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<i

THE

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

BY

ANDEEW S. FULLER,

AUTHOR OF "the GEAPE CULTITBIST," "PRACTICAL FOBESTKY," " PBOPAeATIOll

OF PLANTS," ETC., ETC.

NEW. REWRITTEN. AND ENLARGED EDITION.

WITH AN APPENDIX.

BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATBa

NEW YORK :

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,
1911

LIBRARY
"RSiTY OF

i' i ■

. .01

uvr.iERST, MASS.

- ,1 .1 fill II ^.tt— .»A-H.^.ii— — — ii— i— i«

\ °i 1 1 -edi-. '

Umtered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1887, by the

O. JUDI) CO.,

In the Office of the Librarian ol Coujjress, at Washini^ton.

Printed in U. S. A.

PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION AND
APPENDIX.

Twenty years ago I wrote the first edition of this work,
scarcely expecting at the time that there would be such
a demand for it as to call for various revisions and
additions during the next two decades, and even later,
for now my publishers inform me that the last edition is
entirely exhausted, and a now one must immediately go
to press to enable them to promptly fill their orders.
The large number of copies sold of former editions has
not only been gratifying to the Author, but it has
shown that there was a want of just such information as
it contained. It was a pior^eer in a new field, and Small
Fruit Culture as a distinct branch of horticulture had
never been recognized when tlie first edition of this work
was published, but now there are hundreds of establish-
ments, and in all parts of the country, in which the
small fruits or berries are a specialty. That this work
has had some influence in promoting this adA'ance in
Small Fruit Culture, the Author thinks he may claim,
without fear of being accuGed of conceit.

That my efforts in seeking to disseminate information
in regard to the ^propagation and cultivation of berries
have been well receiyed by my co-laborers in this field, is
shown by the large calc and constant domand for this
work, and that they luivo .^lyo he^.n appreciated abroad is

(III)

IV PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION AND APPENDIX.

indicated by the fact that it has been translated into
German, and a very handsome edition brought out by a
publisher at Weimar. As this is the first and only book
written by an American on horticulture, which has been
translated and published in Germany, I consider that it
is not only a compliment to the Author, but to American
horticulturists generally.

As I have already stated in former editions of this work,
my principal object in experimenting with small fruits
was to obtain information, which might be given to the
public with an assurance that it would encourage their
cultivation, and eventually make them so plentiful and
cheap that the poor, as well as the rich, of our large cities
and villages might be able to indulge in fruits, which had
long been considered as luxuries.

That the good work may go forward until every
garden shall yield an abundance of the largest and best
varieties, and every table in the land be constantly sup-
plied, is the sincere wish of

The Author.

Ridgewood, N, J,, March, 1887.

CONTENTS.

Page.
Introduction - 6

Chapter I.
Barberry... 20

Chapter II.
Strawberry. 31

Chapter III.
Raspberry. - . 119

Chapter 4V.
Blackberry 176

Chapter V.
Dwarf Cherry.-.. 191

Chapter VI.
Currant. 194

Chapter VII.
Gooseberry 222

Chapter VIII.
Cornelian Cherry. 233

Chapter IX.
Cranberry. 239

Chapter X.
Huckleberry 254

Chapter XI.
Shepherdia, or Buffalo Berry 259

Chapter XII.
Preparation for Gathering Fruit. 263

Appendix 279

(5)

INTRODUCTION.

The cultivation of the Small Fruits, as a distinct feature
in horticulture, commenced less than twenty-five years
ago. It is true we had raspberries, strawberries, currants,
and other berries in our gardens, and nurserymen propa-
gated the plants for sale to a very limited extent, but a
catalogue made up exclusively of the Small Fruits was
unknown, and I may add, the common announcement in
catalogues of to-day, '^ Small Fruits a Specialty," has
come into use within the past twenty years. In Europe
there were a few men who made a sj^ecialty of the Small
Fruits, some choosing the Gooseberry, others the Straw-
berry, and cultivating these on a limited scale, but to
take the entire group of Small Fruits, and make these
the prominent feature, or specialty, was as rare in the old
world as in the new. The further we go back into the
history of horticulture, the less do we find in regard to
the berries, and even two centuries ago scarcely any of
the English and French authors give anything more than
a passing notice of some wild berries, which were occa-
sionally transplanted into the garden. The family supply
of these fruits was drawn from the fields and woods, and
while the apple, pear, plum, and other larger fruits were
attracting attention, as they had done from the earhest
times, the Small Fruits remained in their natural and
undeveloped state.

Early in the present century, some attempts were made

in England to improve the Strawberry, and these being

quite successful, a new interest was awakened in this

fruit among the horticulturists of the old world, but no

6

IKTRODUCTION. 7

great progress was made in the cultivation of tlie different
kinds of Small Fruits until several years later.

The progress of fruit-culture in the United States is
probably more apparent than in other countries, for we
have only to go back to a period Tv*ithin the memory of
horticulturists still living, to ascertain nearly every fact in
regard to its history. Ask any of our older horticulturists
concerning the markets of forty years ago, and they will
tell us that there were no Hovey or Wilson Strawberries
offered for sale in those days ; no Cherry or White Grape
Currants ; no New Rochelle or Kittatinny Blackberries ;
but that they were wholly supplied with berries from the
woods and uncultivated fields.

The progress we have made in Small Fruit Culture dur-
ing the past twenty years is certainly something of which
our horticulturists may well feel proud, but the limits in
the way of advancement have not as yet been reached,
and there is room enough for those who may wish to enter
this field to work out many an unsolved problem.

The cause of our advancement is, in a great measure,
due to the dissemination of information upon the subject
through the horticultural and agricultural press. It is
by reading these that the masses have learned where to
obtain the plants they desire and how to cultivate them.
Thus, by having a medium through which both parties
are benefited, trade is augmented and progress made more
certain.

The originators of new varieties have been stimulated
to make great exertions, because of the high prices paid
for their products in times past, but it is quite probable
that new sorts will not hereafter command so much at-
tention as they have in years gone by, at least it will not
be so easy to obtain high prices for a second-rate article.
What may be termed the ''Small Fruit Craze" has had
its day, and hereafter it will be only the really valuable
sorts — the intrinsic worth of which has become fully

8 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

ascertained and established, tliat will be in demand.
There has been altogether too much puffing of new or
supposed to be new sorts, before their merits or identity
had become fully ascertained. In many instances yarieties
haye been announcetl as something wonderful, and en-
dorsed by scores of ministers, doctors, lawyers, and other
j^rominent gentlemen — neighbors of the originators, not
one of whom perhaps ever had any experience in fruit-
culture, or could tell a *' Wilson" Strawberry from a
^^Hovey" or a *^Chas. Downing." Instances of this
kind of worthless endorsement of new^ or old sorts, are
becoming more and more frequent and annoying to the
horticulturist and the public at large. The old ^' Belle de
Tontenay " Raspberry was recently brought out as some-
thing new under the name of Amazon, and the man who
claimed to have produced it, procured the endorsement
of some half a score of ministers as to his own honesty,
and the great and valuable merits of his bantling. The
said ministers may be very good men, and know some-
thing of their parishioner's character, and still, as proved
in this case, know very little about Easpberries. In other
instances the Mayor of a city, or some noted politician,
is called upon to endorse the statement of the raiser of a
new variety, while there are plenty of good horticulturists
near at hand, whose word in such cases would carry some
weight among fruit-growers generally. All persons
interested in fruit growdng should unite in condemning
this species of quackery in horticulture.

The facilities for disseminating plants of all kinds, have
largely increased during the past few years, our railroads
having penetrated almost every part of the country, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, affording safe and rapid
facilities for transmission of plants to the most distant
localities. Added to this, the Post-office Department per-
mits the sending of plants through the mails, but I regret
to say at rates of j^ostage far in excess of what they should.

IKTRODUCTTOI^. 9

be in a country where agriculture and horticulture are
the foundation of national wealth. The rates of postage
on seeds, plants, and cuttings, has been doubled since the
first edition of this book was published, while the rates
on some other classes of matter have been reduced to
an almost nominal sum — a discrimination against agricul-
ture and horticulture not warranted by the needs of the
Department, and much against the wishes of the public
at large. The increase of railroad facilities and other
means of transportation has not been to the advantage of
fruit-growers in all localities alike, but to some a great
disadvantage, as it has brought distant parts of the
country into close competition. The fruit-growers in the
Southern States can novf send their berries to northern
markets, and while these do not come into direct com-
petition with those grown in the Xorth, still their pres-
ence has a very depressing influence upon prices. Weeks
and sometimes months before the northern berries are
ripe, the markets are flooded with the southern grown
fruit, and the residents of our cities have had enough of
strawberries before the home-grown berries come in, and
wanting a change the public seek some other kind to the
neglect of the fresh berries from the fields in the suburbs,
and prices go down accordingly. The southern fruits
bring high prices, but the cost of freight, commission,
etc. , leave the raiser but a small margin for profit ; con-
sequently the only parties benefited are the transporta-
tion companies, commission men, and the consumer.

There have been no great discoveries or improvements
made in methods of culture or propagation of the Small
Fruits during the past dozen years, but there appears to
be a growing desire to improve native varieties to the ex-
clusion or neglect of the foreign, and tliis is especially
noticeable among the cultivators of the Raspberry. Tlie
native sorts are attracting most attention, and are well
deserving of it, because the foreign ones here have never

10 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

been satisfactory in general cultivation. There is room
for great improvements upon even the best of those now
known as the leading native varieties, and if half the
time and skill had been bestowed upon the native Red
Raspberry, in endeavoring to produce new sorts, as has
been upon the foreign, we would now have something
better than even the highly extolled Cuthbert and Turner.
The introduction and almost general use of fruit-pre-
serving cans have afforded the people an opportunity of
obtaining an uninterrupted supply of choice fruits, re-
gardless of time or season. Thousands of bushels are
annually preserved for home use by families, both in
country and city. One may step into any of our restau-
rants— even when the snow covers the fields and with the
thermometer at zero — and call for a dish of strawberries
and cream, and he will be supplied as readily as in the
month of June. The fruit may not be quite so good as
when first gathered from the plant, but, considering the
time of year, it is very acceptable. Not only do private
families, saloons, and hotels consume enormous quantities
of the Small Fruits which have been preserved in these
hermetically sealed cans and jars, but every steamer or
sailing vessel that leaves our ports takes with it a supply
for use on the voyage, and it often forms a share of the
freight. AVe are not only called upon to produce fruits
to supply the home demand, but other portions of the
world which cannot or do not produce them, and it can
readily be seen that it must be many years before any-
tliing like an adequate quantity can be produced, even
witli the rapid strides we are making. The field for pro-
duction may appear to be a very large one, still it is far
less than that of consumption. It is not every location
or soil that is adapted to the cultivation of the Small
Fruits, neither will every variety succeed equally well on
the same place. Consequently the favorable regions for
particular kinds must furnish the people of other loca-

IKTRODUCTIOK. 11

tions ; thus an exchange is made beneficial to both, and
to the advantage of trade. The Southern States produce
fruit for home consumption, and for sale at the North,
and vice versa. Different sections produce different
fruits, but often both yield the same, and yet they be-
come a market for each other.

