5S 



GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



[June 189G.. 



At the bottom the frame projects upwards at right angles to the 

 body of the frame, to a distance of 5 or 6 inches, to catch the 

 berries as they fall into the canvas. A wooden shoe, or runner, 

 is placed on the bottom of the apparatus to allow the operator 

 to slide it along from bush to bush. A long wire hook is used 

 to pull the bushes over the tray, or to lift up the fallen canes, 

 whilst with the other hand the operator deftly takes off the 

 berries with a paddle of wood, or wire, covered with canvas, and 

 about the size of a butter ladle. This is only used for gathering 

 raspberries for evaporating. The berries are allowed to become 

 fully ripe so that they fall easily, and the bushes are gone over 

 three times. Much litter of leaves and twigs falls with the 

 berries, but this is removed by running the evaporated fruit 

 through a ' fanning mill.' This harvesting machine is often 

 brought into requisition for the last pickings. 



The raspberry plant in America, as in Britain, suffers from 

 several disorders. The principal of these is " Orange rust," or 

 yellows, caused by a fungus known as Coeoma nitens, which, 

 however, exists on the plant in two stages, that of Coeoma nitens 

 — the cecidium stage — and Puccinia Peckiana — the teleuto-spore 

 stage. These Puccinia spores fall to the ground in the autumn, 

 and are, it is believed, washed by rains down to the underground 

 shoots, and infect these with mycelium from which the orange 

 spores are produced in the spring. Spraying the plants with 

 Bordeaux mixture — sulphate of copper and lime — has been 

 found remedial to some extent, but it is recommended that 

 infected plants should be pulled out root and branch, and burnt 

 at once. 



Anthracnose, or " cane rust," Glwosporium venetum, is a worse 

 disorder than orange rust, infecting both canes and leaves. 

 Small purple patches are seen upon the leaves, which soon 

 shrivel and turn yellow and finally become brown. Purple 

 patches are formed upon the canes, increasing in size as the 

 canes grow, and frequently becoming confluent, and overrunning 

 the whole of the cane. In the second year the fruit is affected, 

 dries up, and falls off. For this fungoid attack, weak sulphate 

 of copper and lime bouillie is effectual. It must not be used 

 too strong, as the leaves are sensitive. It is usually applied 

 two or three times during the season. 



There is a similar fungoid affection of raspberries in Great 

 Britain caused by a Glwosjporinm, which would, no doubt, 

 yield to treatment with sulphate of copper bouillies. 



In this Cornell University Bulletin mention is also made of 

 blackberry culture, which is adopted on a very large scale in 

 America, and is as profitable, or even more profitable, than raspberry 

 culture. Many varieties of blackberries have been obtained by 

 selection whose fruits are very large and juicy, closely ap- 

 proaching the best raspberries in point of size and juiciness, while 

 the size and number of the seeds have been much diminished. 

 It is believed that it would pay British fruit growers to improve 

 the blackberry as it has been improved in America, or to 



