Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-05-17
Berry Culture

Turning from the strawberry to It's
immediate successor we have fruit
that Is pre-eminently adapted to the
I farmers use. In a measure self-as-
serting and under favoring conditions
good for a dozen years. the farmer can
plant the blackeap raspberry with
considerable faith that he can keep II
clean and receive an abundant annual
reward. of a fruit that has the least
waste of any fruit grown The first
work after once established Is to take
out the old wood, and in snowy and
windy ATTITUDES the most advanced
cuItivators do not take this out until
after midwinter. On any mild day N
February or March, armed with thick
gloves, the old canes can be broken
out and laid in the space between the
rows TO be removed with pitehfork-
[
In cleaning out weeds and grass from
the space, about two feet wide in the
row cannot be reached with the cult
vator. l have found that by taking
time by the forelOek and doing it just
as the frost Is partly out i the most
profitable way. The ground * soft
and the weeds are not nearly 80 tena-
cious in their hold upon the soil as
when allowed 10 make some headwav
in their summers growth. The same
i true of cultivation between rows,
and It / far better TO do it at the time
of early garden-nraking than later.
Ny plan Is to clean out with the hoe
such weeds As know cannot be reach
ed BY anything else. and then pillow
with light plow towards the plants,
throwing the earth nearly TO the stems.
Then l go along the rows with the hoe
again. and hoe the mellow soil be-
tween the plants wherever | think II
necessary. Two weeks later l 90
through with Planet, Jr., set wide,
and by wearing buckskin gloves l can
stir the soil almost up 10 the stems.
. Cultivation Is given thereafter as
needed until the new growth and root
inc of the tips make it impossible. In
cultivating, a harness that Will allow
Of the freest swinging and sideways
crowding of the cultivator i desirable,
and l find such to be simple collar
with names and trace-chains leading
directly to the whifie-tree, withOu
hack strap. Bp the way, one OF nv
neignbors uses such harness for plow-
ing. The chains hitch TO the names
BY hooks, and when quitting work are
dropped upon the ground, still attach
ed to the pillow. The line i lied upon
the hame, and upon reaching the sta
bic the collar, without unbuckling the
names, Is reversed and taken OFF with
the bride, leaving the horse TO cool
of and eat his dinner unfettered by q
mass of sweaty leather.
Where a farmer or other raspberry
grower has all abundance Of straw. it
i very nice way TO mulch with seven
or eight inches deep Of straw, renew
ing each spring and not eultiyating at
all. \ friend Of mine, q large farmer
grew an acre in this way for ten years.
simply pulling up such weeds a. found
their way through the straw, which
were not many. \ neighbor's two
girls picked and marketed them for
half, and as the berries-great, fat.
overgrown Doolit.les-sold readily at
10 cents per quart, it proved profta-
bic for both parties. This was in the
early days of the Doolittle, and l
think that once he sold $50 worth Of
plants, the tips roofing beneath the
rotten straw. Red raspberries OF the
suckering varieties are quite trouble
some as compared with tip-roOting
ones, and the only way TO deal with
them Is to treat the surplus suckers as
weeds. The rows are generally kept
/ too broad. Six inches Is wide enough,
as the berries will be enough larger to
pay. and the bearing canes will lean
out to either side, while the new
growth grows erect in the middle, and
does not impede picking as when in a
hedge Is or 20 inches wide.
Blackberriez, from their aggressive
nature, are generally detested by
farmers, but they are at the same time
a very desirable fruit to have. They
will thrive almost anywhere, and a
very good way to grow them Is in lit
tie groups not more than six feet
across with clear space Of four or FIVE
feet all around. Keep the spaces