snl 
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 BLACK RASPBERRIES 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. 
BLACK RASPBERRIES 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 support enough. 
’ In late winter shortly before new growth 
starts in spring these canes should be cut 
back at least one-third of their length. 
We have been successful wiih the prac- 
tice of cutting red raspberries back to with- 
in 18 inches of the ground in February. 
Plants pruned in this manner have pro- 
duced larger fruit in greater quantity for us. 
Give raspberries plenty of water and fer- 
tilizer. 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 fruiting 
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 
ripe : 
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 addi- 
tional 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 fer- 
tilizer. 
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 lbs. 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 sec- 
ond 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 
~rumets pulied and ixrigate 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 impor- 
tant and necessary spraying for all kinds 
of bush and vine berries is with lime-sul- 
phur. Use ordinary commercial liquid lime- 
sulphur 1 gal. to 10 gals. water or | lb. dry 
powdered lime-sulphur to 6 gals. water. 
Spray very thoroughly on both sides of the 
row when the vines are dry. 
TIME OF SPRAYING 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 of 
BOYSENBERRIES 
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 grow- 
er 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 Bordeaux 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 aspar- 
agus 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 asparagus 
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 growing 
up each summer to prevent a possible at- 
tack of rust. 
CHERRY RHUBARB—Should be set 4 ft. 
apart and given plenty of manure or ferti- 
lizer 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 between 
pickings for the plants to recuperate. 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. 