With a constantly increasing demand, and no apparent
prospect of our markets being fully supplied, it is no
wonder that many have turned their attention to the
cultivation of the Small Fruits.

All along the lines of our railroads, 'canals, and naviga-
ble rivers, new villages are springing up, each of which
soon becomes a shipping point for produce sent to the
larger cities and villages. Places which did not exist
eight or ten years ago, are now annually sending to
market a half million to a million baskets of fruits.

It is not to be expected that every one who attempts
the cultivation of the Small Fruits will be successful, any
more than that all will succeed in any other business, still
it must be admitted, that the culture of the leading vari-
eties of this class offers as wide and safe a field for enter-
prise as is to be found in any other branch of business
pertaining to the cultivation of the soil.

Some will fail because they obtained varieties unsuited
to their soil or location, for it must be remembered that
there is no such thing as general cultivation, when ap-
plied to the whole United States. Others will attempt
more than they are capable of completing. And there
are those who imagine that all that is required is, to ob-
tain the plants and see that they are planted, after which
they can sit down and wait for a bountiful harvest. Such
people are always disappointed, and it matters not what
they undertake they are sure to be unfortunate, and every
experiment will end in failure until they learn to labor
as well as to wait. Profitable fruit-culture cannot result
from idleness or negligence. Prompt, energetic action, ap-

19 SMAIX PEITIT CULTtrBIST,

plied at the proper time, is far more essential with the
small fruits than with the larg^er ones. An apple or pear
tree will struggle long, and often successfully, against
weeds, drouth, or an unsuitable soil, while a Raspberry or
Strawberry plant would perish in a week under similar
circumstances. There is probably nothing appertaining
to the cultivation of the soil which will, if properly con-
ducted, yield more pleasure or profit than the culture of
our best varieties of small fruits. Still it must not be ex-
pected til at there are no difficulties in the way, for there
will sometimes be early and late frosts; wet and dry sea-
sons ; cold winters and hot summers, and insects that will
destroy more rapidly than nature can restore ; therefore
no one should attempt the culture of any kind of fruit,
unless he has courage and perseverance sufficient to meet
and overcome all the obstacles he may find in the road to
success. To the inexperienced cultivator these difficultiei
may appear very formidable, yet they are no greater than
in any other branch of business, and far less than in many.
The small fraits, as a class, are less liable to be affected by
disease or insects than a majority of the larger kinds,
and as many of them, like the Raspberry and Blackberry,
bloom late in the season and perfect their fruit early, they
are seldom injured by the late spring frosts, which are
often so very destructive to the Peach, Apple, and other
early bloomers.

To guard against great losses it is best not to risk one'a
entire capital in any one kind, for if that should fail, it
would be ruinous. Neither is it advisable to cultivate too
great a variety, for capital, needlessly scattered, is not
readily gathered. The aim of the cultivator should be:
Ist — To provide against total failure. 2d — Cultivate no
more of any one kind than he can properly attend to, both
m cultivatincr and in gatherinor the fruit. 3d — Provide
for a succession of cro])s, so that there shall be an uninter-
rupted income, in preference to a large and fluctuating

INTEODUCnON. IZ

me. Fruit-baskets, crates, etc., must be provided, and
the capital invested in these should not be allowed to re
main idle any longer than is absolutely necessary. If sev-
eral kinds are cultivated, commencing with the Strawber-
ry, and followed by Raspberries, Gooseberries, Currants,
and Blackberries, the fruit-baskets may be constantly em-
ployed for at least three months, when if but one kind
is grown their use will scarcely extend over as many
weeks. Besides this, a better class of help can be secured
for gathering the fruit where steady employment for three
months can be given, than when for only a few days oi
weeks.

The chief object of those who cultivate fruit for mar-
ket is that of profit, and to secure the largest return on
capital invested lequires a judicious selection of varieties.
The best in quality are seldom the most profitable for
general niiirket purposes. Usually the highest flavored
are the most delicate growers and quite unproductive.
Individual tastes diifer — one will clioose a variety that an-
other will reject. Taste, however, is changeable, and a
fruit, wliich at one time may be quite distasteful, will, by
a constant acquaintance, become very agreeable. Our
markets are but an aggregation of individuals, conse-
quently they often change, and a particular variety of
fruit, when first introduced, will find no purchasers,
though it may afterwards become exceedingly popular.

A particular color will often be the cause of rejection,
and it will require a constant and persistent effort on the
part of the producer to introduce the variety and per-
suade the masses to purchase. A case in point is that of
the Brinckle's Orange Raspberry, a variety which is ac-
knowledged, by connoisseurs in fruit, to be one of the very
best in quality ; still, place it beside almost any ordinary
red variety in any of the New York markets, and not teu
baskets of it will be sold to one hundred of the latter.

In other cities the results may be quite the reversei

14 SMALL PRUrr CULTURIST.

which would only show that the masses must become aiv
quainted with a variety before they will freely purchase,
especially if it differs widely in appearance from those
which are well known. The public taste in this country
has not as yet been sufficiently cultivated to discriminate
or select the very best, and it is doubtful if the masses
appreciate or care whether a fruit is fully up to any par-
ticular standard of quality that scientific horticulturists
have endeavored to establish ; quantity is evidently more
highly prized than quality, especially if the latter is at-
tended by scarcity.

I do not wish in these remarks to convey the idea that
the very best should not always be sought for, but when
their cultivation is not remunerative, quality alone be-
comes of doubtful advantage to the producer.

The more familiar a people become with any particular
kind of fruit, the more they wall appreciate it, and should
anything occur to deprive them of a supply, they w?ll feel
the loss very keenly. Small fruit-culture has already be-
come quite a prominent feature in American horticulture,
and every possible means should be employed, not only to
keep up the supply, but to increase it, so that it shall
equal the demand.

Heretofore its production has been mainly local ; that is,
a particular neighborhood has made a specialty of grow-
ing some one or more kinds that have been found to be
adapted to the location and soil.

Fruit-growers in other sections, having tried the same
variety or varieties, as the case may be, and not finding
their culture remunerative, have discarded them. Instead
of doing this, they should have tried to produce new va-
rieties that would succeed; or, endeavored to procure
from among the many already known, some kind that was
adapted to their particular soil and location. It is well
known to every experienced horticulturist that certain
species, and all the varieties produced therefrom, fail id

INTRODircnON. 16

iome locations and soils, while other species and their va^
rieties, although of the same genus, will succeed most ad-
mirably. These peculiarities of species have given rise
to much discussion among fruit-growers. One will assert,
for instance, that the Raspberry is a total failure in his
section, and that it cannot be grown, which may be true
in regard to a particular kind or class, but no farther.
There is probably no soil in our whole country, unless it
be under water or totally barren, in which some one or
more kinds of small fruits may not be profitably grown.
The great desideratum is, to determine which they are,
and the people are looking to experimenters to furnish the
required information.

This is being given through various mediums that are
accessible to all, and the rapidly extending culture of this
class of fruits shows very clearly that the knowledge
gained is put to practical use. The dissemination of sim-
ple facts, which are frequently conveyed in a single word
or line, is often of more value than a learned and elabo-
rate essay.

We sometimes observe in nurserymen's catalogues, re-
ferring to a particular variety, a simple remark like this :
" succeeds admirably with me in a light sandy, clayey, or
loamy soil," as the case may be, thereby giving a key to
the secret of his success and the failure of others.

There was a time in the history of horticulture when
Becrets were a merchantable commodity, and the particular
methods of propagation and culture were transferred from
one gardener to another for a consideration. But those
days are past, for the true horticulturist of the present
day keeps no secrets that will benefit mankind, but hast-
ens to give to the world the advantages which may arise
from any discovery he makes, receiving in return that
which is of more lasting value than money : the thanks
of his co-laborers. It is true, that occasionally a man can
be found so blind to his own iv.terest and reputation, and

16 SYjLLL fectt CITLnXIUSl.

go selfishly mean, as to desire to keep to himself any procesi
by which he thinks he can surpass his neighbors, and tai
the public for his own benefit; but such is the estimation
in which these men are held by a large majority of horti-
culturists, and so readily is their meanness discovered by
their customers, that they are very soon obliged either to
retire from business and seek some other less honorable
occupation, or eke out a miserable existence supported
by the patronage of a class no better than themselves.

The laws of nature should be secrets to none, and he
who would deny others the knowledge of any important
discovery in horticultural processes, would, if he were
able, have the blessed sunshine and showers shut out from
every field but his. It is to the constant interchange of
facts, derived from experience, that we owe much of our
progress in horticulture. To know the different varieties,
60 that one can name them at sight, does not constitute,
as some may suppose, all the knowledge requisite to en-
able one to cultivate them successfully.

Their adaptaition to the various soils, locations, and
climate ; the best mode of cultivation, propagation, prun-
ing; whether the fruit is firm or fragile, rendering it more
suitable for market or home use — these and many other
points must be understood before one can safely go into
small fruit-culture on an extensive scale. There has been
much discussion as to whether a constant cultivation of
the soil was necessary to produce remunerative results
from growing the apple, peach, pear, and kindred fruits.
There is, perhaps, some reason in particular cases for
an apparent neglect, such as excessive growth, which
may be checked by non-cultivation more readily than oth-
erwise. But with the fruits, of which we shall treat in
the following pages, there are no exceptions to the rule—
the better the care, the more remunerative the results. By
oestowing the best of care, we will not only obtain bettei
returns, but they will be in an increased ratio to the amount

INTEODUCTION". 17

of labor bestowed. In many instances, with an annual
expenditure of twenty-five dollars per acre, a return of
only one hundred is obtained, while upon the same soil
and with the same variety, if fifty dollars had been ex-
pended, the return would have been three or four hundred.
All experiments show that extra culture is far more prof
itable than what is generally termed good culture. I do
not mean by this that it is necessary to trench the soil
four feet deep, and apply a thousand loads of manure peif
acre to a soil which is naturally deep and rich ; but that
deep plowing and subsoiling should be employed, with a
liberal supply of enriching materials, if the best results
are to be obtained. But few of those who are called
good cultivators are aware of the large increase of fruit
which may be produced on an acre by giving extra cul-
ture, instead of the ordinary method. Many fruit-grow-
ers, for the purpose of extending their business, increase
the number of acres, when, if they would double the
depth of that which they already possess, they would ob-
tain the same increase in product without going to the
expense of purchasing more land, besides incurring the
extra trouble of cultivating two acres, when one might,
with proper care, produce the same results. Deepening
the soil is not wholly for the purpose of furnishing more
plant food, nor to facilitate the downward growth of
roots, but it is principally for the purpose of disintegra-
tion, and making it of such a consistency that it will be
capable of retaining a suflicient amount of moisture at all
times to nourish and supply the plants growing therein,
but not enough to be detrimental. Rain water, as is
well known, contains gases that are beneficial to plants, and
if the soil is in a condition to allow it to pass through it, a
large portion of these gases will be retained, but if the
surface is hard, the water either runs off or remains untii
It evaporates.

