RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, AND DEWBERRIES 



FOR THE HOME GARDEN 



JOHN L. DOAN 



School of Horticulture for Women, Ambler, Pa. 



Berries the Season Through — Habits and Cultural 

 Requirements — Some Important Plant Characteristics 



Editors' Note: — The average home garden is notoriously deficient in fruit, perhaps because of a subconscious thought that fruits for current 

 needs can always be bought. They can, but not the kind that a gardener can grow for himself. Apart from the matter of intrinsic quality and state 

 of maturity it must be recognized that good fruit is becoming less and less easy to obtain at reasonable prices and that this deficiency of an acknowl- 

 edged essential in the dietary must be supplied at home. This article is the third of a series especially prepared for The Garden Magazine by Mr. 

 Doan dealing with the various aspects and possibilities of the home fruit garden. "What, Why, and How Much Fruit to Plant " may be found on pages 

 323, 324 of our February (1922) issue, and "Strawberries for the Home Garden" in March, pages 27-29. Others will follow. 



IHE Bramble fruits (Raspberry, Blackberry, and Dew- 

 berry), following soon after the Strawberries, continue 

 the small fruit season until mid-summer, and, with the 

 Everbearing Red Raspberry, until autumn. All re- 

 quire similar treatment and all the important varieties belong 

 to native species. 



Dewberries are trailing and are the most thorny. The other 

 groups are more erect. Blackberries are thorny and vigorous. 

 There are hybrids between the Blackberry and Dewberry also 

 called Blackberries; they are less erect than the pure ones, and 

 always need support. 



The Red and Black Raspberries are distinct species and each 

 has a variety with yellow fruit. The Black Raspberries are 

 considerably thorny while the red kinds have few thorns by 

 comparison. 



Purple Raspberries are hybrids between the Red and the 

 Black kinds. They usually resemble the Black Raspberries the 

 more closely in bush characters and are treated like them in 

 cultivation. 



The flowers and fruits of all the groups are borne upon growths 

 of the current year, rising from canes of the previous year's 

 growth. With the Blackberries these are little more than fruit 

 ■clusters with a few leaves; but with the Raspberries and Dew- 

 berries the shoots are considerably longer. 



The Red Raspberry and Blackberry sucker freely, and the 

 Dewberry and Black Raspberry propagate by tip layering. 



Yields 



WITH good care and reasonably favorable conditions, the 

 following yields should readily be secured, and often 

 exceeded after the second year. 



Red Raspberries 

 Black Raspberries 

 Blackberries 

 Dewberries 



5 pts. per 10 ft. of row 



The profitable life of a Bramble plantation may vary from five to 

 more than ten years. The most frequent determining factor is 

 the health of the plants. Anthracnose is most likely to shorten 

 the life of the plantation, and probably crown gall would stand 

 second as a menace. Usually the Black Raspberry plantation 

 is shortest lived and the Blackberry plantation longest lived. 



Where They Like to Grow 



JUST as for other fruits, a somewhat elevated situation with 

 good air drainage is desirable. All Brambles take kindly to 

 moderate shade and may be grown next to buildings, near 

 fences, or close to trees, where vegetables will not thrive. The 

 Dewberry likes a light sandy soil or a sandy loam; the others 

 need moist but well drained, loamy soil. The Blackberry and 



Red Raspberry prefer a soil ranging from a rather heavy sandy 

 loam to a light clay loam, but certain varieties seem to have 

 marked preferences for certain types of soil. Black Raspberries 

 do well in a soil that is somewhat heavier; but they may be set 

 more deeply, enabling the canes to stand up better in a rather 

 light to medium loam. 



Land Preparation and Planting 



BEFORE the plants are set the land should be well supplied 

 with organic matter, deeply plowed or spaded in, prefer- 

 ably in the autumn because the Brambles start growth earlier 

 in spring than most land is ready to be plowed. A heavy sod 

 that has been plowed under and followed by one cultivated crop 

 is a good source for humus; or about 125 lbs. of manure to the 

 square rod is very satisfactory. If the ground has been kept 

 well manured in previous years, all this may not be necessary. 



How They Can be Grown 



PLANTING maybedone either in thefallorin the springwhere 

 the climate is not severe; otherwise spring planting is best, 

 and as early as practical, because the strong buds which develop 

 into the young shoots are very brittle after they have started to 

 grow and, if planting be delayed, the plants must be very care- 

 fully handled. After fall planting, place over each plant a fork- 

 ful of straw or similar protective material, or a mound of soil at 

 least 6 in. high, to be removed in early spring. 



The Brambles are usually planted in rows spaced according to 

 the vigor of growth, thus: 8 ft. apart for Blackberries, most vig- 

 orous of our Eastern Brambles, 7 ft. for Black Raspberries; 6 ft. 

 for Red Raspberries and Dewberries. In the row allow Black- 

 berries 4ft. apart with Raspberries and Dewberries 3 ft. apart. 



Because of its greater convenience in all operations, the hill 

 system is growing in favor. After the first crop, it affords at 

 least equal yields of larger, finer fruit. Distances vary, but 

 about 5 x 5 ft. for Red Raspberries and Dewberries, 6x6 ft. for 

 Black Raspberries, and 7 x 7 ft. for Blackberries is satisfactory. 

 Any of the early garden vegetables may be grown as companion 

 crops the first year. 



Cultivation and Cover Crop 



AFTER the fruit has been gathered, keep up thorough 

 cultivation, starting a rank, quick cover crop, preferably 

 one that will continue to grow in cool weather. Barley, Buck- 

 wheat (preferably with Rye), Rye alone, Winter Vetch, and 

 Cow-peas may be used. This crop to be worked under about 4 

 inches deep the following spring, not disturbing the larger roots 

 of Blackberry and Red Raspberry, as that aggravates the sucker- 

 ing habit. 



Suckers will appear anyhow in those plantations after the 



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