Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-09-05
EXPERT URGES CARE
IN PRUNING VINES
Of SMALL FRUITS
Eternal Vigilance Necessary to
Prevent Spread of Pest
Anthacnose.
BEST TILLAGE NECESSARY.
Combination of Feeding, Tillage
and Pruning Will Produce
Best Results.

Eternal vigilance is necessary for
the successful growing of small fruits,
and the slip-shod method of allowing
the dead vines to remain undisturbed
until they are in the way of the picker
and grower before being removed is
not only dangerous but positively det-
rimental to good results, frequently
producing the pest, anthacnose, ac-
cording to experts who are studying
the production of small fruits.
In caring for the plants and bushes
one of the most important items is the
proper pruning and the following arti-
Gle by c. |. Lewis of the Oregon Agri-
cultural college in the Pacific Home
stead, discusses this point:
"There are several principles under
lying the pruning of all small fruits,
and one of these principles is that the
amount of pruning given will depend
very largely on the vitality of the
bushes; that is, in order to get the
best results from small fruits and a
heavy crop of large fruit. This will
mean that the grower will have to fer
tilize the bushes heavily and give
them the best of tillage. The amount
Of pruning to be given them will de-
pend much upon the vigor which re-
suits from this care. In most forms
it will be a combination of feeding,
tillage and pruning which will give the
best results.
"As regards the phenomenal bushes,
will say that phenomenals and logan
berries are handled practically the
same way AS Is known, the vines
come up one year, bear no fruit that
year, but the second year after the
canes bear a crop. They then cease
bearing. so there Is two years growth
for each cane.
About the only pruning that is
done with brambles of this character
is to cut out all the old canes, and per-
sonally | would recommend that these
canes be cut as soon as the fruit is
picked. ! would also burn the brush
as soon as 1t Is cut out; in fact, be-
lieve it to be good plan to burn the
brush of all the brambles such as rasp-
berries, loganberries, blackberries, etc.
The reason is that plants are attacked
by disease known as anthracnose
Certain forms of spraying will help
much in controlling this disease Some
growers cut the fruiting canes as soon
as the season is over, burning the
brush and thus destroying the spores.
l know some say 1t Is better to let
these canes drop on the ground and
cut them up with a disc, using them
for fertilizer. This method of prun-
Ing is dangerous practice. as the dis
ease Is spread.
IF fertilizer Is added to the cane
fruits there Is nothing better than
plenty Of good stable manure. If this
cannot be had, certain cover crops can
be grown to advantage and possibly
with some of the cane fruits 1t would
pay to use commercial fertilizer.
THE Oregon Agricultural college ex-
pertinent station is now at work ex-
perimenting with methods of pruning
loganberries and also trying the value
OF the different fertilizers that are CIV
Ing heavy yields and better quality Of
fruit.
Most growers in the state practice
keeping about all the new growth Of
ioganberries. Very little thinning out
or the canes is practiced. A few advo-
cate the pruning of loganberries and
phenomenal berries the same way they
10 the black and red raspberry; that
ls' pruning back the canes, topping
them back in the summer, and even
cutting them back considerably in the
Spring."