Again, a soil that is loose and f'^'^Me adniits air, and

IS SMALL FEUrr CXTLTUBIST.

with it moisture. To prove this fact, we have only to
take a piece of glass or polished steel, or any similar sub-
stance, and place it in an ice-house where it will become
cold ; then carry it into the open air, and in a moment it
will be covered with water condensed from the atmos-
phere. Now, we know that this moisture did not exude
from the glass, therefore it must have come from the air.
By stirring the soil, and placing that which has become heat-
ed underneath to warm the roots, and bringing the cooler
portions to the top to condense the moisture, two objects
are obtained: besides loosening the earth that it may be
the more easily penetrated by the rootlets, it at the
same time admits the air charged with moisture for their
nourishment. The benefit derived from frequent stirring
of the surface soil in dry weather, especially if it be of a
compact nature, is mainly derived from the admission of
air containing moisture. Many cultivators appear to
think that all that is required of them is, to keep the
weeds from growing among their plants, and they never
3tir the soil except for this purpose; but our best culti-
vators have learned that frequent moving of the soil is
very beneficial to all crops, especially in time of drouth.
If any one doubts that soil can be made moist by frequent
stirring, let them select a piece of ground under some
open shed where no rain has reached for a year or more,
break up the soil and pulverize it finely ; then stir it and
turn it over every morning for a week or two, and it will
become quite moist, while a similar soil in the open field,
which has not been stirred, will be parched and dry.
Mulching the surface with straw, leaves, or similar materi-
als, is often very beneficial, especially to plants whose
roots do not penetrate deei)ly. The mulch not only as»
gists in preventing evaporation, but insures condensation
of moisture from the air, which passes freely through it to
the soiL
It is not my purpose to enter into any elaborate disco*-

INTEODUanON. 19

iions of particular theories relative to growth, structure,
food of plants, or any of the various points in vegetable
physiology which are considered debatable questions.
But as I shall have occasion in the following pages to ad-
vise deep and thoroughly pulverized soil, I have stated
the foregoing simple facts, so that the reader may under
stand why they are recommended.

CHAPTER I.

BARBERRY.— Berberis.

NATURAL FAMILY BerbertdaceoR.

[Name derived from the Arabic Berberys. The French name is Epine vinette ;
German, Berberitze ; Dutch, Berberisse ; Italian, Berhero ; Spanish, Berberis.]

General Characters. — Shrubs of medium size, with
yellow inner bark and wood ; flowers in drooping ra-
cemes ; leaves, and fruit, acid. A section of this genus,
with evergreen leaves, is called Mahonia.

SPECIES.

Berberis vulgaris. — Common Barberry. — Native of
Britain, but has become naturalized in the New England
States ; stems with sharp spines ; leaves obovate-oblong,
bristly-toothed ; berries oblong, scarlet.

Berberis Canadensis. — American Barberry. — Very
similar to the last ; the racemes not quite so long. Ber-
ries oval, red. Considered by some botanists as only a
variety of B. vulgaris, Alleghanies and southward.

The past summer, in a visit to New Mexico, I found
this species in great abundance in the deep canyons, at
an elevation of six thousand to eight thousand feet
above the sea. It seemed to thrive best along the
dry banks and sides of the canyons, among the yuccas
and cactuses, where few other plants can survive the long
drouths of those regions. Leaves smaller than in B. vul-
garis, slightly serrate ; lighter green ; similar in habit,
but less robust, perhaps owing to the rigorous climate.

Berberis Frcmonti.— Fremont's Barberry. — A hand-
some large evergreen shrub, five to ten feet high, with
rigid trifoliate leaves ; leaflets one to two and a half
inches long, the middle one usually the longest, some-
what cordate at the base, and with more numerous teeth,
the lowest pairs situated close at the base. Flowers in
clusters of two or three ; berries ovate, dark blue, about
the size of small currants. Discovered by Fremont, in

BARBERRY. 21

1844, in Southern Utali, but it extends along the yalleys
southward, and would probably succeed in the Middle
States, if not in the Northern.

Berberis trifoliata. — Three-leaved Barberry.— Closely
allied to the last ; common in Western Texas and New
Mexico. Berries bright red, and less acid than those of
the common barbery. Fruit used for tarts, etc.

Berberis dalcis. — Magellan Sweet Barberry. — Also
B. huxifoUa and B. rotundifolia. Straits of Magellan ;
it is an evergreen there and in England ; here it usually
drops its leaves late in winter. The berries are round,
black, moderately sweet.

Berberis aristata. — Nepaul Barberry. — B. Asiatica
and B, Chitra. A native of various portions of India.
Evergreen, with purple fruit, covered with bloom.

The other evergreen species of the Rocky Mountains
and the Pacific Coast, i. e., B. repens, B. Aquifolmm,
B. pinnata and B. nervosa, are known as "Mountain"
or ** Bush-Grapes." They were formerly placed in the
genus Mahonia; and are principally cultivated for orna-
ment ; the pioneers in the regions named considered the
berries as edible, and as a substitute for grapes.

HISTORY.

There is very little in the history of the Barberry that
is of interest at the present day. Gerarde, an English
author (1597), says that its young leaves were used as a
salad in his time.

PROPAGATION.

By Seeds. — Gather the fully ripe berries, and put into
boxes until the pulp becomes soft, then wash out the
seeds, and either sow or keep in sand until wanted.

Sow in the fall ; if delayed until spring, the seeds be-
come dry, and more or less of them will not grow. Where
the weather is very hot and dry in summer, select a half-
ehady place for the seed-bed, else the young plants will

22 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

be bumed off. Sow in drills, and cover them about one
inch deep ; keep the weeds down, and stir the soil often.

Transplant in early spring when one or two years old,
and at the time of removal shorten the ta^D-root about
one-third.

By Suckers. — The Barberry throws up numerous
suckers, chiefly from the main stem, and roots are pro-
duced on the base of these, which may be separated from
the old plant to increase the number of plants.

By Cuttii^gs. — Cuttings of the ripe wood do not grow
as readily as with some other plants ; still, with care, they
will succeed. Select one or two-year-old wood in the fall,
before it has been severely frozen, and cut it into lengths
of six or eight inches, cutting the lower end square across
and just below a bud. Use a sharp knife, in order to cut
smoothly. After the cuttings are made, bury them in a
dry place in the open ground, and cover beyond the reach
of frost. Do not tie in bundles, but place in alternate
layers of soil and cuttings. In the spring take out and
plant, placing them about three inches apart in the rows,
covering all but one or two inches of the upper end.
Pack the soil firmly around them, and either hoe often or
cover the entire surface of the soil with mulch. As the
same general system is followed for all ripe wood cuttings
grown in the open ground, I will here give my method
with the Barberry, the Currant, Gooseberry, and all simi-
lar plants. When the cuttings are prepared, select a dry
place, and dig a drench one spade deep, in shape like a
letter V ; place a layer of cuttings on one side, then throw
enough soil from the other side to cover them about an
inch deep. Then place another layer of cuttings against
this soil, keeping the trench in the same shape as it was
when begun, cover the next layer in the same manner,
and so on until the cuttings are all in ; then bank over
with earth and smooth the surface so that the water will
readily run off.

BAHBEHEY.

S3

In the spring, prepare a bed for the cuttmgs by digging
or plowing deeply, and enriching with well rotted manure.
Harrow or rake the surface level and smooth ; then draw
a line across the bed, and dig a trench by placing the back
of the spade against the line, pressing it down perpendicu-
larly ; then throw out the soil to one side, making a trench
of the shape shown in figure 1. Place the cuttings against

the perpendicular side of the
trench, two to four inches
apart, and the upper end an
inch or two above the surface
of the soil. Draw in a little
soil, and press it down firmly
with the foot, or with an in-
^ii,^ 1.— CUTTING TRENCH. struuicut madc from a piece of
two inch plank, as shown in figure 2. After the earth has
been packed firmly about the base of the cutting, the
trench may be filled up level with the surrounding soil.
"With many kinds of plants the packing of the
soil around the lower end of the cuttings is a
very essential point, and often the whole secret
of success. This is particularly so with those
kinds that produce roots mainly from the lower
end, where the wood is exposed to the soil. The
distance between the rows will depend entirely
upon the manner in which they are to be culti-
vated. If a cultivator is to be used, then they
should be two and a half or three feet apart;
but where they are to be cultivated with the
hoe one and a- half to two feet will be sufiicient.
In some soils and locations the plants raised
from cuttings may be left in the ground where
they are grown until the following spring, and then trans-
planted ; but the safest i)lan is to take them up in the fall, be-
cause in some soils tliey will be thrown out by the frost, un-
less they have a larger quantity of roots than is usuaL

Fig. 2.

t4 SMALL FRUIT CITLTUKIST.

By Green Wood Cuttings. — ^Tliis mode of propagating
the Barberry can only be practiced to advantage by those
who have propagating houses. The plants should be taken
up in the fall and potted, giving each plant sufficient soil
and room to insure a healthy growth. They may be placed
directly in the house or in frames or cellar until wanted.
When they are first potted the soil should be watered so
that it will settle about the roots and fill all interstices
between them.

When the plants have been placed in the house, and
have made a growth of two or three inches, the cuttings
may be taken off by seveiing the new-growing wood close
to the main stem ; place the cuttings in pots filled with pure
sand, fifteen to twenty in a six inch pot, after which give
water to settle the sand about the cuttings ; then cover
with a bell glass, or place in frames within the house, as
usual with other green wood cuttings.

Every experienced propagator will understand and know
how to treat the cuttings when they become rooted, and
those who are novices in these matters would do well to
practice a while upon plants less difficult to propagate, be-
fore trying the Barberry.

By Budding and Grafting. — The rare varieties are
sometimes worked upon the more common kinds, usually by
budding. The operation is performed just as soon as the
buds are fully developed on the young growth of the sea-
son, and in the same manner as upon the apple and similar
trees. Grafting is also peiformed in the usual manner, but
the cion should be inserted in the stock below the surface
so that all but the upper bud will be covered by the soiL

By Layers. — The usual manner of making layers of othei
woody plants is applicable to the Barberry, but they will
seldom become well rooted the first season. Still they may
be severed from the parent plant in the autumn or early
spring ; the upper portions of the stems are cut ofi and
then they are treated the same as cuttings.

