Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-06-14
Raspberries and Black berries.

Turning from the strawberry to its
immediate successor we have fruit that
is prominently adapted to the farmers
use. In MEASURE self-aSserting and
under favoring conditions good for doz
en- years, the farmer can plant the blacb
cap raspberry with considerable faith that
he can keep it clean and receive an
abundant annual egard of fruit that
has the least waste of any grown. The
first work after once established Is to take
out THE old wood, and in snowy and windy
ATTITUDES h most advanced cuItivators O
not take this ouJ until after N d winter.
On any mild day in February or March,
armed with the thickest gloves, the old
canes can be broken out and laid in the
space between the rows to be removed
with a pitchTork. In cleaning out weeds
ana grass from the space about two feet
wide IN the row eaunot be reached with
the cultIvator. [ have found that taking
time by the foTelock and doing it just as
the frost is entirely ont is the most profit
able way. The ground is soft al d the
weeds are not nearly SO tenacious in their
hold upon the soil as when allowed to
make some Roadway in the summers
growth. The same is true of cultivation
between the rows, and it is far better to
do 1t at the time of early garden making
than later.
My pan is to clean out with the hoe
such weeds as | know cannot BIS reach ed
by anything else, aud then plough with a
plough toward the plants, throwing the
earth Dearly to the stems. Then | 60
along the rows with the hoe again, and
hoe the mellow soil into the walk between
the plants wherever think it necessary.
Two weeks later l go through with a
Planet, Jr., set wide, and by wearing buck
skin gloves [ can stir the soil up to the
stems. Cultivation Is given thereafter as
needed, until the new growth and the
roofing of the tips make it impossible.
In cuitivating harness that will allow of
the freest swing and sideways crowGing
of the cultivator is desi rable, and | find
such to be simple collar with names and
traoe-chains leading directly to the Whit
fetree, without back strap. By the way,
one of my neighbors uses such q harness
for blowing. rhe chains hitch to the
names by hooks, and when quitting work
and dropped upon the ground, still at
tached TO the plough. The line is tied
apon the hame, and upon reaching the
stable the collar, without uEbuckling the
names, Is reversed and taken off with the
bride, leaving the horse to cool off and
eat his dinner unfettered by mss of
sweaty leather.
Where a farmer or other raspberry grow
er has an abundance ot straw it is very
nice way to mulch with seven or eight
inches deep of straw, renewing each
spring an6 not cultivatiug at all. A
friend of mine, a large farmer, grew an
acre IN this way for ten years, simply
milling II sunh ypaEHa n ffunf thar w ~
through the straw, which were not many.
A neig hbor's two girls picked and market
ed them for half, and the berries-great,
fat, overgrown Doolittles-sold readily
at 10 cents per quart, it proved profitable
for both parties. This was in the early
rows of the Doolittle, and | think that
| once he sold $40 worth of plants, the tips
roofing beneath the rotton straw. r d
raspbarries of the suckering verieties
are quite troublesome as compared with
tip-rooting ones, and the only way to
| deal with them is to treat the rplus
suckers Us weeds. The rows are general
| ly kept too broad. Six inches Is wide
enough, as the berries will be enough
| larger to pay, aud bearing canes will lean
out to either side, while the new growth
grows erect i'll the middle and does not
impede picking as when IL a hedge Is or
20 inches wtds.
Biackberries from their aggressive
| nature, are generally detested by farm
| er5, but they are at the same time very
desirable fruit to have. They thrive
almost anywhere, and a very good
way to grow them IS in little groups not
more than six feet across with a clear
space of four or five feet all around.
| Keep the spaces clean with brush scythe,
throw plenty of course, strawy manure
among the plants in the spring, out out
the old canes and shorten the new ones
at the same TIM, and if the winter is not
so severe as to Kill peaches the grower will
be rewarded with au abundance OF frui5
fire IN the middle Of July until September,
and thus round out three months of Der
rylng.