RASPBERRY PRUNING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1937, Page 26

RASPBERRY PRUNING

AND CARE OF LOGANBERRIES

It is undoubtedly better to prune raspberries as^ soon as possible alter the crop is gathered'rather than leave the canes till winter. The first need is to cut away right to the ground level all the old canes that have fruited. They are of no further use and ought to come but without delay,/to' make room 'for the.' hew . caries ■ that have grown-up'during the summer from the; base of-the clumps; : These. latter, unhampered: by .the old canes, will then ripen up and make fine sturdy growthbefore the growing season comes to a close. As. it is to the young- canes that, one must look 'for the following- season's fruiting, the wisdom of ehfiouraging them will'-.be apparent: ' ■ .If raspberries are growing strongly there will probably be more new canes ;than there is' r&om ; for.; Some will be large, and.strong; others.small, ■and weak. The. latter should, be loosened with a fork, and. pulled-up, along .with those' that have ;sprung-,.up between the rows and out of alignment, and the more crowded of the vigorous, ones. The young canes- retained.need; .not be tied up,,they,are invariably stiff enough to stand alone until the winter .tying in is done., and, in'fact,'seem to ripen better if left loose'till? alter,the leaves .fall. ■• . • - ' "After pruning, and; thinning' out is completed, the soil along either side oi the rows may advisably be top-dressed with good manure, both to conserve moisture and nourish 'the surface-feed-ing roots. ' . . CULTIVATING LOGANBERRIES. Loganberries need much the same treatment as raspberries. It is not always necessary to cut out all the old wood, but it is best to do so whenever sufficient' strong young growths have been made to train in to refurnish the trellis completely. In no circumstances ought the canes to be left tangled and crowded. The thinning done, they should be evenly distributed over the wires, pride of place being given to sturdy new canes. A new supply of strong young loganj

now. The method is simply to bend down a long young cane so that it reaches the ground and to bury the tip 3 or 4 inches in the soil, fastening it in position with a peg. The new plant should be sufficiently rooted in a few weeks and may then' be lifted and planted where desired. ■ ■ •■