BAEBEERT 25

Tbe layers may be made in early spring, of the ^jrevioua
season's growth, or later, when new wood is formed of suf-
ficient length for the purpose. Layers put down in the
autumn will become well rooted by the end of the next
season.

CULTURE.

The Barberry, when left to itself, forms a dense shrub,
with many stems, but when cultivated for its fruit a portion
of the shoots sh/^'ild be annually removed to allow the sun
and air to more readily reach all parts of the plant, and
assist in developing the fruit buds.

It may also be trained to a single stem, and when treated
in this manner, some of the varieties will form shrubs ten
to fifteen feet in hight. The fruit will also be larger and
more abundant than when the plant is allowed to grow in
the natural manner and without pruning.

Each plant should be given plenty of room and not
crowded, especially when fruit is the object of cultivation*
Six to eight feet apart will be sufficient in ordinary soiL

As before remarked, the Barberry will grow in dry and
ahnost barren soil ; still, as no plant will produce the best
results in such situations, it is best to give a good, deep
and moderately rich soil even to plants that will grow in a
poor one.

VARIETIES AND USES.

Berberis vulgaris. — This species and some of its varie.
ties are probably better known in this country than any
others. The most common is the original species, which is
found growing wild in many places in the New England
States. It is also quite common in gardens. Tlie fruit is
oblong, about half an inch in length and one-eighth across
of a bright scarlet color, very acid, but of agreeable flavor.
Figure 3 shows a small branch, with fruit and flowers of
natural size, and figrute 4 selves a mascnified single flower.
There is a peculiarity about the stamens worthy of notice,
2

26

SMALL t'ETTlT CtJLTUKIST.

as they are endowed with a remarkable irritability. "Wien
the flowev opens, the stamens all lay back against Khe

Fig. 3. — BARBERRY FLOWER AND FRUIT.

petals, but when touched by an insect they spring- up
against the pistil, where
they discharge their pollen.
This motion may be pro- ||
duced by touching the sta-
mens near the base with
a pin or other point. The ^' '

F\<^. 4. Stamens discharge their pollen in a rather

unusual manner. In most stamens the anther, or ppUen*

BAEBERRT. 27

Dearing portion, opens by slits, but in the Barberry a pair
of little doors, or traps, lift up to allow the pollen to fall
DUt. Figure 5 shows two enlarged stamens — one closed
and the other open.

The fruit and flowers are not produced at the same time
upon tlie plant, but as a matter of convenience they are
both shown on the same branch hi the eng^ravine:. The
fruit is much used for preserves, pickles, jams, &c.

The thorny character of the plant, with its upright, com-
pact growth, makes it a very desirable hedge plant.

The inner bark of the stem and roots is used in some
countnes for making a yellow dye. It is also used in Po-
land and other portions of the East for tanning purposes.

The best known varieties of this species are as follows :

B. vulgaris alba. — White fruited. — Xot very productive,
and not so vigorous a grower as the original.

B. Tulgaris asperma. — A variety which produces fruit
without seeds. It is not, however, constant, and plant8
propagated from it will often produce fruit with seeds.
This variety has been known and cultivated in England
for more than two hundred years, according to Parkinson,
Gerarde and other old authors.

B* vulgaris dulcis, — Sweet fniited. — Very similar to the
species. The fruit is a little larger and not quite so acid,
and leaves bric^ht jjreen and shinins:.

This variety should not be confounded with the before
mentioned species, JBerberis dulcis, as the latter has black
fruit of the size of a large currant, which is solitary, while
that of the former is produced in racemes.

B. vulgaris purpurea. — Purple leaved. — Leaves dark
purple. On this account it is very ornamental.

B« vulgaris glauca. — Leaves pale green and glaucous;
not shining.

B. VQlg;arjs lesgifeliaw— Lcavei* longer that in th*^ Boe
»e8 ; otherwise the same.

28 SMALL FEtJlT CtTLTUBIST.

B. mlgaris lutea. — Yellow fruited.— A variety wiU
small yellow fruit ; not very productive.

B* vulgaris mitis. — Thorns small and not as rigid as is
other varieties.

B. vulgaris nigra # — Black fruited. — Toumefort found
his variety on the banks of the Euphrates, about one hun-
dred and fifty years ago. He says that the fruit is of a
sweet and delicious flavor. I am not aware of its being
cultivated in America.

B. vulgaris purpurea. — Purple fruited. — Fruit dark red
or purple. Leaves narrow, with few prickles.

B. vulgaris violacea. — ^Violet fruited. — Fruit violet
colored.

There are probably many other varieties of this species,
as the seedlings usually vary considerably, especially when
the seeds are taken from kinds that are quite distinct from
the original species.

Seedlings grown from the purple-leaved variety will
show a great diversity of foliage. Some will have purple
leaves like the parent, while others will be margined with
purple or red, or be wholly green.

Berberis Sibirica. — Siberian Barberry. — Native of Si-
oeria, where it is found growing among rocks on hill sides
and mountains. The plant seldom grows more than two
feet high. Fruit oval, red, solitary, peduncle shorter
than the leaves.

The following, which may be distinct species, or only
rarieties, possess n "> prirtioilar merit as regards their finit,
out may interest the botanist or those who wish to make
their collections as complete as possible :

B« Iberica* — Iberian Barberry. — Berries deep purple.

B. Sinensis. — Chinese Barberry. — Berries dull red.

B. Cretica. — Cretan Barberry. — Berries oval, black,
very astringent.

BARBERRT.

29

The Barberry is susceptible of great improvement, and
might, if a proper amount of care were bestowed upon it,
become a fruit of much importance ; whereas, at the pres-
ent time, it is seldom admitted to the fruit garden, being
mainly planted for ornamental purjDOses.

DISEASES AND INSECTS.

The Barberry is seldom injured to any considerable ex-
tent by disease or insects. The leaves are sometimes in-
jured by a species of fungus called ^cidiiira Serheridis,
It usually makes its appearance on the upper end of the
leaves (fig. 6), then becomes scattered over
the surface, and extends to the fruit. To
the eye it appears like fine reddish dust.
\ When these rust-like spots are examined
C with a lens, they appear as in figure 7,
and when more highly magnified the
whole is found to consist of
cup-like cells, as in figure 8.
These cups are at first covered
with a thin, light colored film,
Fig. 6. which, when the fungus be-

comes mature, bursts and leaves the edges of the cup with
the uneven margin shown in figure 8. When this covering
bursts, the cups discharge their spores or reproductive
dust, which is scattered over the leaves and fruit.

This fungus or mildew has
been supposed to cause the blight
in wheat, and it is an old belief
that the Barberry would cause
the grain near which it grew to
rig. 8. blast. This belief has generally

been treated as a superstition by scientific men, but recent
researches show that it may have a foundation in fact.
Many of these minute fungi have in difierent generations
Very unlike forms. Thus, the spores of A will producQ

Fiu-.

80 SMALL FEUrr OULTURIftl.

B. 80 unlike A. that it has been taken for a different
fungus, and B. will again reproduce A. Thero ia a strong
probability that the rust of the Barberry and the smut In
wheat are both forms of the same fiingus.

The injury which it causes to the Barberry is very slight,
but it may become so prevalent as to be worthy of particr
lar attention. Ashes or slacked lime scattered over ih
leaves in the morning, when the dew is on them, wouk
probably destroy it or check its progress. Another blighi
which affects the leaves later in the season, known as M*
crosphceria Berheridis^ is shown highly magnified in figure
9. It appears in very minute spots, with fine, rib-like ap-
pendages radiating from the
center, like the spokes of a
wheel, the ends of each be-
ins: divided into several
small branches, as in figure
10. This species of blight
attacks the leaves so late in
Fig. 9. Fig. 10. the season that it causes but

little if any injury. The illustrations of these and the other
minute fungi given in subsequent pages, are taken from a
work called " Rust, Smut and Mildew," by ]\I. C. Cook,
London. This channing little work is beautifully illus-
trated, and as it describes many fungi common to both
this country and England, we call the attention of our
readers to it, as the most available source of information
concerning these humble, but, to the fruit grower, import-
ant forms of vegetation.

I am not aware of any insect that is injurious to the
Barberry. The peculiar (and rather agreeable than other-
wise) fragrance of the flowers attracts numerous insects to
the plant when in bloom, and their presence is probably
for the purpose of gathering food, while they aid at the same
time in fertilizing the flowers by irrii ating the stamensr

CHAPTER n.

THE STRAWBERRY— Fraqaria

KATURAL FAMTLY RosaCeCB.

[Name derived from fragrans^ perfumed In reference to the fragrance of tki
ftnlt. French, Frasier ; German, Erdbe^rpflame ; Dutch, AadbezU ; Italian,
Planta di fragda ; Spanish, Freza. The name of Strawberry ia said by Pryoi
to be derived from the Anglo Saxon " Streoberie,'''' either from its straw-like
haalms, or from their laying strown upon the ground. Other authors give differ
ent derivations.]

GENERAL CHARACTERS.

Calyx flat or reflexed, deeply five-cleft, with the same
number of bractlets, thus appearing to be ten-cleft. Petals
five, white, erect, spreading. Stamens many, usually about
twenty. Pistils numerous, adhering at the base to the
small seed-like fruits, these are situated on the fleshy re-
ceptacle, which enlarges and becomes what is generally
called the fruit or berry. Increased by seeds, runners and
divisions of the roots. Stemless perennials, with or without
runners. Leaves radical, divided into three leaflets, obovate
wedge-form, coarsely serrate, evergreen. Root fibrovia,
rather woody, perennial

SPECIES

Fragaria TCSCa. — Edible Strawberry, Alpine Straw-
beiTy, Wood Strawberry, &q, — Seeds superficial, on the
conical or hemispherical fruiting receptacle (not sunk in a
cavity). Flower stalks longer than the leaves, erect, hairy,
hairs closely pressed upward. Fruit drooping, usually con-
ical, sometimes globular. Leaves thin, pale green ; upper
surface uneven, slightly wavy. Native of Europe and
America.

82 SMALL FRUTT CULTURIST.

Fra^aria COlIina. — Green Strawberry. — This is consid*
ered by sotLlC botanists as a species, but the only really
distinct character is in its fruit, which is greenish-brown
when ripe.

