Then when growth starts each spring 
there will be new canes start which will 
grow while your crop is being picked. 
When you are through picking you SAVE 
these NEW canes and cut out all the old 
ones from which you have just picked 
your crop. 
TEXAS WONDER, MACATAWA, BLACK- 
BERRIES and BLACKRASPBERRIES will 
sprawl on the ground the first year (if not 
tied up to trellis) but will grow in bushes 
after first year. Just before you start pick- 
ing these varieties top the new wood 
(Texas Wonder about 3 ft. and Macatawa 
about 4 ft. high). These main canes will 
branch out and form the bushes for the 
following season. The laterals forming this 
bushy top are then headed back about 
half during the dormant season to form 
compact bushes. 
BLACKRASPBERRIES are pruned like 
bush type blackberries as described above. 
RED RASPBERRIES —When Red Rasp- 
berry plants come to you from the nursery 
there is usually a foot or more of cane 
with each plant which if left when the 
plants are set out will produce fruit the 
first spring. Immediately after the plants 
are set out these canes should be cut back 
to only a few inches above ground to 
force all the strength into new canes for 
the next year. On good land and with 
good care they often grow 6 or 8 feet high 
the first season. One light wire on each 
side of the row will usually provide sup- 
port enough. 
In late winter shortly before new growth 
starts in spring these canes should be cut 
back at least one-third of their length. 
The past season we cut part of our Cuth- 
bert Red Raspberries clear back to within 
18’ of the ground in February and these 
severely pruned rows produced more and 
larger fruit than the rest of the field. If this 
holds good another year we will be ready 
to recommend this, practice to you. 
Give Raspberries plenty of water and 
fertilizer. They require even more than 
other kinds of berries. 
Strawberry Culture 
There are two general ways of planting 
Strawberries in California. 
One is to set the plants about one foot 
apart in either single or double rows and 
then keep the runners all picked off, keep- 
ing only the original plants for the fruit- 
ing bed. 
The other is to set the plants four feet 
apart in rows spaced 36” to 40” apart. 
These plants are allowed to make runners 
and in the first summer large furrows are 
made between the rows, which leaves the 
plants on ridges. The strongest runners 
are selected and each joint is pressed into 
the ground forming two rows on each 
ridge. The surplus runners are all pulled 
off and the furrows are filled with water 
often enough to keep the ridge wet. These 
plants will become established in a few 
weeks and will make fine fruiting rows 
for the coming spring. After these plants 
are set in and the rows are filled out, all 
additional runners should be pulled off as 
they come. 
The first method is usually used in small 
plantings and commercial growers almost 
invariably use the latter method here. This 
method requires only 4000 plants to set 
an acre. 
Strawberries are shallow rooted, and re- 
quire regular irrigation, and plenty of 
fertilizer. 
In Southern California on sandy soil we 
would suggest: Clean off all the dead 
leaves in January and apply in the irriga- 
tion, furrows, 10 to 15% of a good mixed 
fertilizer to each 100 foot of row. When the 
crop begins to set on, we would give them 
another such application. Then in May 
when the first crop is nearly gone and they 
are starting to bloom for the second crop, 
the same amount again to size up the 
second crop of fruit. 
In most parts of the United States this 
would be too much fertilizer but in South- 
ern California ordinary spring bearing 
strawberries which fruit over a 3 or 4 week 
period in the east, bear 4 months here and 
must have plenty of water and fertilizer if 
they are to produce both quantity and 
large fruit over this long season. 
After the crop is picked, keep surplus 
runners pulled and irrigate enough to keep 
the plants in thrifty condition until fall 
and then handle as for first crop. 
FERTILIZATION—The suggestions on fer- 
tilizing Boysenberries applies equally to 
other varieties of bushberries. 
SPRAYING —In California the one im- 
portant and necessary spraying for all 
kinds of bush and vine berries is with 
lime-sulphur. Use ordinary commercial 
liquid lime-sulphur 1 gal. to 10 gal. water 
or 1 lb. dry powdered lime-sulphur to six 
gallons water. Spray very thoroughly on 
both sides of the row when the vines are 
dry. 
TIME OF SPRAYING IS IMPORTANT—It 
should be done just when the LEAF buds 
are starting to open in spring. If the leaves 
are opened out more than three-quarters 
BOYSENBERRIES 
of an inch this spray will burn them. This 
spraying is primarily for blister mite. which 
causes certain sections of the fruit to re- 
main red and never ripen. However, it 
also goes a long way in controlling thrip, 
scale and even helps control red spider 
later in season. Pests which annoy the 
berry grower vary in different parts of the 
country, consequently spray practices vary. 
One thing sure, this lime-sulphur spray as 
recommended above will help anywhere, 
even though for special pests you should 
also have to use something else. In some 
districts regular use of Beaurdaux is recom- 
mended for cane diseases. This material 
can be secured from any spray material 
dealer together with directions for mixing 
and applying for various, troubles. 
ASPARAGUS—Should be planted 12 or 
15 inches apart in trenches 6 or 8 inches 
deep. The roots are spread out flat in bot- 
tom of trench, some going each way, and 
covered about 2 inches deep. The trench 
is then filled in as the plants grow. No 
asparagus should be cut the first summer 
but the stalks should be allowed to grow 
up tall so the roots will be established. In 
the early winter when the tops turn yellow 
they are cut to the ground and the aspara- 
gus should be well manured. 
The next spring you can use asparagus 
for 2 or 3 weeks and should then let the 
tops mature as before and the next spring 
you can cut for 4 to 6 weeks and then by 
the following year your asparagus should 
be well established and you can cut for 
about 12 weeks each summer, but always 
remember to quit cutting in time for the 
tops to grow up and revitalize the roots 
for another season. Use plenty of manure 
each fall. It pays to dust the tall tops with 
dry sulphur two or three times while grow- 
ing up each summer to prevent a possible 
attack of rust. 
CHERRY RHUBARB—Should be set 4 ft. 
apart and given plenty of manure or fer- 
tilizer after they have started to grow. No 
rhubarb should be picked until the follow- 
ing spring in cold sections and not until 
September in California the first year. 
In picking rhubarb you should remember 
that it is not a fruit you are picking but 
the plant itself, so there must be time be- 
tween pickings for the plants to recuper- 
ate. For instance, if you have five plants, 
it is much better for your plants and you 
will get much more crop in the long run, 
if you will pick one plant until it is all 
picked and then go to another and use it 
until it is all gone and so on down the 
row, getting back to the first one in 8 or 10 
weeks, than to pick a little from each plant 
each week. 

