THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST AND BEEKEEPER

Obtaining Results With Cane and Bush Fruits*
Prof. 0. M. Taylor, Geneva, N.Y.

O    FHER things     being   equal, cur-
rants   and    gooseberries   are
at   their  best   in cool, moist,
retentive    soil   of   rather   heavy
elay-loan   type,    quickly    deteri-
orating   in   hot,   dry, sandy soils.
None of these fruits will thrive in wet
soils, a soiggy  condition  being espec-
ially favorable to winter injury of
cane fruits. All soils should   be well
drained. There is but little danger of
over-feeding 'bush fruits but heavy ap-
plications -of nitrogen  may at times
cause excessive growth of cane fruits
which do not fully mature, resulting
in winter injury.
The pruning of cane and bush fruits
is important. The old canes of rasp-
berries and blackberries should be re-
moved as soon as the crop has been
harvested, thus destroying insects and
diseases which may have infested the
fruiting canes, and giving more room
for the new growth. No further sum-
nier pruning is required with red rasp-
berries. In the spring, the canes are
cut back to a desired fruiting height.
Suniner pruning of black raspberries
and 'blackberries depends on the imeth-
od of culture. Usually the new growth
is stopped at a desired height by
-pinchiniig out the succulent tip. In the
spring the lateral branches are short-
ened bock, depending on the vigor. The
vinelike growth    of dewberries   must
1Extract from a paper read at the meeting
of the Niagara Peninsula Fruit Growers' Asso-
ciation held in Grimsby, Ont., Fep. 26.

be supported by stakes or trellis. In
,tie liudson Valley, where berries are
g-o\\ni intensively, stakes or various
forms of trellis are in counmon use but
in western New York the trellis is sel-
doun seen.
Systematic 'pruning of currants is
essential to improve   the fruit and to
renew 'old and weak    wood. Most of
the wood over three years old should
be cut 'out and only enough for the
yearling -wood left to maintain an gin-
nual supply of the younger wood,
leaving from   five to eight canes per
bush. The tops of gooseberries should
be thinned and occasionally cut back
when   necessary to    encourage   new
growth and to maintain an open habit
of growth. Varieties that sucker free-
ly may be pruned much like currants.
Few, if any, growers spray the cane-
fruits. As a rule, insects do not appear
in injurious nuibers in New York, al.
though t'here may be occasional infes-
tations of the snowy tree-,cricket, the
raspIberry caneborer and the raspberry
sawfly, only one of which may be con-
tiled by spraying. Unfortunately,
there are several fungus troubles or
diseases which are difficult to con-
trol, such as anthracuose, 'orange rust,
cane blight, crown gall and raspberry
yellows. The most common insect ene-
my of the 'bush   fruits is the currant
worm and San Jose scale, which read-
ily yield to proper spraying.
All efforts conic to naught with the

selection of an inferior variety. Some
varieties are ahnost cosmopolitan in
adaptability but otheris are at their
best only  in restricted   areas. The
question of what to plant is difficult
partly on account of the great number
of varieties available but more so be-
cause of the fact that under different
environments and under unlike      sur-
roundings   the   same   variety  may
change both in plant and fruit-habits.
The best varieties in one place may be
allbut worthless elsewhere. Adaptation
should be determined .before planting
extensively.
The testing of the newer, most pro-
lising kinds should !be encouraged
aiid every effbrt made to develop    a
plantation especially for home use of
choice varieties, high in quality, of all
ie classes of both cane and bush
f ruits, including  the red  raspberry,
black raspberry, yellow raspberry,
purple raspberry, (blackberry, dew-
berry, the red, white and black cur-
rant and especially some of the Euro-
pean varieties of gooseberries. When
grown for home use, the fruits may be
left on the bushes   until the highest
degree of flavor and quality has been
developed-giving the grower a pro-
duct tempting to the eye, and delight-
ing   all   by   the  'handsome    ap-
pearance,    delicate    aroma     and
pleasing   flavor.   With    the many
varieties  at   our    disposal,   and
with   a better  knowledge    of  their
adaptabilities, intelligent effort can-
not fail to supply our tables with fruit
most acceptable to both sight and
taste.

Celery is a gross feeder and requires a well-prepared, rich soil for best results. This ten-acre crop was grown by Dr, H. A. Clark, at Brockville,
Ont. Note the me thod of bleaching.

(

March, 1919.

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