Fragaria elalior. — Hautbois Strawberry.— Calyx re-
flexed. Seeds superficial. Flower stalks longer than the
leaves, erect. Fruit round or oblate, usually drooping, but
sometimes erect, possessing a strong musky flavor. Haira
on both leaf and flower-stalks long, and widely spreading,
somewhat reflexed. Leaves larger than in F. vesca, and
more or less pubescent, covered with short hairs on both
upper and lower surface, givmg them a rough appearance.
Native of Germany.

Fragaria Indica. — India Strawbeny. — A species with
yellow flowers. Fruit not edible. Native of India.

Fragaria Virginiana. — Virginian Strawberry. — Seeds
imbedded in the deeply pitted receptacle. Fruit roundish,
ovoid to conical, highly perfumed. Flower stalks shorter
than the leaves, hairy ; hairs spreading, more or less ej-ect.
Leaves obovate, wedge form, variable, coarsely serrate,
usually dark green ; upper surface smooth, often shining.
Native of North America. Chiefly in the United States
and southern portions of Canada.

Fragaria grandiflora. — Large flowering Strawberry. —
Calyx erect, slightly sj^reading. Seeds set in a shallow de-
pression. Flowers larger than in other species. Fruit
sweet, perfumed. Flesh firm. Flower stalks shorter than
the leaves. Leaves smooth, usually deep green. Serra*
tares broadly ovate. Native of South America.

HISTORY.

It is of little consequence to the horticulturist of tha
present day whether any particular kind of fruit familial
to us was known in ancient times. Still, we often find our
felves sending a thought back into the dim and uncertain

8TBA.WBEBBY. 88

past, picking up here and there a stray word or line that
informs us that some of the fruits now cultivated by us
were also known to those of former ages.

The number of such old time fruits is qidte limited, and
most of them are of quality so inferior that we would
hardly be willing to exchange those of our time for the
productions of any period.

The Strawberry was probably not cultivated in oldcD
times, as it is scarcely mentioned by the Roman writers on
agriculture. Some who are most explicit in other matters
pertaining to fruit-culture do not mention it, while Pliny,
Ovid and Virgil only casually refer to it, and this reference
is not for the purpose of aiding its culture.

From a few lines in one of those old works, we infer that
the children in ancient times had similar tastes to those of
the present, and that they found no day so hot, or hill so
steep, as to deter them from seeking the little gems in the
tall grass, or through bramble and wood. We, who were
80 fortunate as to spend our youthful days in the country,
can appreciate the following lines of Virgil, as translated
by Warton, as they touch a heart-string whose vibrations
send memory back to joyful days in the past ;

" Ye boys that gather flowers and strawberries,
Lo, hid within the grass a serpent lies."

We learn from the ancient writers nothing in relation to
Strawberry culture that is of any practical value. We are,
therefore, compelled to turn to those of modem times for
any reliable information.

There are facts connected with the history of the Straw-
berry that it is important for us to know.

For instance, from what country, climate or situation
were certain species derived ? If a species came originally
from a very warm country, it is doubtful if it will ever be
10 well adapted to a cold latitude as one obtained from a
elimate similar to the one in which it is to be cultivated.

By hybridizing, we may so intermingle species that it
2*

34 SMALL FRUIT CULTURI8T.

will bo diiBcult to tell from what particular source they
originated. Yet, if there be any feeble or tender element
in their composition, it will be constantly showing itself
and a continual source of annoyance to the cultivator. It
is for this reason that it is always desirable to know as
much of the history and origin of a fruit as possible,
specially if it is to be selected as the parent from which
aew varieties are to be produced.

There are instances where a species has succeeded better
in a foreign country than at home ; but such cases are only
exceptional, and where the climates are similar, or the spe»
cies naturally had a very wide range in latitude.

The Strawberry is probably more widely distributed than
any other plant we cultivate.

The Fragaria vesca, or Alpine Strawberry, grows in the
mountains of Greece and northward to Britain, where, in
the latter country, it assumes a different form, and is there
called the Wood Strawberry.

The principal difference between the two is in the
form of the fruit, the Alpine being conical, while the
Wood varieties are round. The Alpine Strawberry is also
a native of North America, being found in high woods and
fields in most of the Northern States, and far to the North
in the Canada s. There appear to be several natural varie-
ties of this species in Europe, which have been known for
several centuries. In 1483, the garden of the Bishop of
Ely, at Holborn, in England, was celebrated for its excel-
lent Strawberries. They were probably the common Wood
Strawberries of the country — one with red fruit, the other
white. The Alpines were introduced into England some
two hundred years later. There are two original varieties
the same in color as the Wood Strawberries. There are
also monthly varieties, and those which do not produce
runners.

The original species or varieties appear to persistently
retain their normal characteristics under all the varied

STRAWBERRY. 89

changes whicL they have been subjected to in cultivation.
This constancy of the F, vesca may account for the
fiict that no advance, of any importance, was made in
Strawberry culture in Europe until other and more variable,
as well as valuable, species were introduced.

In 1578, Lyte, in his translation of " Dodoens Herba)!,''
mentions only the Wood Strawberry. Gerarde, in 1597,
named the White and Red Wood Strawberry. In 1623,
Casper Bauhin, in his " Pinax," mentions the White and
Red Wood, Alpine, and Hautboy or Haarbeer Strawberiies.
Parkinson, in his Paradisus, 1629, page 528, says that there
are divers sorts in cultivation, and names the Red and
White Wood, Green, Virginia, and another variety, which
he called the Bohemian. In his Theatrum Botanicum, is-
sued in ] 640, page 758, he mentions a variety of the Al-
pine, which, he says, is barren, producing no fruit. It was
probably one of the Potentillas, and not a Strawberry, for
he also describes another variety which, he says, has yellow
flowers, and the seeds are in a dry, compact head, and the
plant has smaller leaves, and creeps along the ground with
many fine stems.

About 1660 a Strawberry grower at Montreuil, in France,
is said to have produced a new variety from the seed of the
Wood Strawberry. It was called the Cappron, but after-
wards the Fressant. This is the first improved variety of
which we have any account. It was in cultivation at the
time that Evelyn translated Quintinies *' French Gardiner,"
in 1682 ; also mentioned by Duchesne, about a hundred
years later.

The persistency with which some species reproduce
themselves is quite remarkable, but not more so than the
equally great variations that are constantly being developed
m others.

Those species from which we have produced the greatest
number of valuable varieties, generally show the greatest
diversity of character in their natural or normal conditiou

86 SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

The Yirginian Strawberry, which is the most conunoi
Strawberry of our woods and fields, was introduced into
England early in the seventeenth century ; but little atten*
tion, however, was paid to its cultivation for nearly oi
quite one hundred years thereafter. But as soon as its
valuable qualities were discovered, and it was found that
by merely sowing seeds new varieties, greatly differing
from the parent, were readily produced, it began to attract
the attention of fruit growers, and received the care it
deserved.

It is the most fragrant of all known species, possessmg
a delightful, aromatic perfume, not surpassed by any other
fruit. It is a robust and vigorous grower, withstanding
the severe cold of our nortliern winters, as well as the
burning sun of summer. It assumes very distinct charac-
ters in different locations, those of the Western States
varying considerably from those of the Eastern, so much
so that the varieties grown from them usually retain their
peculiar characteristics through an almost indefinite num-
ber of generations.

Among the varieties in cultivation at the present time
we can recognize many whose parentage can be traced to
the western plants, while others are unmistakably from
those of the Eastern States. I will name a few of each class,
and those who are acquainted with them will more readily
recognize their peculiar characters than they could from
any descriptions which I might give — only premising
that the western class, as a rule, produce the lai'gest, soft-
est, and most acid fruit.

The best known of the western type are : Austin, Iowa,
Downer's Prolific, Green Prolific, General Scott, and
Victory.

Of the eastern type. Early Scarlet, Jenny Lind, Scott's
Seedling, Boston Puie, Brighton Phie, &c.

The various forms observed in the F. Virainiana in dif
Cerent portions of the country, have given rise to much dis

8TRA WHERRY. S7

oussion as to whether all these vanations should be classed
as one species, or separated into different ones. Dr.
Asy Gray classes them all as one species, and he is un-
doubtedly correct.

A few loould-he authonties will not acknowledge that a
species can possibly be variable, and still be the same;
Consequently we often see long essays from such men, in
which theii^. Ylrginlana is divided into numerous species,
such as F. Illinoiensis, F. lowaensis, &c. We might with
as much propriety separate our American chestnut into
innumerable species, for there is as great difference in the
nuts and growth of the tree as is to be found in the com-
mon Strawberry.

Free discussion in scientific matters is to a certain extent
beneficial; but it is doubtful whether the present or fu-
ture generations will be benefited by such dissertations an
frequently appear in some of our rural periodicals or in
our agricultural reports, purporting to come from intelli-
gent men, while the fact is apparent to every one who has
the least knowledge on the subject of which they treat,
that said articles are a mass of errors, and the authors
write for other purposes than those of giving information
to the people.

For a number of years the Virginia Strawberry had no
successful rival in English gardens, though it was never so
highly appreciated in Britain as here, from the fact that it
is more acid and not so highly flavored in the moist cool
climate of that country as in our own.

The introduction of the South American species (F
grandiflora) gave a new impetus to Strawberry culture in
Europe.

The fruit ii3 naturally much larger and sweeter than any
of the other species, consequently it does not require so
much heat to develop its saccharine qualities. That pe-
3uliar aromatic sprightliness, which is such a prominent

88 SMALL FRUrr (rULTURIST.

feature in the F. Yirginiana^ is, however, ahnost eiitirel]^
wanting in other species.

The same dissectuig process has been applied to the
South American species as to our northern one, and it if
sometimes called F. Chiliensis, F. JBonariensis^ <fcc. — the
name usually indicating the place from which the supposed
distinct species was denved. That the different varieties
discovered in the various portions of the country are quite
distinct, every one who is acquainted with them will admit.
Yet these variations are no greater than have already
been mentioned in those of other species.

The first account we have of the South American Straw-
berry is in 1716, when M. Frezier, in his voyage to the
South Sea, found it at the foot of the Cordillera Mountains,
near Quito, and carried it home to Marseilles, in France.

It was at that time called the Chili Strawberry, and the
Spaniards said that they had previously brought it from
Mexico.

We do not learn from any of the old French works that
any new varieties were raised fi'om the Chili Strawberry
for at least fifty years after its introduction. Duchesne, in
1766, says " that Miller considered its cultivation as aban-
doned in England on account of its sterility." The impor-
tations fi'om other portions of South America appear to
have met with better success, and about fifty years ago
new varieties of the F. grandiflora^ as well as of the Vir-
giniana, became quite abundant in England and on the
Continent.

At the present time the varieties of F. grandijlora appeal
to be valued more highly in Europe than any other — at least
we judge so from the fact that almost all of the new varie-
ties imported of late years show more of the characteristics
ot this species than of others. This may account for the
failure of so many of the new foreign varieties in the
Northern States. The severe cold of our winters, and oui

8TEAWBEERT. 3S

dry, hot gammers, are two extremes that they cannot with*
Btand.

