fork over the 

 surface or dig the manure in, lest by so doing 

 the best fibrous surface feeding roots be injured. 

 Some think that the canes are injured by frost 

 and rain when pruned before winter; but this 

 is very unlikely, except so far as the pith may 

 get too much soaked with wet, which will be 

 only a little way, especially if the canes are cut 

 slanting. 



In pruning, the two-year-old canes, now dead, 

 should be cleared, and three or four of the 

 strongest young canes selected to remain. These 

 should be shortened where they exhibit signs of 

 weakness and begin to twist or bend. If there 

 are more canes than the number here stated, 

 they should be cut away. The stakes should be 

 driven in correctly in line, and their tops cut 

 to a regular height. The canes should then be 

 tied to the stakes with osier twigs, than which 

 nothing is better, or tar-twine may be substi- | 

 tuted. This operation completes the first year's 

 pruning and training. 



Objection has been made to the above mode 

 of training, as it brings the canes too closely 

 together, but as the canes do not require much 

 light, whilst the buds do, the shoots from the 

 latter extend outwards and are fully exposed to 

 sunlight. There is, therefore, less danger of the 

 fruit -bearing branchlets crowding each other 

 than of the interference of the young shoots 

 which spring from the root. 



In the second season the tied-up canes will 

 require no further attention. Lateral shoots 

 will push from them; and these, as already 

 remarked, bear the fruit. At the same time 

 shoots for succession spring up, and frequently 

 in too great abundance. When such is the case 

 they must be thinned out more or less, as in the 

 preceding season; only, as the plants are now 

 established, from four to six shoots may be 

 allowed to grow. In autumn three, or if strong 

 enough four, from each stool should be pruned 

 and tied as already directed. 



When Raspberries are intended to be trained 

 to a rail, the latter may be constructed of stakes 

 and strips of deal about 1 inch thick. The 

 stakes should be driven in line 5 or 6 feet 

 apart, and the strips of deal nailed along their 

 tops, which may be 3 or 4 feet from the ground, 

 according to the length of the canes; other 

 strips may run along at 18 inches or 2 feet from 

 the surface, or a wire may be stretched at that 

 height. To these horizontals the canes should 

 be trained, so as to leave room for a succession 



shoot between each. The weak points of the 

 bearing canes ought to be cut off, and super- 

 fluous shoots removed at an early stage of their 

 growth. Perhaps the best support is obtained 

 by fastening the points of the shoots to a slight 

 horizontal rail or bar, about 4 feet high, and 

 placed \\ foot on the south side of the rows. 

 By this means the bearing shoots are deflected 

 to the sunny side of the row, and are not 

 shaded by the annual wood. 



Raspberries are sometimes trained by arch- 

 ing, and for this mode they are planted about 

 4 feet apart in the rows. A stake is driven 

 in midway between the plants; half the canes 

 belonging to one plant and half of those of the 

 adjoining plant are bent towards each other, 

 and their ends tied together so as to form an 

 arch, which is secured to the stake. 



Some varieties of Raspberry naturally pro- 

 duce fruit late in autumn; others may be 

 induced to do so by cutting down the canes 

 to within 1 foot of the ground. The shoots 

 which push from these shortened canes grow 

 vigorously, and usually produce fruit late in 

 the season. Another mode is to shorten the 

 canes rather more than usual; then, when the 

 laterals push, and before they flower, they are 

 cut back nearly to the base, and fresh shoots 

 push which bear fruit late in the season. In 

 order to obtain large fruit, so far as this depends 

 on pruning and training, few bearing shoots 

 should be left to each plant, or in particular 

 cases some plants, or a row or two, may be 

 sacrificed by permitting no suckers to grow. 

 Of course no fruit can be obtained in the 

 following season from plants so treated, the 

 formation of shoots for future bearing being 

 prevented; but in consequence of this the 

 fruiting canes will be better nourished and 

 the fruit larger. 



Summer Management. — This consists chiefly 

 in an occasional hoeing to keep down weeds, 

 and the timely thinning of the suckers to pre- 

 vent waste of vigour; from four to six of the 

 strongest suckers should be left on each stool. 

 The next season's crop depends entirely upon 

 the management of, and the encouragement 

 given to these new growths. 



In autumn, as soon as the crop is gathered, 

 all the old canes that have borne fruit should 

 be removed, so as to allow air and light to the 

 young canes. 



In winter, there is little to be done beyond 

 cutting off the unripe tips of the canes. 



Raspberries may be grown as advised for 

 Gooseberries on the four to six shoot cordons 



