BLACK RASPBERRIES— GOOSEBERRIES 57 
These buds or "eyes" of the top plants are tender and will not stand 
much rough handling, as other plants. They should be set in the spring. 
Some are apt to die if they are set in the fall. 
Plon+incr 'nic+aTiro Have the rows 5 to 6 feet wide, with the plants 4 
i-ianxing I7ibidrii,e g ^^^^ apart. A good distance for commercial 
planting is rows 6 feet wide, with the plants 4 feet apart. In small 
gardens the rows may be narrower and the plants closer together. When 
they are planted in cheek-rows, it is a good plan to set them 5 feet apart 
each way. They are well suited to planting in cheeks, because they do 
not sprout from the roots. 
The ground should be well prepared for the black raspberry, and 
trenches plowed out as described for the blackberry. The plants should 
be set so deep that the crown will be 3 or 4 inches below the surface of 
the ground. They will start faster if they are planted shallower, but are 
more apt to blow over and to suffer from dry weather. When the plants 
are set out, be sure to cut off the old cane. This will force the new shoots 
in the crown to grow. 
They should be thoroughly cultivated as described under red rasp- 
berry and blackberry; however, they can be cultivated deeper than either 
of the above, as the roots broken in cultivation will not produce suckers 
or sprouts. 
When the young shoots are 8 to 24 inches tall, cut off the tips. 
This can be done with sheep shears, or pinched out with the fingers. One 
pinching is sufficient, although it is necessary to go over the patch two 
or three times, to be sure to get the canes that will come up later on in 
the summer. It is very important that they be pinched as soon as they 
are 18 to 24 inches tall, for they will then throw out a number of strong 
side branches that will bear fruit. Do not let them go until the follow- 
ing spring, as is permissible in the case of red raspberries. Cut out the 
old canes and burn them just as soon as they have borne fruit. If the 
plant is strong, not more than five young canes should be left. If the 
plant is weak or the soil is poor, three or four are sufficient. 
Treat orange rust and anthracnose as with red raspberry. 
Gooseberry 
The gooseberry and currant are two of the hardiest fruits grown, 
and are found growing wild in the northern United States and many parts 
of Canada. 
The gooseberry prefers a clay loam or clay, rather moist, but not wet. 
It can not be grown in the extreme southern United States and the Gulf 
States, although it can be grown in the Central and South Central States 
on good soil, if it is given some shade from the hot noonday sun. The 
bushes often thrive where the green fruit is cooked by the extreme heat 
during the middle of the day and drops off before it is mature. How- 
ever, the gooseberry will stand more heat than the currant. The Hough- 
ton succeeds further south than any other varietj'. The buds of the goose- 
berry start growth early in the spring, and for that reason it is best to 
plant it in the very early spring or in the fall, except in arid countries, 
where fall planting is never advisable. 
Plantinp '^^^ ground should be put in good shape, worked deep, 
= plowed well, and, if it is not strong, fertilizer should be 
added. Well-rotted manure is best, although commercial fertilizer will 
do. See page 21, for fertilizers. 
After the ground is prepared, mark it off and plow out a good, deep 
furrow. It is an advantage if this is deeper than actually needed for 
setting the plants, so that there will bo good mellow earth under the 
plants. Set the plants against the land-side of the furrow and cover 
them, packing the dirt firmly about the roots. Nothing is more import- 
ant than having this dirt packed firmly about the roots of the plants. 