Occasionally we receive a variety which, by extra care
and protection in winter, will produce a large crop ; but,
as a whole, it is doubtful whether the Strawberry growers
in the United States have been pennanently benefited by
the introduction of any of the new varieties raised from
the grandiflora. They may have awakened a taste foi
more thorough experiments in Strawberry culture, and by
hybridizing them with our more hardy kuids jjroduced
new ones of real value.

SEXUALITY OF THE STRAWBERRY.

Naturally the Strawberry flower possesses stamens and
pistils ; it is therefore perfect, as both of these organs are
necessary for the production of fruit. Every botanist, from
Linnaeus down to the present time, has described the
Strawberry flower as perfect or bi-sexual.

Therefore, to assume that this is not the normal charac-
ter (as a few writers of late have done) is to controvert all
of our botanical authorities, and charge them with over-
lookinor that which the most casual observer could have
seen. When plants are taken from their native habitats
and placed under cultivation, they very often assume forma
^uite difierent from their natural ones. Sometimes a par-
ticular organ is suppressed, while others are enlarged ; thus
we have the pistillate Strawberry and the double rose.

Occasionally the seeds of domesticated plants are earned
by birds or animals to woods and fields quite distant
fi'om the garden in which they are cultivated, and if per-
oliance they are deposited under favorable conditions they
Tfill produce fruit similar to that from which they oii-
ginated. If we find a pistillate Strawberry or double rose
growhig wild, does it prove that tliese are the normal char-
%ctei*8 of the genus? Far from it; \)ut it only shows ihal

40

SMALL FRUIT dTLTTTRIST,

plants are susceptible of change under certain circumstances,
and especially when these
are not perfectly natural.

The Strawberry be-
longs to the same great
natural family as the rose,
but when placed under
those artificial circum-
stances to which it is
subjected when cultivat-
ed, instead of becoming
double, (although semi-
double varieties are occa-
sionally produced,) the
stamens are sometimes Fig. ii.-perfect flower.

suppressed, and varieties are produced with flowers con«
taining pistils only.

Fig. 12. — PERFECT FLOWER ENLARGED.

Figure 1 1 shows what is termed a perfect or bi-sexiial
flower. The pistils are in the center, while around them

STRAWBERRY.

41

are some twenty or more organs, which are called stamens.

These are quite different in appearance from the pistils, be-

' ing longer, and each one is terminated by a small knob,

which is called the anther. The anthers contain 'pollen^ a

Fis^. 13. — SECTION OF PERFECT FLOWER.

substance that is necessary for the production of seed. In
figure 12 is shown the same flower as in figure 11, but, be
ing considerably enlarged, the stamens are more readily
?een. The same flower is shown in figure 13, divided longi-
tudinally to show the parts still more distinctly, and their
relative positions.

Every so-called seed of the Strawberry has one pistil
situated on its apex ; consequently it is a
very important organ, inasmuch as it is
through this channel that the influence of
the pollen reaches the ovule or seed vessel.

The stamens are situated on the calyx,
and they may be artificially removed or
suppressed by nature, in which case we
have a pistillate flower which will produce
fruit, if the pistils are fertilized from
another flower. It is not important
whether a flower produces its own pol-
len or is supplied from another source.

Figure 14 shows a pistillate flower of
the usual size, and in figure 15 the same enlarged. By com-
paring these with the two preceding the difierence may
readily be observed.

Fig. 14.— PISTIL-
LATE FLOWERS.

42 SMALL FRtrrr culturist.

The size of these is also variable ; sometimes they are

Fi^. 15. — PISTILLATE FLOT\'ER E^'LA^.GED.

considerably larger than those shovrn as of natural size.

The flowers of Frag aria grand'iflora are larger thair
those of other species, and
sometimes they have seven pe-
tals, as shown in figure 16,
while five is the usual number.

Another variation from the
natural form, although very
rarely seen, is that of flowers
without any jDistils. These,
of course, produce no fruit,
and they are nothing more nor
less than degenerated or de-
formed specimens, and are not
worthy of notice further than

^ 1 ^1 VI Fiff. 16. — FLOWER ■S^'ITH 7 PETALS.

to show the peculiar clianges ^

that sometimes occur in cultivated plants.

The foregomg are the prmcipal forms noticed in both

8TEAWBKEET. 43

wild and cultivated varieties, but there are various grada-
tions from each of these ; for, while the natural flower gen-
erally contains about twenty- stamens, some cultivated
varieties have less than half that number, while others, aa
I have shown, possess none. Consequently, if a variety i»
produced which has flowers destitute of stamens, it will be
dependent upon others for fertilization. Many such havo
from time to time been produced and disseminated in the
last fifty years. That some seedlings produced perfect
flowers, while others have those that are imperfect, was ob-
served in Europe at least a hundred years ago. This pecu-
liarity was first observed in the seedlings of the Hautbois,
but afterwards in the seedlings of other species, although
it does not appear to be of so common occurrence in Eu-
rope as in the United States.

The reas^. a for this I am not able to state, unless it be
because the Fragaria Virginiana^ from which the greater
portion of our varieties is produced, is more subject to
the change than other species. It may be that our climate
has something to do with it, but whatever may be the
cause, the efiect is apparent in many pistillate varieties of
Strawbenies in cultivation.

Keen reported his observations upon this variation in the
sexes of the Strawberry, in 1809, to the London Horticul-
tural Society. This called the attention of growers in this
country to the subject, but very little was said or written
in relation to it until Mr. Hovey produced his seedling
Strawberry in 1834.

This being a pistillate, and the largest and best variety
that had been as yet produced in this country, it gave rise
to an immense amount of discussion upon the sexuality of
the Strawberry. There appear to be a few men who are
always ready to ride any new hobby, whether it has one
leg or more. Consequently there were a few who imme-
diately started the theory that the botanists had made a
great mistake, and that the Strawberry was naturally di

44 sMAix FRurr culturist

ORceous, L e., one plant bearing staininate flowers and tbt
other pistillate ones.

Considerabl(9 excitement was created in consequence, and
communications innumerable upon the subject were poured
into our horticultural journals, each writer claiming to
have discovered something new in regard this, to them,
wonderful phenomenon.

One writer has for the past ten years or more, almost
annually, given the public a grand diagnosis of the case^
asserting that the pistillate varieties were the only ones to
be depended upon for a large crop, and that they were
naturally the most productive, while the facts are that there
are hundreds of perfect flowering kinds in cultivation that
are fully equal, if not superior, to the most productive pis-
tillates. That we have many very excellent varieties
among this latter class no one will deny, but that, as a
whole, they are any better than the others cannot be sub-
stantiated by facts.

There is but one serious objection to the pistillate varie-
ties, and that is, two kmdb must be grown to insure a crop
from one, or a perfect flowering variety must be grown
near a pistillate to fertilize its flowers, or no fruit will be
produced. This is impe^*.itively necessary ; consequently
the close proximity of the two kinds has led to much con-
fusion, inasmuch as the runners of the two are very liabla
to intermingle, unless great care is exercised to prevent it.
I have usuiilly found it more difficult to get pure plants o^
the pistillate varieties than of the others, and the excuse
given by the grower for the mixture was that the variety
grown for the purpose of fertilizing them had become in
termingled. If this is the only reason, it is certainly »
very lame one, as there is no necessity for the plants be-
ing mixed, because setting the two kinds in adjacent beds
will answer every purpose.

But without presuming to advance a theory on the sub
ject, I would suggest whether it is not possible ^ihatv^iiil'

STEAVrBEREl:. 4fi

tions may have been made on growing plants by the influ-
ence of the pollen from different varieties. It is generally
supposed that no effect is produced except on the seeds, but
as it is most couchisively proved in animal physiology that
the female retains the effect of the first impregnation in her
system for years, may not the same be true of plants, and
the admixture or deterioration of one, and the improve-
ment of another kind growing in close proximity, be caused
by the absorption of qualities earh from the other ?

If the effect of the pollen reaches no further than the
seeds, why is not the fruit (receptacle) produced without
them. But we find that wherever the pistils are not fer*
tiUzed the receptacle also fails, or if a portion only is sup-
plied with pollen then the receptacle is defonned in pro-
portion. Remove one, two, or more pistils before they
are fertilized, and the berry, jusi at that point, fails to en-
Jarge or come to maturity. No seeds, no berry, is the rule.

If the Strawberry seed was large enough to be readily
examined, we should probably see a difference in color and
form just as we notice in mixed varieties of corn. In the
latter we can see that the influence of cross fertilization
extends further than the seed, because its receptacle (cob)
is often changed beneath the kernel to a color similar to
that of the variety which produced the pollen.

It is often asserted that the Hovey is better when fertil-
ized with one kind than with another, and may not this be
true further than that of being fully supplied with pollen ?

Strawberry culture would probably have been just as
far advanced if we had never had a pistillate variety in
cultivation, and much confusion would have been avoided.
Had not Mr. Hovey produced so good a pistillate variety
as he did, it is very likely that such kinds would have never
been tolerated by fruit growers anywhere. But the advent
of this vaiiety gave a new impetus to Strawberry culture,
and at the present time it is considered in some sectionfl a*
% standard market fruit.

46 SMALL FRUIT CITLTirRIST.

Another important consideration in cultivating pistillate
varieties is to grow as a fertilizer a kind that produces an
abundance of pollen ; besides that the two should bloom at
the same time.

STRUCTURE OF THE PLANTS.

All the varieties and species of the Strawberry have a
family resemblance ; still there is considerable dilSerence in
the forai and structure. Some produce large stools, while
others naturally divide into individual plants. One of the
prominent features of the StrawbeiTy is to multiply by
runners ; yet among the Alpine or Wood species we have
varieties which produce none or very sparingly. There-
fore it is apparent that the different forms will require dif-
ferent treatment. Some have long, slender, wiry roots,
while others have very short, fleshy ones, each of which
require a soil suited to their growth, if the very highest
development is obtained.

Our native varieties, particularly tliose grown from the
jFl Yirginiana^ have longer and more wiry roots than
those grown from the F. grandiflora. Consequently
they are better suited to field cultivation, and where the
soil is not frequently stirred, or upon light soil, the roots will
spread further in search of food and they are not so
readily affected by drouth.

There is another peculiarity in the form of the roots
which is worthy of attention. The native Strawberry
produces stools, but the crowns, instead of adhering to-
gether, often separate as they become old, each producing
roots for self-support.

To show more fully the peculiar form usually observed
in the varieties of the F. Virginiana and F. grandiflora
I have inserted the two following illustrations taken from
the Strawberry Culturist.

