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RASPBERRIES AND 
BLACKBERRIES 
See Pages 42-43 
Raspberries and blackberries 
are easily-grown fruits if 
their cultural requirements 
are met. An open airy situa- 
tion is best and the plants 
should be away from the root 
competition and shade of tall trees, but may be grown among 
the smaller fruit trees in the home garden. Most good farm 
and garden soils are suitable if not very heavy or very light, 
and are well drained so that water does not stand on or near 
the surface more than a few hours during the growing season. 
Keep black and purple raspberries off of ground that has 
grown tomatoes, peppers, eggplants or potatoes the past 2 or 
3 years. Get rid of old runout raspberries nearby to prevent 
disease spreading into the new planting. 
Prof. George L. Slate 
Preparing the Soil 
Fit the land thoroughly as for vegetables, plowing under a 
green crop or stable manure if the soil has been under con- 
stant cultivation. Red raspberries and blackberries may be 
planted in late fall or early spring, but fall planted plants 
should be mounded up to prevent them from heaving out dur- 
ing the winter. Tip plants of black and purple raspberries 
should be planted in the spring. Space raspberries in home 
garden 7 feet between rows and 2 feet between red rasp- 
berries in the row, and 3 feet between black and purple varie- 
ties in the row. Set the plants the same depth they grew pre- 
viously and be sure the soil is packed tightly so that the plant 
will resist a strong tug without loosening. 
Cultivation 
Weeds must be kept down by cultivation or mulching. Cul- 
tivation should be shallow and frequently enough to keep down 
weeds. Mulching is especially valuable in dry seasons. 
Straw, spoiled hay, weeds, lawn clippings, peat and sawdust 
are all suitable. When sawdust is used an extra feeding with 
a nitrogenous fertilizer is advisable. Cultivation should be 
discontinued after the crop is off or about August 1 and the 
weeds allowed to grow or buckwheat may be sown between 
the rows to check cane growth and harden the plants off for 
winter. 
Fertilization 
For fertilizers after the first year any of the following ma- 
terials may be applied in early spring: 
Ra-Pid-Gro as Per Directions on Package. 
Nitrate of soda, % lb. per 100 sq. ft. 
Ammonium nitrate, % Ib. per 100 sq. ft. 
Stable manure, 3 bus. per 100 sq. ft. 
Poultry manure, 1 bu. per 100 sq. ft. 
On soils low in fertility, especially sands or gravels, or eroded 
soils, supplement the nitrates with a 5-10-5 fertilizer at the 
rate of 1 lb. to 100 sq. ft. If new growth is too rank and 
winter kills, reduce or discontinue the manure until lessened 
growth indicates its need. 
Red raspberries and blackberries produce many suckers 
which must be kept within bounds. When cultivating or hoe- 
ing, restrict the row to one foot in width by removing all 
suckers coming up between the rows. 
For Better Fruits and Larger (rops. 
HELPFUL HINTS ON SMALL FRUIT GROWING 
Prof. George L. Slate 
New York State Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y. 
Raspberries and blackberries must be pruned each year. 
The canes are biennial; they grow one season, bear fruit the 
second season and then die. After the crop is harvested the 
canes which bore it are cut out, leaving behind the current 
season canes to fruit the following year. In the spring the 
red raspberry canes are cut back to a height of 4 to 5 feet, de- 
pending on the variety, and the weaker canes removed leaving 
the canes spaced about 6 inches apart in a row a foot wide. 
Black and purple raspberries are treated in a different man- 
ner. In June when the new shoots of black raspberries are 18 
to 24 inches high they are pinched off to induce branching. 
Purple raspberries are pinched 6 inches higher. Blackberries 
are pinched at 3 feet. Do this as soon as the required height 
is reached in early June. The following spring cut the 
branches back to 8 to 10 inches for the black raspberries, 10 
to 15 inches for the purple raspberries, and 15 to 18 inches 
for the blackberries. 
Fall bearing red raspberries, such as Indian Summer, are 
pruned the same as other red raspberries. 
STRAWBERRIES 
See Pages 40-41 
Strawberries are one of the best home garden fruits, being 
valuable for dessert, freezing and jam, and unusually high in 
Vitamin C, outranking even the citrus fruits in that respect. 
Location of Bed 
The site should be sunny, away from the shade and roots of 
large trees, although interplanting among young fruit trees 
is satisfactory. The soil should be fertile, well-drained and 
free from quack grass and other perennial weeds. Vegetable 
garden soils are good. Grass sods may have white grubs and 
should be avoided until they have been cultivated two years. 
Manure or ploughing under a legume sod is good preparation. 
Planting Time 
Early spring, not August, is the time to set strawberries. 
Space the plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 34% feet apart. 
The crown or solid center of the plant should be set even with 
the surface of the ground and the soil firmed so tightly 
against the roots by pressure of the foot that the plant will 
resist a strong tug without loosening. After the runners 
form, space them around the mother plants so that they are 
about 6 inches from each other and the row is 18 inches wide. 
Remove as weeds runners coming after the row is filled out. 
The first runners are the most productive. 
Fertilizing 
Manure at the rate of 3 to 6 bushels to 100 square feet at 
the time the ground is fitted will provide adequate fertility. 
Lacking manure, a 5-10-5 fertilizer may be worked in before 
planting, or applied as a side dressing at the first hoeing. A 
pound to 100 square feet is about right. See Page 37 for 
Ra-Pid-Gro, a fertilizer we recommend. 
A nitrogenous fertilizer such as nitrate of soda, % pound to 
100 square feet, or ammonium nitrate at half that rate may 
be broadcast over the plants in late August when the foliage 
is dry, and immediately brushed off with a broom or piece of 
brush. 
Keep weeds out of the bed at all times, and the soil mellow 
to facilitate the rooting of runners. 
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