1766 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OP PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



The land can be plowed both ways and 

 mucli hoeing avoided if this system is 

 adopted. However, in case the land is 

 rough, uneven, or for any other reason 

 this method cannot be made practical, 

 then the plants may be set in rows. The 

 distances apart may be from four feet to 

 eight feet each way, depending on the 

 character of the soil, the moisture, the 

 kinds of plants and the methods of plant- 

 ing. The plants may be set from two to 

 four inches deep, depending somewhat on 

 the size of plant and its root system. 



Training and Staking 



Where the plants are set according to 

 the square method, in hills, a single stake, 

 to which the canes of the upright growers 

 can be loosely fastened, is all that is 

 needed. However, it is common to plant 

 two posts, with cross-arms and wires, the 

 wires extending along the row, one about 

 two to three feet from the ground, an- 

 other at the top of the stake, from four 

 to six feet from the ground. The wiring 

 method cannot be used where the plants 

 are set to cultivate both ways. 



Tillage 



There is the same reason for cultivat- 

 ing a crop of raspberries as for cultivat- 

 ing any other crop. First, it keeps the 

 land pulverized, so as to make plant food 

 available. Second, it keeps down the 

 weeds that would, if allowed to grow, 

 compete with the raspberry for suste- 

 nance. A good cultivator and harrow 

 that will fit between the rows is needed. 

 Anyone who knows how to plow corn will 

 know how to cultivate raspberries. 



Gbahville Lowther 



Priming 



The usual plan is to allow the young 

 shoots which annually spring up from 

 the root of the plant to grow to the 

 height of two feet or a little more. When 

 the shoots have attained this height the 

 first step in the pruning of the raspberry 

 begins by breaking off three or four 

 inches of the topmost portion of the 

 shoot, leaving it twenty to twenty-two 

 inches in height The rapidly growing, 

 succulent shoots snap off easily between 



the thumb and finger, and as a rule no 

 shears or other pruning device will be 

 found necessary to accomplish this head- 

 ing-in. As a result of the check sus- 

 tained by breaking off the terminal bud, 

 the stalk thickens, the leaves grow larger, 

 the axillary buds near the end of the stalk 

 increase in size, and soon lateral shoots 

 develop from them. As a rule, five or six 

 of the topmost buds push out and, in- 

 stead of having one sturdy stalk several 

 feet in length which would carry one- 

 half dozen fruit clusters near its tip the 

 succeeding season, pruning has restricted 

 its height to 20 or 22 inches and has in- 

 duced the formation of five or six lateral 

 shoots, each of which may grow to be as 

 much as 18 inches or more in length be- 

 fore the close of the season; and, instead 

 of a single cane for fruit production, 

 there are five or six, each of which will 

 carry as many fruit clusters as would 

 have been produced by the original shoot 

 had it been left to itself. Here, then, is 

 an example of pruning inducing fruitful- 

 ness. 



The second stage in pruning the rasp- 

 berry consists in cutting out all the wood 

 which is older than the present season's 

 growth. This pruning should be done 

 immediately after the season's crop has 

 been harvested. If done at this period 

 it is easy to distinguish the fruiting wood 

 from that which has grown during the 

 season, and by taking out all the useless 

 wood at this time the whole energy of 

 the root is reserved for the new growth 

 which is to supply the crop next season. 

 For cutting out this wood a special imple- 

 ment is made. A cutting edge is pro- 

 vided at the end of a long handle which 

 reduces to a hawk-bill knife. It also 

 contains a chisel-shaped portion at the 

 back of the hook. In one case the imple- 

 ment serves the purpose of a brush hook 

 on a small scale and in the other when 

 the chisel blade is used it serves as a 

 spud. 



A third step in the pruning of the rasp- 

 berry is shortening the lateral branches 

 which have developed from the headed-in 

 shoot. This work is usually done in the 

 spring before or at blooming time, and is 



