IMPORTANT—Blueberries require acid soil. If the nature 
of the soil is not acid, we strongly urge you to refrain from plant- 
ing them if you wish to avoid future dissatisfaction. 
We noted several instances where gardeners went through 
great efforts and heavy expenses to prepare a bed for Blueberries 
by turning sweet soil to acid. Frankly, the first year, the plants 
produced an amazing crop of extra large berries of the finest 
quality. The following years, the crop was very discouraging 
for the Blueberry bushes lost their vitality and the fruit crop 
was small and scanty. Why? Because, regardless of how much 
one tries to change alkaline soil to acid, it is in vain, for the 
simple reason rains or other elementary influences which are 
unconscious to the human eye, washes away the acid contents 
present in the soil and three or four weeks later turns the soil 
back to its original alkaline state. 
Undoubtedly, you know when it rains, soils never remain 
stationary, so it is only logical that the large area of sweet soil 
will gradually mix with the nearby small area of acid soil causing 
it to result to alkaline. 
But, if you insist on planting Blueberries, then choose an 
elevated location so that the rains cannot wash surrounding 
sweet soils into that area specially prepared with acid contents 
for the growth of Blueberries. 
RASPBERRIES 
Should be planted four feet apart each way. In training, allow 
only a few canes to grow from each plant, cutting away all 
suckers to throw the strength into the stalks for bearing; all old 
canes should be removed when the bearing season is over. 
A good gravely soil, or a deep moist loam is generally con- 
sidered best for the raspberry, yet the plants do well on light or 
even sandy loam, and on such soil the fruit will ripen some days 
earlier. The red varieties should not be placed on hard, clayey 
land, nor on low, wet soil. The black varieties do very well on 
claying soil. 
Newly set plants should be hoed or cultivated quite frequent- 
ly, especially early in the season, as it is important that a good 
start should be obtained the first year. It is important that all 
weeds should be kept down the first as well as the following 
seasons. Cultivate very shallow to prevent injury to the roots. 
Old stable manure is the best fertilizer for general use. On light 
soils it is best to apply it as a mulch. 
The first season only two or three shoots or canes should be 
allowed to grow from each root or hill. In midsummer, when 
the canes have reached a height of about two feet, th: top should 
be pinched off with the thumb and finger. This will cause the 
canes to throw out laterals. These branches should likewise be 
cut back when they have made a growth of about one foot from 
the canes. If this summer pruning is neglected until the bushes 
get to be three or four feet high, shears should be used to cut 
them back to within two and one-half feet of the ground. It is 
not necessary to head in all varieties during the summer. Some 
prefer driving a stake in each hill to which the bushes can be 
tied to keep them from dropping to the ground when fruiting. 
The bushes can be allowed to grow, and in the late fall the sur- 
plus suckers and the old fruit canes can be cut out, and the 
suckers that are left for the next year’s crop cut back to within 
two and one-half feet of the ground. 
CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES 
Plant four feet apart. Sawdust should be used as a mulch. 
They flourish in almost every kind of soil, but to have the fruit 
in perfection, plant in rich, deep soil, and give good annual 
pruning and cultivation. Every year, as soon as the fruit is 
picked, cut all wood 3 years old. Allow 5 to 6 new shoots to form 
each year. When plants are grown as stools or bunches, the older 
and feebler suckers should be cut out, such as crowd the plant. 
[55 } 
