PRUNING AND TRAINING THE PLANTS 543 



the same formula at this time, but since this applicatior is 

 intended primarily to stimulate a rapid growth of vigorous 

 new canes, a large proportion of nitrogen is favored by most 

 growers. From 500 to 800 pounds of cottonseed meal plus 

 100 pounds of nitrate of soda, or 10 to 20 tons of manure, are 

 often applied to the acre. 



Apparently the most important thing to watch, especially 

 in the North, is the application of too much fertilizer contain- 

 ing quickly available nitrogen which may result in making 

 the berries soft and in causing such a late growth that injury 

 by low temperatures may follow. It has recently been shown 

 that a late summer cover crop, fertilized if necessary to pro-. 

 duce a heavy growth, will assist materially in hardening the 

 canes so they will better withstand low temperatures. 



10. Pruning and Training the Plants. Pruning and train- 

 ing vary somewhat with the different varieties and fruits. The 

 amount and kind of pruning necessary will be understood 

 better if the method of growth is known. Each season new 

 canes appear as shoots from the crown or roots and from buds 

 near the bases of the previous yearns canes. These new canes 

 complete their growth the first summer, bear a crop the next 

 year, and then die. They are then ready to be removed. The 

 canes are biennial, but the roots live for several years and are 

 perennial. It can thus be seen that, unless systematic pruning 

 is practiced each year, the plantation will soon become choked 

 with dead canes and there will be too many living canes for 

 best fruit production. 



Red Raspberries. The new shoots of the red raspberry 

 should not be pinched or cut back in early summer. When 

 these plants are pinched back, the new laterals formed are 

 generally weak, are not very productive, and are often winter 

 killed. After the fruit is harvested the old canes should be 

 removed and burned. 



In the spring, just before or as growth is starting, the 

 weaker canes should be thinned out and those left should be 

 headed back. If the hill system is used, from five to seven 



