RASPBERRY. 



133 



valion as the one sent out by Mr. Doolittle, and although 

 never subjected to this system, they have not deteriorated; 



And further, there is not one grower of the Black Rasp 

 berry in a hundred who attempts to follow Mr. Doolittle's 

 plan, but they propagate fromthe same stools from year to 

 year, and yet this variety appears to be just as large, pro- 

 ductive and good as it was when first disseminated, 



Mr. Doolittle's theory is contrary to the one usually ac- 

 cepted in regard to fruit trees, for with them we generally 

 select wood for propagation from fully developed speci- 

 mens, believing that by doing so we are more likely to in- 

 sure productive and healthy plants, than by pursuing an 

 opposite course. 



Young plants may sometimes produce better ones than 

 old, because when planted on fresh soil, and the stem be 

 ing entirely removed, they start early, making a compara- 

 tively small plant the first season — the ends of the branches 

 reach the ground earlier, and become rooted before they 

 would from older stools. Just so long as the old plants 

 can be kept growing vigorously, and the young canes re- 

 main healthy, they may be used for propagation without 

 danger of deterioration. 



All of the varieties of the Black Raspberry are more or 

 less subject to producing what are generally called sports^ 

 that is, the plants vary from the usual type very often 

 without any apparent cause. Sometimes the plant will as- 

 bume a very different character from the normal one, beconi- 

 mg barren, leaves smaller, canes of a different color, &c., 

 while in other instances these sports will be a decided im- 

 provement upon the original, the fruit becoming larger 

 and produced in greater quantity, or two crops will be 

 borne in a season instead of one. 



These changes may be the result of neglect in culture^ 

 diseases, or from extra care, which causes a more rapi<J 

 and full development than usual. 



