RASPBERRY CULTURE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 325, 15 December 1888, Page 6

RASPBERRY CULTURE.

Wnxx in the Wes*> of England during the summer of last year. 1 called upon an old gardener, and found that he had wondeiful crops of Raspberries ; the fruit was not only numerous, but also very fine. The s=ort crown is a fovouiite one among the Kentish fruitgrowers — viz., Carter's Prolific, a red \ariety. The soil in which the plants weie grow ing is composed of about thiee patts of a lipht loam, and to this is added annually a srood dressing of decayed horse manure. The loam— a fc i tile one— is fully two feet deep, and in such a sod the roots go down deeply, and it is not to be wondered at the plants grow strougtyand product- heavy crops of fine fruit. A plantation is allowed to stand for about six jears — not longer : after that the fruit becomes small. The best and finest crops are when the plants arc about three or four years old. When a new plantation is to be made the ground is deeply trenched and freely manuied ; then the strongest «uckers are selected from the old stools, planted out in rows 6 feet a part from plant to plant, with a space of 5 feet between the lows. The second year numerous shoots spring up from the base of the plant, all of which, with the exception of the four most promising, aie cut down clo«e to the ground. Two of these are tiained to stakes placed ju a slanting direction on one side of the bush, and the other two in like manner on the opposite .side, so that an open space is left ' in the middle for the young suckers that follow to grow up in. The plants are kept clear of weeds during the summer, and if a numerous comoanyof .suckeis spring upfchey are thinned out, and about twelve of the strongest left to each root. This greatly accelerates the growth of those that are allowed to remain, and also impioves the bi/e of the fruit. If any more shoots are put up after the bushes arc &o regulated they are at once removed. In winter the dead stems are cut away, the growths ot the current year examined and all cut away, excepting eight or ten of the strongest. They are then pruned, about 8 inches ot the top of each being cut away, and arc then tied out as above described. New plantations are made when the plants are about four years old, and by the time the old one b spent the new one has come into bearing. A good dressing of manure is put on in the early part of the winter, after the primings are clear away and^fche soil forked over, taking care not to doi t too deeply to injure the roots. The Kentish "Raspberry growers long since found out the advantage of thinning out the vSuckers. They cut away all the weakly ones leaving a few of the strongest only. The result is that the fruiting canes go on bearing longer than they otherwise would. But, good as the sorts already grown are, there is yet ample room for improvement in our Raspberries, more especially in the direction of contin' 1 jus bearing. A new variety named Lo . Beaconsfield is highly spoken of. It is a red variety, particularly fine, and its robust habit withstands the drought better than any other; the fruib is very large, "and borne in 'the greatei fc profusion; Baumforth's Seedling is a new large red variety of fine flavour and very productives but in ordinary kitchen gardens Easpberrie, i are far too much crowded.— Gardening llkis\ i Crated.