Oxford Democrat., 1902-08-05

In spite of all the progress that has
been made since the old Philadelphia
raspberry and the Red Antwerp, we are
still without thoroughly reliable, hardy
and prolific red raspberry that can be
marketed without serious loss. The
best market varieties are too dry and
tasteleSs. The Turner is our best berry
in flavor and one of the best in size, but
it is very soft, and, unless grown in hills.
will not give profitable crop. The
Cuthbert kills back more or less every
winter, and is not the highest favored
berry. Ii has this advantage, that IT
will grow in close rows, and will do fair
ly well under difficulties. But the root
gall has attacked the Cuthbert, and is
bidding fair to destroy it. The gall
spreads with considerable rapidity, and
| know no cure for it-except 10 dig up
and burn. The Loudon is a grand berry,
except that it has no keeping qualities.
When picked, it must be rushed to a
cool room and then hastened to market.
1t is hardly safe TO store it overnight.
In quality and appearance it is fine.
The Miller | cannot speak SO surely
about, but am testing it. The Column
bian does not satisfy me as well as the
Shaffer. This last berry also kills back
every winter, but invariably gives good
crop, in spite of the killing. | am salts
fled that we are deteriorating our rasp
berries by not cutting back sufficiently.
Old gardens, where the ground is full
of roots, cannot feed sufficiently and
rapidly enough to fruit well canes that
are five and six feet high. This year |
was compelled to cut down to three and
four feet, on account of winter killing.
The result was satisfactory have
picked better berries than in previous
wears with canes at five and six feet.
have also been able to run my cultivator
a good deal later, not hindered by over
hanging branches. think it quite pos
sible To secure a great Improvement on
anything that we have, if our growers
will unite in raising each few seedlings.
| have among my own seedlings some
that are very promising, but nothing
that am quite sure should supersede
Cuthbert With me, Golden Queen,
sport of Cuthbert, is the better plant,
Ii endureS the winter little better, and
so far has not been attacked with root
gall.
The red raspberry should not be plant
ed for shipping. The ideal berry will
not be shipping berry. Every degree
of gain in the keeping quality of ihe
raspberry is made at loss of luici mess
and flavor good shipping berry
would be dry and hard and seedy. The
ideal berry will be one with few seeds
and large drupes. Bear in mind that
the strawberry is an expanded pulp, or
end of the stalk; while the raspberry is
the swelling out of the sack that incloses
the seed. The two berries are very dif-
ferent in structure. 1t is far easier to
improve the strawberry than the rasp-
berry. What we now want is larger
berry, with few seeds; and when we get
it it will be a grand fruit for the home
market and for home consumption
never for shipping.
The hardest problem with the rasp- |
berry is getting it to market in prime or
der. Use new baskets, well ventilated. |
Have your StOre-room dry and we'll venti- |
lated well rs cool. Get into market very |
early in the morning; which means get
out of bed early enough 10 get there. |
This is a crucial test of your success. |
Every other morning, for three weeks, |
YOU will have to be moving by daylight
New York law does not allow municipai
ordinances to hinder you from reaching |
private customers, nor can the city au-
thorities any longer make you stand
with periShable fruit in central market
stations until purchasers come to you.
Your goods should have been engaged |
two or three weeks ahead, and you |
should know just where they are to go,
each morning. They should reach your
customers hands by o'clock, for imme-
diate use. An experienced housekeeper
the necessity there is that
berries shall go at once into the cans. III
they stand around and are heated there
will be incipient decay, and IN the cans
there will be ferment. This makes the
chief difference between success and tail- |
ure in the canning of raspberries. Ber-
rieS, properly picked, properly handled
without crushing, properly stored, anu IN
market on time, need no handling over
again in order to insure cleanliness ana
fitness to be placed directly in the cans
BE sure that YOU do not allow the pick
ers to set their boxes on the ground for
any length of time, for ants will be sure
to crawl in and make trouble for your
customers.
| heartily recompend those people
who have nearby markets where they |
can have private customers to do less
with Strawberries and more with rasp-
berries. IL is in every sense of the word
a local fruit, that must always have a
local market. 1t is just possible that
we shall some time develop raspberry
with good shipping qualities, and at the
same time of highest flavor, but do
not look forward for it. For private
customers you will find the demand to
be very largely for the red, but there
will be some call for the yellow and the
black and the purple. One crate OF yell
low, or Golden Queen, to ten crates of
Cuthbert, will be quite sufficient. About
the same proportion of Skaters will find
a quick market.-E. Z. Powell, Clinton,
NY.
DEVELOPING THE COLT.
The future usefulness of the colt, says |
10. ExrrA