Vol. LVI. No. 2462. 
NEW YORK, APRIL 3, 1897. 
$1.00 PER YEAR 
PRUNING THE BLACKCAP RASPBERRY. 
HOW TO START AND TRAIN IT. 
When and How To Cut It Back. 
The blackcap raspberry delights in a deep, rich, 
moist, well-drained loam. No matter whether it in- 
AT END OF FIRST SEASON. Fig. 99. 
cline to clay or sand, whether it be level or upon a 
steep hillside. A location sufficiently elevated to 
promote free drainage of cold air, however, possesses 
a great advantage over the low land in case of late 
spring frosts. Springtime is, by far, the best season 
for planting ; and, of the several systems of culture 
which I have tested, the following has proved most 
satisfactory. Deep plowing and thorough pulveriza¬ 
tion of the soil are an essential preliminary. The 
plat is then deeply furrowed in rows 3% feet apart, 
and the plants set in every alternate furrow at the 
distance of 2% feet apart in the rows, potatoes beiDg 
planted in the rows between. I invariably grow my 
own plants, for the very substantial reason presented 
by my assistant at Fig. 101. Of course, the more 
promising of the new varieties are tested ; but they 
are purchased only by small orders, and propagated 
upon our own soil. It was by this plan that I struck 
the Gregg in 1886, and of that grand old variety, we 
have grown and marketed hundreds of bushels. 
These excellent plants, with the soil adhering, as 
shown, are carted directly to the prospective planta¬ 
tion, placed in an easy, natural position in the ample 
THE FIRST Y’EAR’S GROWTH CUT. Fig. 100. 
furrow, and covered at once with moist, mellow soil 
to the depth of about three inches, and well firmed 
upon the roots. I prefer to plant either very early in 
the spring while the buds are yet dormant, or else to 
wait until the young shoots are three or four inches 
high, as they are very tender and liable to be broken in 
handling just as they are pushing up through the soil. 
The young plantation should be kept clean and mel¬ 
low by frequent, shallow cultivation during the grow¬ 
ing season. Soon after planting, each hill will have 
thrown up from one to three young shoots, perhaps 
of different sizes. As these attain the height of 12 
inches, their tips should be pinched out. A 
series of excursions through the plantation will 
be necessary to accomplish this, but it will well 
repay one for so doing. As a result of this head¬ 
ing back, laterals will soon push out and, at the 
end of the growing season, each plant will have 
developed into a veritable little tree, compact, 
sturdy and well balanced as shown at Fig. 99. 
If it be desired to propagate from the young 
plantation, the tips of the laterals should be 
buried to the depth of 2% inches in the soil, the 
latter part of August. 
The spring pruning (in March) of these year- 
A CUBE ROOT WANTED. Fig. 101. 
ling plants consists in cutting back the laterals 
to from 12 to 18 inches in length, which leaves 
them in the form shown at Fig. 102. These 
plants will bear a good crop of extra large 
berries the following July. But in the mean¬ 
time, we must not neglect the fruiting canes 
for the next season. Early in the season, these 
rampant youngsters will have pushed up to the 
height of 18 inches, where they should be 
checked by pinching. The “lateral act ” will 
again be in force throughout the plantation, 
and at the close of this, the second growing 
season, the first year’s growth having fruited 
and being removed—the plants will have de¬ 
veloped into the form shown at Fig. 100. The 
spring pruning of these plants is the same as 
that of the yearlings, viz., cutting the laterals 
back to from 12 to 18 inches, according to the 
vigor of the plant, which will then appear as in 
Fig. 103. The management of succeeding years 
will be a repetition of that of the second season. 
Some growers remove the old canes as soon as 
they have done fruiting ; but where a plantation * 
is perfectly free from disease, as ours has ever been, 
I have failed to note any great advantage by so doing. 
I usually cut them out at the regular spring pruning. 
Many also practice clearing out all the old wood, 
burning it, and cultivating the old plantation con¬ 
tinually,»y ear-after Jy ear. Were I so inclined, it W0ul4 
be entirely out of the question, as our raspberries are 
grown upon hillsides so steep that they would be 
ruined from washing. I have but very little ground 
that even approaches a level, and that is used for the 
strawberry. I practice clean, thorough culture the 
first season, in order to get the plants well established 
THE FIRST CUTTING BACK. Fig. 102. 
and have ever made the plantation of raspberries one 
of my most profitable institutions by the proper ap¬ 
plication of the pruning shears, and a small, sharp 
scythe in keeping the weeds under my control. The 
past season, we picked a fine crop of large, firm 
Greggs from a patch of one-half acre planted nine 
years ago. I usually allow them to bear from five to 
seven years, and in the meantime, have new patches 
coming on to take their place. f. h. ballou. 
Ohio. 
R. N -Y.—It costs more to plant, cultivate and prune 
raspberries in the way described above than it does 
in the slip-shod way so commonly seen, but it pays. 
The pinching back of the young canes at an early 
stage of growth, is an important part of the training. 
It isn’t the great length of cane that insures remuner¬ 
ative fruiting, but the numerous sturdy side shoots 
thrown out because of the pinching back. In many 
gardens, we see the long raspberry canes tied up to 
stakes; this would be rendered unnecessary if they 
were pinched back, and thus made to grow short and 
stocky and able to stand alone. Staking is out of the 
question in field culture on a large scale, and should 
CUT BACK FOR BUSINESS. Fig. 103. 
be made unnecessary in garden culture. Make the 
plants stand alone 1 The plant which the young man 
is holding presents a far different appearance from 
those often sold on the market, and here is one of the 
great secrets (?) of success. Many simply allow the 
tips to root of their own accord, without going to the 
