402 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



AUTUMN-FRUITING RASPBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES. 

 By James Hudson, V.M.H. 



These fruits, so well known and so much appreciated in the summer 

 season, have not, until within the past year or two, been duly recognised 

 for regular supplies in the autumn. My object in detailing our mode of 

 procedure at Gunnersbury is to encourage and extend their cultivation for 

 autumnal supplies. 



Raspbekries. 



Cultivation, Soil, <( V. — In this respect there is no deviation from that 

 given to the summer-fruiting varieties. Where the one thrives well, 

 there also will the other succeed. It is advisable, however, to avoid a 

 shaded position, all the light possible being needed to mature the fruits 

 as autumn sets in, and likewise to guard against decay during damp 

 weather. It is well, therefore, to select as open a spot as can be chosen ; 

 if facing the south or south-west, so much the better in order to secure 

 as much benefit from the sunshine as can then be had. Avoid a heavy, 

 retentive soil — this may be conducive to growth, perhaps, in some instances, 

 but not to the maturing of the fruit. The rows should run due north and 

 south when it can be so arranged. In our own case it is the reverse, but 

 I should prefer it otherwise. The rows should be 6 feet apart iu order to 

 allow plenty of room for the circulation of air and for light between the 

 rows. During the winter a dressing of farmyard manure is applied and 

 lightly forked in, but should the growth be luxuriant, this may be dispensed 

 with in alternate seasons, a dressing of lime being substituted. When the 

 ground is being dug over, all the suckers that have run out are carefully 

 removed. These Raspberries are more disposed to throw out suckers 

 than the summer-fruiting varieties. 



Pruning, &c. — These Raspberries fruit upon the young wood of the 

 current season, therefore the pruning is merely a matter of cutting down 

 to the ground line. I do not advise this to be done, however, too early, 

 otherwise the young growths will be correspondingly early and therefore 

 liable to be cut off by late spring frosts. (Even with this safeguard 

 we were caught in April 1903, when severe frosts ensued, and the 

 growths were thus thrown back for fully a fortnight.) If pruned by the 

 middle of March no time will be lost. About every third year it is a good 

 plan to replant all, or, say, do one third of the stock every year. This will 

 allow of the ground being thoroughly trenched three spits deep, and for a 

 liberal application of manure. In planting afresh select the strongest 

 stools only, casting aside all the weak ones. A good distance is 6 feet 

 between the rows ; there is no gain in planting closer, and in the rows it 

 will be, Bay, I feet from stool to stool. The growths are allowed to come 

 away in a natural manner, only the very weakest should be thinned out, 

 tin t ying being done until it is seen that there are a sufficient number of 

 shoots showing for fruit. This will be during the earlier part of August, 



