24 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
Early in the spring, before growth starts, some of the oldest A good trellis for blackberries and raspberries is made of 
currant shoots should be cut away at the ground line posts between which lines of wire are stretched 
ALL THE CANE FRUITS WORTH WHILE 
Why You Should Grow Your Own Berries Instead of Buying Them—Selection, Planting 
and Culture of the Best Kinds for the Home Table 
W. C. McCOLLOM 
T HERE are good, sound, logical reasons why you should 
set out a small fruit border. It gives quick returns; you 
need not plant with the sole idea of aiding posterity, because 
you will get abundance of fruit the second season and a full 
crop the third year after planting. 
The cane fruits are all good, vigorous growers and do not 
require coddling. No great skill is required in their pruning 
or general handling, for being dwarf they are easy to get at, 
and they occupy very little space in proportion to the return 
they yield. One of the most important reasons for growing 
them at home, however, is that their berries may then be picked 
in the very' best possible condition. Blackberries, raspberries, 
etc., are poor shippers, and to avoid crushing and bruising 
must be picked for the market while still firm. The home 
grower, of course, need not gather his crop until it is luscious 
and dead ripe. 
All of the canes enjoy abundance of moisture at their roots. 
Therefore, if you have a low spot in the garden it might he 
given over to them. A special section can be devoted to them, 
or they can be arranged in a narrow border around the out¬ 
side. Even a single row border is satisfactory when your 
garden space is limited, although, if you can afford the space, 
the better place is a separate border adjoining the garden. 
Method of Setting 
Cane fruits demand abundance of 
Two sprays of currants that show 
the difference in fruit between 
cared for and neglected bushes 
plant food in the soil, in 
order to have really high 
quality fruit. The bor¬ 
der should be trenched 
2' or 3' deep. In prepar¬ 
ing this trench or bed, 
use about j/j well rotted 
manure and 2 /z soil. Re¬ 
place the soil in 9" lay¬ 
ers, with the manure be¬ 
tween. The same earth 
that was removed in dig¬ 
ging the trench may he 
used for this if care is 
taken to place what was 
originally the top soil at 
the bottom of the bed. A 
border prepared in this 
manner will last indefi¬ 
nitely with no other 
feeding save the cus¬ 
tomary winter mulch. 
Absolute sunshine is 
not essential to the wel¬ 
fare of the plants, gen¬ 
erally speaking. A nice 
sunny location is desir¬ 
able, but partial shade is very good if not too dense. One 
thing to avoid, though, is proximity to trees of a heavy root¬ 
ing nature, as they will soon form enormous root masses in 
the border an<^ the soil would be impoverished. 
Raspberries and blackberries should be supported in some 
manner, else they sprawl over the ground, the fruit mildews, 
and more space than necessary is occupied. Any kind of a 
trellis will answer the purpose, one of the best consisting of 
posts about 12'-20' apart and 4' high, with two or three lines 
of wire. Stakes may also be used, a fairly stout one at each 
plant to which the shorts can be trained. If you use wires 
for training, be sure to get spring coil wire, which never 
sags. 
It is a good plan where possible to sow cover crops of a 
leguminous nature during the summer and plow or dig them 
in during late spring. Thus, they will act as a winter mulch 
and also supply the element to the soil which the canes re¬ 
quire. A winter mulch of manure is very desirable when no 
cover crops are sown, for the plants are generally inclined 
to be surface rooters and so must be protected from the 
cold. 
Pruning is a very simple task, and can be practiced any 
time before actual growth starts in the spring. Much depends 
upon the condition of the plants; the more vigorous the growth 
the less pruning proportionately will be required, while poor, 
weak growth needs heavy pruning to stimulate the plant. 
Raspberry Culture 
The raspberry is per¬ 
haps one of the most 
popular of all garden 
fruits, but there is con¬ 
siderable variety in the 
types both as to quality 
and flavor. There are 
what we call early and 
late sorts, but their dif¬ 
ference is of days rather 
than weeks. The moral 
of this is, do not plant 
any more than you need 
during bearing season. 
When setting out the 
raspberry canes, cut the 
shoot clearto the ground. 
Eeave an eye or two at 
the bottom to start 
g r o w t h. All the old 
canes should be removed 
at the ground line as 
soon as the fruit is 
picked, for then the 
Gooseberries respond to proper 
pruning and care by yielding 
larger and more abundant fruit 
