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Posted on 8:40 PM by Wanto and filed under
By Rick Stanley

Normally the loganberry is cooked but there are those, like my wife, who like acid fruits, who eat the berries raw with relish, when they are really ripe. The berries are produced in great profusion, being of a deep maroon colour.

The fruits are of a peculiar shape, being brown, round, flattened and with a crown of leaf segments and calyx. No special research has been done on the root stocks but empirical knowledge seems to show that for the half-standard, or standard, the common pear stock is best. Where the tree is to be planted on sandy or dry soil the Crataegus or White Thorn stock is excellent, but where medlars are to be grown in heavy clay soil a quince stock.

These are best planted as 'struck tips' in March. The rows should be 6 or 7 feet apart and the tips planted 8 feet apart in the rows. Time to plant is November or March. Age of canes is One year old.

The leaves are somewhat lighter green in colour but the fruit is deliciously flavoured when ripe and is excellent for jam or for stewing.

It is best to get the planting done early in November but any time in the dormant period will do. Two-year-old bush or pyramids should be planted, but three- or four-year-old standard or half-standard.

The grubs of the raspberry beetle burrow into the plug of the fruits as well as feeding on the drupelets. These must be kept at bay by using the non-poisonous liquid derris about the middle of June and again the end of June. The grubs of the shoot moth feed on the young tips of new canes and they often spin the little leaves together in bunches. Watch the young growths carefully and hand pick the grubs from the bunch tips. You may have to unroll them to do this. Various kinds of aphides (greenflies) may attack loganberries but they can easily be killed by spraying with liquid derris. Give the canes plenty of room for development so that the leaves can dry quickly after rain. If these cultural methods are adopted, there should be little trouble with the disease. If, however, it should occur, spray with a colloidal copper solution, added to the beetle sprays.

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