Mr. Brackett: I have some King raspberries, and I never covered them up in ten years. I will change that. The first year I did cover a part of my patch, at least one-half of them, and that left the other half standing, and I couldn't see any difference. Around Excelsior there are very few people that cover up the King raspberry. But the King raspberry has run out; all of the old varieties have run out. We have at our experiment station the No. 4—you can get double the amount of fruit from the No. 4 than from the King. The best way to grow the King raspberry or any other raspberry is to set them four feet apart and cultivate them. If you grow a matted row you are bound to get weeds and grass in there, you are bound to get them ridged up, but by planting in hills and cultivating each way you can keep your ground perfectly level. As far as clipping them back my experience has been it is very hard to handle them—they will spread out. It is a big job to cover the plants and then to uncover them again. I know it is not necessary with the No. 4; that is hardy. That is what we want. Hardiness is what we want in a berry, and you have it in the No. 4.
Mr. Hall: I would like to ask you what you spray with and when you spray?
Mr. Johnson: The bordeaux mixture. I spray them early in the spring and just before they start to ripen.
Mr. Wick: With us the Loudon raspberry seems to be the coming raspberry.
Mr. Johnson: Is it doing well now?
Mr. Wick: Yes, it is doing well.
Mr. Ludlow: How many years is the planting of the King raspberry good for?
Mr. Johnson: I think it would be good for fifteen years or more if they are handled as I do it. Keep at the plant, hoeing and spraying them twice a year; trim out the old wood and keep them healthy.
The President: You take out all the old wood every year?
Mr. Johnson: Yes, sir.