By keeping all the branches pinched back you form
the plant into an erect, sturdy bush that will load itself with
berries the following year. No fruit will be borne the first
season. The young canes of the second year will incline to be more
sturdy and erect in their growth; but this tendency can be greatly
enhanced by clipping the long slender branches which are thrown
out on every side. As soon as the old canes are through bearing,
they should be cut out and burned or composted with other refuse
from the garden. Black-caps may be planted on any soil that is not
too dry. When the plant suffers from drought, the fruit consists
of little else than seeds. To escape this defect I prefer to put
the black-caps in a moist location; and it is one of the few
fruits that will thrive in a cold, wet soil. One can set out
plants here and there in out-of-the-way corners, and they often do
better than those in the garden. Indeed, unless a place is kept up
very neatly, many such bushes will be found growing wild, and
producing excellent fruit.
The question may arise in some minds, Why buy plants? Why not get
them from the woods and fields, or let Nature provide bushes for
us where she will? When Nature produces a bush on my place where
it is not in the way, I let it grow, and pick the fruit in my
rambles; but the supply would be precarious indeed for a family.
Pages:
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133