Figure 17 is an exact representation, half size, of a plant
of the Boston Pine that is three years old. While it

STRAWBERRY.

47

Fig. 17.-OLT) PLA^T or BOSTON PINK.

18 SMALL FEUrr CULTUmSBi

§how8 a number of crowns, there are not more than two
united on one stem. Varieties of this class naturally di-
vide, and do not form large or very compact stools ; con'
sequently the crowns remain more nearly on the level of
Che surface than when they are united, as seen is figure 18,
which represents a plant of Triomphe de Gand of the
same age as the other.

A, C and D represent the side crowns, and B the cen-
tral one ; E, the old fruit stalk of the present season; F,
F, new roots starting from the base of the side crowns
above the soil. In this variety the crowns are produced
almost on the top of the old ones ; consequently the plants
are continually becoming higher, until, at last, the new
roots cannot reach the soil, and the plant languishes and
dies. Although the Strawberry root is perennial, still
one new root is of more importance to the plant than a
dozen old ones. The difference in the structure of the
two plants suggests the need of a pecuhar cultivation for
3ach, and by experience we have learned that many of
our nutive varieties will remain productive for many years,
even when allowed to grow without cultivation, while
very few of the varieties of jp'T grand^ora wili succeed
under similar treatment.

To keep a succession of new roots and continued vigor
for a number of years, those varieties with roots similar
to the Triomphe should be grown in rows or hills, so that
fresh soil may be drawn up to the plants when required.
I do not wish to be understood as advocating? the cultiva-
tion of plants for a long time without removal, but throw
out these hints for the purpose of showing that frequent re-
movals are more necessary with some than with others.

PROPAGATION.

There are three modes of propagating the Strawberry
in use at the present time, viz, : seeds, runners and divic
gions of the roots.

SEBAWHKBST.

49

Fig. IS.— OLB puLST or triqmphi pb g^csjx

(50 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

By Seed. — To obtain seeds, the fniit shoaM be gath
ered when fully ripe, spread out and dried, thus preserving
it in the pulp ; or the fruit may be crushed in water and
the seeds waslied out cleanly. The good seeds will sink
and the pulp will remain on the surface, from which it car
be readily removed.

The seeds may be sown immediately, or kept until the
next spring.

The plan which I have usually adopted in raising seed
lings is as follows :

Gather the largest berries of the very best varieties to be
obtained, then mix them with dry sand, crushing the fruit,
and so thoroughly manipulating the mass that no two
seeds will remain tog-ether. Then sow the sand contain^
ing -'le seed, either in some half shady situation in the
open ground, or in pots or boxes. The soil in which they
are sown should be light and friable, and the seeds not
covered more than one-quarter of an inch deep. Keep
the soil moist, and the plants will usually begin to appear
jn four to six weeks after sowing. When they have
formed four or five leaves they may be transplanted into
the open ground — if they have been started in pots or
boxes. When sown in the open ground, it is best to let
them remain in the seed-bed until the following spring,
protecting them with straw, leaves or other similar ma-
terial in winter. Transplant into rows at least two feet
apart, and the same distance in the row ; keep off all run
lers the first season and hoe often.

Occasionally a seedling will produce fruit the second
geason — that is, plants started in the autumn will fruit the
next spring; but they will not be strong enough to bear
fruit that will be a reliable indication of their future value.
It id best to protect the plants the first and second winters,
if no longer, so that they will have nothing to obstruct
their full development. The third season, look over the
plants very carefully when >u bloom, aad mark the sex of

STRAWBERRY, fil

•ach, so that it shall be known when the fruit is ripe
whether the flowers are pistillate or perfect. When a
variety has been produced that promises well, it should be
carefully taken up and planted by itself, that its runners
may have an opportunity of taking root without inter-
mingling with others.

The plant may be removed just so soon as the character
of the fruit is determined upon, always choosing a wet
day if convenient ; if not, give the soil about the plant
a good soaking, and then remove it with as much soil ad-
hering as possible. Shade it a few days after removal to
Drevent its wilting.

I would caution the novice not to be too sanguine about
Ihe value of new seedlings, because they will very often
appear much better the first season than ever after.

A few years since I raised a large number of seedlings,
and when ripe, a committee of six very competent gentle-
men was appointed by the Farmers' Club of the Ameri-
can Institute to examine and report upon them. Seventy
varieties were marked and described as very promising
and worthy of further trial. Seventy beds were very
thoroughly prepared, and each original plant carefully
placed in the center of one of these beds. About a dozen
runners were allowed to grow from each plant, and all
others removed. The next season the same committee
examined them again, and they reduced the number to
seven. These were given more room and continued care
until another season, when the number was reduced to
three.

I give this as the result of only one experiment; others
might be given with similar results. It is a very easy
matter to originate new varieties, but to get one that shall
be superior, or even equal, to the best now in cultivation,
is not 80 readily accomplished as some may suppose.

I would advise every one to try, because there is a
cliance of producing one that will be better adapted t«

52 SMALL FRiriT CULTURIST.

tho grower's soil or location than any that could be pro
duced elsewhere.

PROPAGATION BY RUNNERS.

The varieties mainly cultivated in this country are
propagated from the runners. The first produced are
usually the strongest and best for early planting, but
those that are formed later in the season are equally as good
when they arrive at the same age or size. A few theorists
have maintained that the first plants formed near the
parent stool were the only ones that should be used, and
that they were far superior to the others, and would al-
ways be more prolific. This asseition is not supported by
facts ; consequently is not worthy of a moment's thought.
To insure the rooting of runners, the surface of the soil
should be kept loose and open, and if the weather is very
diy at the time they are forming, it is well to go over the
beds and cover the new roots as they are produced.
When only a few very large and strong plants are wanted,
it is well to pinch ofi* the runner just beyond the first
plant, that this may become strong and vigorous.

POT PLANTS.

In the first edition of this work I stated that it was a
good plan, in order to insure the safe removal of the run-
ners, to plunge pots filled with rich soil in the beds, and
let the roots strike into them, then, when well rooted, the
young plants could be taken up and removed with perfect
safety. This hint seems to have led our strawberry groW'
ers to introduce the pot-grown or layered plants, as a
distinct feature in their busniess, and for the past few
years the merits of plants thus propagated have been
highly extolled m nurserymen's catalogues. To propagate
plants m this manner is certainly far more expensive than
to allow the runners to take root m the ordinary way, and
without assistance on the part of the cultivator, and they

STRAWBERRY. 53

are also worth more because less liable to fail when trans-
planted or transported to any considerable distance. It
is true that the pot-grown plants will yield a moderate
crop the following season, an advantage which amateur
cultivators appreciate far more highly than do those who
cultivate fruit for market ; but it is a question if the few
berries thus obtained are really worth the extra price
asked, and the care required to produce them. This,
however, is a matter for the purchasers of plants to de-
cide ; the propagator's province is to supply whatever is
in demand. Any small plants which have not produced
sufficient roots to insure their safety during winter, may
be taken up and set in cold frames, where the roots will
continue to grow until the soil is frozen.

The richer and better the soil, the more rapid will be
the production of roots, whether in frames or in the open
ground. It is a good plan to cover the surface of the soil
with fine pure manure before the runners start in spring.
The runners draw their sustenance from the parent plant
until they have formed roots of their own, but these roots
should find food soon after they are emitted. If the beds
can be watered, it will insure the rapid emission of roots,

PROPAGATION BY ROOT DIVISIONS.

This mode is seldom practised except with the Bush
Alpine Strawberries, which produce few or no runners.
In the early spring, take up the stools and divide them,
leaving only one crown to the plant. If the old root is
very long, it is best to cut off the lower end, and plant
as deep as can be done without covenng the leaves.

SOIL AND SITUATION.

No one kind of soil is equally well adapted to every va-
riety. A deep, rich, sandy loam is most generally recom-
mended, and is perhaps on the whole the best.

Still a light sand or heavy clay may be made, with a
very little expense, to produce abundant crops.

54 SMALL PRUIT CULTURIST,

A deep soil, wlietlier it be naturally light or heavy, is
one of the requisites imperatively demanded by the
Strawberr3\ If the soil is naturally very wet, it may re-
quire underdraining ; but there are few farms on which a
situation may not be found where deep plowing will not
render the soil suitable for a Stra\vberry bed. Thorough
preparation of the soil is the very foundation of success,
therefore no sloyenl}^ system— such as once plowing and
harrowing — should be tolerated ; b^it the ground should
not only be plowed, but cross-plowed, and if not natural-
ly deep and friable, it should be subsoiled at least sixteen
inches deep. If the cultivator will only bear in mind that
one acre prepared in the best manner Avill produce more
fruit than three or four acres fitted as is usually done, he
will understand the importance of doing it well.

There is not one acre of Strawberries in a thousand,
that yields over one-half that it would if the ground was
properly prepared before planting. It is with Strawberries
as with other fruits — too many acres and too little care.

The situation should be open and airy, because in such
there is less danger of injury by late s^Dring frosts.

To secure early ripening, a southern exposure is j^ref-
erable, and for a late crop a northern one. By planting
the earliest varieties m a warm situation, and the latest
in a cool one, the season may be considerably lengthened.

MANURES.

The Strawberry is not very particular as to the kind of
manure it receives, provided it is in sufi&cient quantities.
To tell a man who cultivates the Strawberry on the rich
prairie soil of the West that he must apply manure to his
soil before planting, would be considered a very foolish
recommendation ; but to undertake to grow them on al-
most any of our eastern lands without it would be equally
absurd. In fact, most of our fruit growers in the Eastern
States determine their profits in advance, simply by the

8TRAWBERBY. 55

amount of manure applied to the soil — the more abundant
the application llie greater the profits.

All plants require food, and it is ev'ident, tliat if it is not
in the soil it must be placed there, or no satisfactory re-
sults will be obtained. In the Eastern States we gather
fruit in proportion to the amount of planfy-food which we
place in the soil.

Old and thoroughly decomposed barn-yard manure is
scarcely to be excelled for the Strawberry. But it is often
the case that a sufficient quantity of this cannot be ob-
tained, and if so, then the next best thing to be done is
to make a compost of barn-yard manure and muck, leaves
or sods, using one lo'ad of manure and two of either of
the others. Mix them together, and let them remain in
heap for three months or more, not forgetting to turn it

over at least once a month.

«

In heavy soils fresh manure may be used without injury,
and if a liberal application of peat or light friable muck ia
given it will be very beneficial. In sandy soils a compost
of muck and manure is one of the best fertilizers that can
be applied. In fact, pure muck from the swamps, placed
where it can be frequently stirred, will become in one
season suitable to be applied directly to the roots of al-
most any plant.

