THE RUSH IRE FRUIT FARM, IONIA, MICH. 
23 
two seasous, then take plants from it and set 
them among plants propagated as recom- 
mended and mark the difference. If your 
experiment corresponds with mine you will 
each year get a very light crop as compared 
with the first method. At the end of three 
years you will find the plant left unpruned 
about run out. It properly pruned they 
should last from si.\ to eight years. It is not 
profitable to let them run too long. Plants 
should never be taken from a bed more than 
three years old if it has not been kept very 
closely pruned. 
Some growers for evaporating purposes 
prune just as little as possible because it is 
the seeds that count in making pounds of dried 
fruit. 
Nurserymen 
frequently contract with these parties for a 
supply of plants to fill orders hence the large 
number of failures m raspberry growing. 
Blackcaps are propagated by tips. Im- 
mediately after fruiting, cut out with a light 
steel hook all the old wood and remove it, then 
cultivate as deeply as the roots will permit and 
get the ground as fine and mellow as possible. 
Go over it several times if necessary for it is of 
the utmost importance, if fine large plants are 
to be grown. With a short handled hoe strike 
in the ground and insert the tip about three 
or four inches deep leaving it pointing straight 
down so it will not grow out again. Press the 
soil sufficiently firm to hold it. You will need 
to go over the field at short intervals and 
bury the growing canes so the wind will not 
thresh them about. 
The Soil 
should not be as rich in nitrogen as for straw- 
berries, but should contain an abundance of 
potash (wood ashes). The same rule for the 
preparation of the soil for strawberries applies 
for raspberries. 
Setting the Plant.s. 
We plow a furrow five or si.v inches deep, 
straight as an arrow, about seven feet apart and 
set two and a half feet in the row and they 
will support each other. If set at this distance, 
only three or four canes should be allowed to 
grow. 
I PiNCHiN(; Tips. 
As soon as they are thirty inches high pinch 
off the terminal buds of new canes and strong 
laterals will be thrown out and make it self 
supporting. We only pinch once as sufficient 
branches will be made. 
They Hoot 
close to the surface, but if set deep and cul- 
tivation is deep at first they will root deeply. 
If they have shallow cultivation at first and 
the cultivator is then allowed to run deep you 
will tear the roots and greatly injure the plants. 
We always set pretty deep and keep the ground 
mellow with the Planet Jr. They never dry up 
and ripen their wood nicely. 
The Planet .Jr. Manufacturing Company, of 
Philadelphia, manufacture one of the finest 
tools I have ever seen for cultivating in rasp- 
berries, blackberries or grapes. The teeth are 
so arranged as to lift up and aerify the soil, and 
the fineing attachment at the rear breaks up 
every lump and leaves it perfectly level to act as 
a mulch and at the same time cuts off every 
sucker or large weed which is an exceedingly 
difficult thing to do with the ordinary cul- 
tivator teeth. These teeth never dive down 
into the roots. It is so easily adjusted either 
as to width or depth, it being done instantly 
by a lever right by the hand. 
Few people realize how much time a man 
will use in changing his tools to work to a 
nicety by the old method of loosing and tight- 
ening bolts. The Planet people seem to be 
far ahead of all other manufacturers in this 
respect. We bought our tools in the open 
market and have no interest in their business. 
We have simply inserted these engravings in 
order to place before fruit growers the best 
tools to accomplish the work the nuickest and 
best possible way. 
