Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1860-06-29

AtfSSNAos
bushes, full of shoots, some dropping oot-
ward, and many crossing each other in all
directions. In the fan they may receive
their pruning, which win consist 10 re-
moving all the worst cross shoots, and in
keeping the middle of the bush still
somewhat open. Dangling shoots may
have as much of their top pruued away
as will prevent their touching the ground,
and even upright shoots may have as
much cut off as. appears of weakly
character.
The pruning OF the following seasons
will be much of the same nature, still
keeping the middle of the bush much
more open than the outside. As a gem
eral rule in regard to the distance al
which the bearing shoots may be left, il
may be mentioned that in a well pruned
bush no two shoots will by any means
touch, but stand apart quite DISTINCT
Badly pruned bushes are both less pro-
ductive and much more difficult to gather
the fruit from, than those which are done
in skillful manner. As the bushes get
older and show signs of wearing out, the
knife must be used more literally in
deed, whole limbs of old wood will re-
lquire occasionally TO be removed, in or
der TO throw the powers Of the bush into
a closer compass.
The RAsPBERRY.--Early autumn
pruning is thought to be of benefit to
the raspberry, which, being of an excl
, table character, begins to swell early in
, the spring; and pruning after the buds
have swollen is always at the expense of
the vigor Of the plant. The pruning Of
t this fruit is very simple indeed. The
: plants produce their fruit on long rods
: of the previous years growth, that is,
every ordinary kind does. What is
termed the double bearing raspberry,
5 produces on wood of the same summers
: growth, or, in other words, on the annual
! wood 1t is common practice to go
!. over the raspberry bushes, and thin out
the young suckers or rods, for they in
/, general produce SO abundantly that they
2 would become confused, and the charac-
ter of the fruit be materially injured
About half dozen of the best are left to
j select from, and now it becomes neces-
sary to reduce that number. Four good
: rods are by some thought to be sufficient,
but this depends on the strength of the
soil, and more especially its continued
i' moisture, even in summer, which is an es-
sential consideration.
> If any of the shoots or parent plants
are very weakly they must be allowed a
; less number of sboots--some three
! others only two, and in some very weak
ly roots it is necessary to cut them en-
tirely down, in order 10 strengthen them
u for the ensuing year. In selecting the
p canes, the strongest must in the main be
preferred. When they are very strong
Il however, some of the canes are liable "a
u produce side branches during the season
they are springing. Such must be cut
0 away, for, although so promising in ap.
a pearance, they will not produce fruit o.
II such good quality as those of reasonable
Il amount of strength. About five feet /:
e the greatest hight to which the raspberry
- canes should in general be cut, though !
/ good practice is to cut the canes to diff
, ferent lengths. Thus, when there ar,
n four canes on stool, the strongest ma,
o be cut to five feet, the second 10 four fee
J. six inches, the third to four feet, and th,
s, fourth to little more than three feet
e As the top bud grows strongest, it fol
7. lows, by this arrangement, that the youn;
f'uit-bearing shoots which grow from th,
!; canes are more equally divided, and en-
joy more room and more light.
d The CURRAET.-The pruning an
,e training Of the currant bush Is, like tha
of the gooseberry, very simple affair,
r performed the right way when young
To 1t is to be kept in view that the main Oh
10 ject is fine fruit; aud this can only b
70 produced by abundance of light, sun an
air. Consequently, when the bushes ar
at young, they should be cut back to max
, them form sufficient number of branch
81 es, pointing outward all round thes
or should not be in each others way, no
lv cross, and the centre should be kept fre
= from wood. Currant bushes natural
in grow outward and upward. When III
be end Of a branch is not healthy, il may b
nj cut back 10 the first healthy shoot, whic
Iy will become the growing end Of ii
%. branch. II, during the formation Of ii
of bush, two branches are found too far Of
he rass 49, .,nass.. Iii ln.,..<