Raspberries, Blackberries and Dewberries— By s. w. Fletcher sa^* 



WHY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THE HIGHEST QUALITY IN THESE BERRIES; THEY PICK FRUIT TOO EARLY— 

 "STORE" BERRIES ARE SMALL, SOUR AND SEEDY— EXTRA CARE THAT IS NECESSARY FOR SUPERIOR QUALITY 



Photographs by the author 



THE brambles are especial favorites be- 

 cause they give quick returns, are 

 easily grown, and yield so much fruit per 

 square foot of space occupied. In small 

 city or suburban gardens they should occupy 

 a large proportion of the area. If there is any 

 opportunity for choice, the brambles should 

 be given that spot in the garden which has 

 the most humus, coolness and moisture, but 

 is well drained. A northern exposure is 

 preferred. The chief essential in bramble 

 growing is plenty of humus. The soil need 

 not be very rich, and preferably not very 

 heavy; but it should be full of decaying 

 vegetable matter. That is why there is 

 nothing better for brambles, in most cases, 

 than stable manure; both as a preparation 

 for planting and as an annual mulch. The 

 black raspberries prefer a heavier soil than 

 the red raspberries. Brambles will often 

 do well on many of the lighter soils, so one 

 should not forego the pleasure of having 

 them merely because an ideal soil cannot be 

 had; but it will pay to immediately set 

 about improving a light soil, in which bram- 

 bles are planted, by working into it heavy 

 dressings of manure. If it is necessary to 

 set berries in proximity to trees, plant the 

 red raspberries or blackberries, as these are 

 more successful in partial shade than black 

 raspberries. 



One of the most satisfactory things about 

 brambles is that the plants cost so little in 

 proportion to the pleasure and profit they 

 bring. Get suckers from young rather than 

 from old plantations; they are more likely 

 to be thrifty and not diseased. 



WHEN AND HOW TO PLANT 



Spring planting is preferable to fall plant- 

 ing in a majority of cases because it is safer, 

 and practically nothing is gained by fall 

 planting as regards an earlier start. If 

 planting late, small suckers of the present 

 season's growth may be lifted and trans- 

 planted safely. If you buy plants of a nur- 

 seryman, order them early, at least two 

 months before the time for planting; late 

 orders often result in a poor selection of 

 plants, and they may not be delivered in 

 season. On receiving the plants from the 

 nursery, loosen the bundle, heel them in on 

 the north side of a building or some other 

 cool, moist spot. If the roots are dry, douse 

 them in water or in thin mud before heeling 

 them in. 



Plant early, just as soon as the ground is 

 dry enough to work up mellow. Brambles 

 love the cool, moist conditions of early spring; 

 many a berry garden has been a disappoint- 

 ment because planting was delayed. Rasp- 

 berries, blackberries, and dewberries may be 

 planted in rows six or eight feet apart, with 

 plants set two or three feet apart in the rows. 

 In two or three years each row will be four 



feet wide if the growth of suckers is unre- 

 stricted. Each plant may be kept in a hill by 

 planting six feet apart in the row, so that 

 they may be cultivated both ways, but the 

 row system is usually better than hills. 



Dig a hole more than large enough to 

 accomodate all the roots without twisting 

 them — the harder the soil, the bigger should 

 be the hole. It is an excellent plan to carry 

 the plants in water when setting. Plant 

 deeply; most amateurs err in the direction 

 of shallow planting. The plant should be 

 set several inches deeper than it stood in 

 the ground before moving, as the soil settles. 

 Put rich, surface soil around the roots. 

 Plant black raspberry tips in the same rela- 

 tive position as when they were attached to 

 the parent plant; that is, do not set the piece 

 of old cane upright, but so that the large bud 



Quack grass in raspberries. Keep it out or it will 

 get ahead of you and ruin the canes 



in the centre of the mat of roots will be up- 

 right. It is the bud, not the cane, which 

 should grow strongest. This bud, however, 

 should not be covered with more than two 

 inches of soil. Tramp firmly around each 

 plant; but throw a little loose soil over this 

 tramped soil before leaving, to prevent evap- 

 oration. Either before or after planting, 

 head back the tops of canes one-third to one- 

 half, unless this has been done by the nur- 

 seryman, to balance the loss of roots by 

 transplanting. 



CARE THE FIRST SEASON 



During the first season the essential thing 

 327 



to do is to provide moisture and to promote 

 a vigorous growth. Tillage does this; 

 mulching may do it. Berries planted around 

 the borders of a garden, or used as a hedge, 

 may be mulched with straw or strawy manure 

 often with excellent results, but tillage is 

 generally advisable whenever practicable. 

 Mulching makes the roots run close to the 

 surface; for this reason, if once started, it 

 should be continued. Begin tilling early; 

 shiftless gardeners let weeds get a start and 

 choke out the berry plants. Cultivate 

 shallow, for all brambles are shallow rooted. 

 Deep cultivation increases suckering. Vege- 

 tables may be grown between the rows the 

 first year, but this practice is of doubtful 

 value unless necessary because of limited 

 space. If the cultivator has teeth that will 

 cut the suckers, it will save much hand 

 hoeing. It is best to stop tillage about the 

 first of August to ripen up the canes. A 

 cover crop may then be sown if the soil is 

 deficient in humus. 



When the black raspberry and blackberry 

 shoots are about eighteen inches high, pinch 

 off the ends so as to get branched canes. 

 These bear more fruit than long, unbranched 

 canes; are easier to handle, and winter-kill 

 less. If shoots are not pinched, they make 

 unmanageable canes. Red raspberries, how- 

 ever, do not seem to be benefitted by this 

 practice in most places and sometimes black 

 raspberries and blackberries are not. There 

 is much difference in opinion and in results 

 of summer pinching, which shows that in 

 some localities and on some soils it is best 

 and under other conditions it is not. 



FERTILIZING FOR THE NEXT CROP 



In the fall of the first season each plant 

 should have one or several strong canes ready 

 to bear fruit the next season. This is a good 

 time to put several generous forkfuls of 

 manure around the base of each plant. 

 Brambles are hearty eaters, and their special 

 weakness in the way of victuals is rotted 

 manure." The manure should be spaded, 

 plowed or cultivated into the ground the 

 following spring, unless it is to be used as a 

 permanent mulch. If the fruit is very soft, 

 watery, and poorly flavored, and the canes 

 grow rank and are unproductive, the soil has 

 too much nitrogen and will be benefited by 

 applications of potash and phosphoric acid. 



PRUNING AND TRAINING 



Some pruning will be needed early in the 

 spring following planting, after severe 

 weather is past, and before the buds start. 

 Small, weak canes are cut out completely 

 and the lateral branches of those that remain 

 are shortened. These canes bear fruit that 

 season, and new canes spring up from the 

 roots. After the old canes have borne fruit 

 they should be cut out at once and burned; 



