The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-03-23
Culture of Small Fruits.
RAspBERRIES.

The best way to cultivate this delightful
fruit, is to set the plants out in short rows,
four feet by three inches and half. They
should be plowed, and worked with hoe
as carefully as corn, and much in the same
way. A strong stake should be driven
down midway between the plants, in the
three foot aud half row. This stake
should be about as high as the gardener
intends them to grow, After the working
is thoroughly done and the old wood taken
out, about half Of each bush should be
drawn over to this stake, on each SIDE and
attached to it with string of soft mate
rial which will not cut the bark or inter-
rupt the circulation of sap of the plant.
This fruit, like every other product in
the whole agricultural and horticultural
catalogue, has its peculiarities, and when
these are learned great discovery is made
SO far as that particular production is con !
cerned. The popularity of the Raspberry,
which must be considered by all who
have a just right to expect success, is its
adherence of extremes. Excessive heat,
sudden cold snaps, too much moisture, or
even moderate drought are detrimental
to it. A drought which will not disturb
or interrupt the growth materially of
Gooseberry or Currants will cause the
fruit Of Raspberry bush to dry up
and drop. Heavy rains which make the
generality of fruits thrive will render it
inspid.
In its wild state, it is found most per-
feet on the edge of woods or in old fence
corners. In this condition, it gets what is
most agreeable, uniformity of temperature
and moisture. 1t is a plant which loves
shade, but too much of that is not good
for it. We find it in forests, apparently
perfect, but the flavor is defective. Go
even short distance from that point to tie
edge of the forest, where it enjoys fair pre-
portion of sunlight, and the favor will be
found delicious.
A sandy loan is the soil best adapted to
this fruit; and the best way to avoid the
extremes, just represented as being so dis
tasteful and injurious, is first to provide a
place where moderate degree of shad g
will be afforded, during, at least, some
parts of the day; and secondly, to culti-
vate the ground with the pillow and SUBJ
soil pillow to such depth the extremes of
heat and moisture will not be felt. AMI
NAL manures are not profitable with the
raspberry; indeed, a well-rotted vegeta BILE
fertilizer is what it needs as manure
The rich old mould scraped from fence
corners and rock-breaks is the very thing
required, and here it will be we'll to observe
fact not universally known on the manure
subject; When rich old mould, like this
just named, is spoken of as vegetable ma
nure, those thoroughly acquainted with
the philosophy of the subject know it is
not exclusively vegetable.
In all shady and moist places which are
not disturbed in any way, the production
of organic animal matter is very great 1t
is probable, that in one pound of this rich
mould, supposed to be exclusively vegeta-
BILE, one-fifth or sixth of it is animal mat
ter. The amount of fertility afforded the
earth by the rapid propagation and ephe-
neral existence of many species of insects
is truly wonderful and the readers of the
STATE JOURNAL have in reserve valuable
information on this subject, worth many
times the cost of the paper. The use of
the wild Raspberry to govern US in this
matter is wise, because its habits and pecu-
liarities are precisely the same as the do
mestic, and as a cultivated berry some
prefer it to all others.
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