K lime, ashes, spent hops from the breweries, castor
pomace or any similar materials be added, even in small
quantities, it will assist very much in its decomposition
and fitting it for the use of plants. There are thousands
of acres of land in the Eastern States that are now pro-
ducing nothing, not even weeds, because manure cannot
be obtained in sufficient quantities to make them fertile,
and yet in many instances these very acres are bordered
with muck-beds which are nothing more or less than inejc-
kaustible deposits of manure.

The time is probably not far distant when these minri

56 SMALL PBUIT CTtTLTUEIflT.

of wealth will be worked to an extent not dreamed of at
the present time.

Concentrated manures — such as bone, guano, poudrette^
&c — are sometimes used upon the Strawberry with good
results. It requires some care in their application, or the
plants are liable to be injured thereby.

Ashes are also valuable, particularly on sandy soils.
They may be applied by scattering upon the surface at
the rate of from ten to twenty bushels per acre. A far
more preferable mode is to compost them with muck or
leaf mold from the woods, but they should never be
mixed with manure, for they will cause it to give off, in
the form of gases, the very materials which should be re-
tained.

Lime is said to be injurious to the Strawberry, particu-
larly when applied directly or alone. I have had no per-
sonal experience with it' upon the Strawberry, but have
known several instances of failure, the cause of which
was attributed to the use of lime.

TIME TO PLANT.

Spring and fall are the two seasons in which the Straw-
berry is usually transplanted. Although with the requisite
care the operation may be performed at any time during
the summer, the spring seems to be the more natural
and preferable one of the two.

The plants are then just starting into growth after their
long rest. The small amount of foliage which has sur-
vived the winter is fully matured ; consequently it calls
for very little nutriment from the roots. The warm spring
rains supply the plants with moisture, and the very atmos-
phere of this season appears to be full of life.

Fall planting is usually performed in Auscust and Sep-
tember in the Northern States.

This season has one advantage, and that is : if th«
plants can be set so early that they will become ^rmly

BTRAWBEREY. 61

rooted btifore cold weather, they will soinetnnes produce
a partial crop the ensuing season, as well as make a
stronger growth, than if the operation is deferred until
spring.

When one has the plants so near at hand that they can
be removed without having their roots exposed to the air
for a few moments even, besides having an 023portunity of
selecting rainy or cloudy weather for the operation, then
it may be done in the autumn with success. But when
the plants are to be brought from a distance, and when,
as it will often occur, they arrive in a time of drouth, fall
planting becomes a doubtful advantage. I do not wish to
discourage fall trade in Strawberry plants ; yet from an
experience extending over many years in both buying and
Belling plants, I conclude that fall planting is far more un-
certain than spring.

PREPARATION OF PLANTS.

When plants are taken up in spring there will be more
or less dead leaves upon them ; these should all be re-
moved, leaving only those that appear fresh and green.
Some roots will be broken, and the sound ones, if long,
cannot readily be placed in the ground again without be-
ing crowded or otherwise thrown out of their natural
position. To avoid any diflSculty on this point, I always
shorten them to at least one half their length.

Figure 19 shows the position of the roots on a medium
or small plant before removal. A, being the runner con-
necting it w^ith the parent plant ; B, a new runner on
which other plants would liave been formed, provided the
season had been favorable for their growth ; C, D, th«
cross line showing where the roots should be cut after the
plant is taken up. This shortening causes them to throw
out a new set of fibrous roots from the cut ends.

It also causes roots to be emitted more abundantly from
near the crown than would have been the case if the rooti

SS SMALL FKtJIf CtJLTUEIST.

had not been shortened. Figure 20 shows the same plant
as it will appear after having been planted a few weeks.
It is not necessary to trim each plant separately, but a
handful may be pruned at one cut of the knife. Plants
thus pruned are more readily planted, and the i'Jo*vS are

Fig. 19. — WHERE TO PRUNE ROOTS.

easily spread out at the time, which is quite important,
because each root can profl.uce rootlets without being en-
tangled with otliers.

In transplantmg in the autumn it is unnecessary to
shorten the roots, unless they are so long that they cannot
be conveniently planted entire. The roots of the Straw-
berry continue to grow from the extreme ends until cold
weather, and when moved in fall or summer the roots

STRAWBERRY.

5&

should be taken up entire, and carefully spread out when
again placed in the soil. If the plants have been out of
the ground long enough to cause the roots to have
changed color and become dark and wilted, then they
should be treated the same as those removed in spring.

0\

Fig. 20. — GROWTH OF PRUNED ROOTS.

All of the largest leaves should be cut off from plants
when removed, leaving but two or three of the center
leaves, as a plant is far more likely to live if only this
number is allowed to remain on it than if none are re-
moved.

We are now supposing that tlie plants are taken up
without any soil adhering to the roots. If each plant is

60 SMALL FRUIT CULTUKIST.

tnoved with a ball of earth, then there will be no necessity
for reducing the number of leaves, because the connection
between the root and soil will not be broken, or, at least,
not entirely separated ; consequently they can continue
to absorb moisture and nutriment for the support of aL
he leaves.

Sometimes it may be advisable to " puddle " the roots,
aS it is called, before planting. This operation is per-
formed by mixing water with soil until it is of the consis-
tency of thin mortar ; then dip the roots into it, coating
them with the mixture, which excludes the air and pre-
vents wilting so long as it remains moist. A tenacious
clay makes the best puddle, but it will sometimes adhere
so closely to the roots as to become injurious. It is well
to puddle, before packing, the roots of plants that are to
be transported a long distance, and consequently be a long
time on the journey. But the puddUng should be washed
off and the roots trimmed before planting again.

Roots that have been entirely excluded from the air for
any considerable time are likely to become soured, and it
is best to clean and refresh them with pure water before
again placing them in the ground.

PLANTING AND CULTIVATION.

There is no one operation of more importance to the
future success of a Strawberry bed than careful planting.
Some cultivators plant with a dibble, making a small hole
in which the roots are thrust, all crowded together in a
mass. Plants may Hve under such treatment, but certainly
cannot thrive so well as though their roots were carefully
spread out in a natural position.

A common garden trowel should always be used, and a
hole made in the soil laro;e enough to admit the roots
without crowding. Set the plants just so deep that
all of the roots Avill be covered, and no deeper ; for if the
«rown is buried it is very liable to decay, particularly in a

STRATVBKERT. 61

heavy soil. If a handful of very fine compost or manure
B mixed with the soil around them at the time of plant*
mg it "^ill very materially assist in their future growth.

It is always best to select a cloudy day for planting, if
possible, but when only a few are to be set out they may
be watered and shaded, and their growth insured without
any regard to the weather. The distance between the
plants will depend upon what kind of cultivation is to be
given them. The oldest method of field culture in this
country, and the one practiced upon thousands of acres
in the Eastern States at the present time, is to plant in
rows from two and a half to three feet apart, placing
the plants about a foot dis+^^ant in the rows.

The beds are hoed during the early part of summer^ or
until the runners cover the ground, after which no atten-
tion is paid to them until next spring. Then paths about
a foot wide, and at a distance of four feet from each other,
are made, thus forming beds with narrow paths, in which
the pickers are expected to stand when gathering the fruit.

Two or three crops are gathered from these beds before
any change is made or cultivation is given, except that of
hoeing or plowing out the paths each season before pick-
ing time.

When the beds have become so much crowded with
weeds and plants that the fruit is likely to entirely fail, a
plow is run through the center of each bed, forming a
new path, the runners being allowed to take root and fill
ap the old ones. Another crop or two is taken, and then
the paths are again chau:'"ed. Sometimes the beds are
burned over in the fall after the weeds have died down
and become dry ; or a heavy harrow is drawn over them
80on after the crop is gathered, tearing up the weeds and
a greater part of the plants ; while at the same time it
Dreaks up the soil so that the few remaining plants will
grow with more vigor, and there will be room for the ne^

92 8MAXL PRXJIT CTTLTimiST.

ninners to take root. In this manner the same beds aw
cropped for ten or fifteen years.

It is not the fancy improved varieties that are treated
in this manner, bnt the older kinds, which are but a slight
improvement upon the common wild berry. The forego-
ing method of cultivation is certainly not to be recora*
mended, but I have mentioned it because there are proba-
bly as many acres of Strawberries grown and treated in
this manner as are grown under any other system. Our
eastern cities, particularly New York, Philadelphia and
Baltimore, have been supplied almost entirely, until with-
in a very few years past, from these half cultivated fields.
We must conclude that such a method of cultivation ia
profitable; if not, it would have been abandoned long
Igo, although it is apparent that those who follow thia
fystem are not afflicted with the spii'it of progress.

BIENNIAL SYSTEM.

Another method which has of late years become very
popular is that of planting in beds, say two or three rows
in each, placing the plants about eighteen inches apart
each way, and then leave paths of about two feet. The
plants are hoed and all weeds destroyed as they appear.
The runners are all allowed to grow, and the entire sur-
face is covered with plants, except a path of about two
feet in width between the beds. These beds are allowed to
produce two crops, and then the plants are plowed under
and some other crop grown on the land for one or two
ieasons, when it is again planted with Strawberries, if de-
eii'able. This is probably one of the very best systems in
vogue. The first cro]) is sometimes the best, 'but usually
the second is considered as the main one.

It is much less trouble to plant a new bed than to clean
Uie weeds out of ^,n old one ; besides, a first rate crop can

STRAWBERRY, 63

not be expected from a bed where the plants have be
come old and crowded.

A few Strawberry growers renew their beds by plowing
up all but a small strip of about a foot wide, leaving one
of these every four feet. Then, by passing a cultivator or
harrow between these rows, the ground is leveled so that
*i»^ Bew runners can readily take root.

ANNUAL SYSTEM.

This is one of the neatest systems in use, as weeds have
no chance for getting a foothold, unless the cultivator ia
very negligent. The plants are put out in rows two to
three feet apai-t, and about a foot apart in the row. They
are carefully cultivated the first season, a crop taken the
second, and then plowed under. To insure a full crop the
Boil must be made very rich, and the planting done in th«
fall or ea'ly spring, and in the most careful manner.

PLANTING IN ROWS OR HILLS.

There Are but few varieties that succeed so well when
restricted, to hills for a number of years as when allowed
to produce runners. The varieties of F. grandiflora are
better adapted to this system than others, because they
naturally produce large, compact plants.

The usual method is to plant in rows three feet apart,
with plants a foot apart in the row. All runners are cut
off as soon as they appear, and the beds frequently hoed,
or kept clean with a cultivator. In the fall the entire sur-
face is covered with a mulching of leaves, straw or coarse
bog grafr«. The plants are covered as well as the ground
between vhem. In spring the covering should be removed
from th*« crowns of the plants, but left on between them,
for the parpose of keeping the fruit clean and the ground
moist. After the fruit has been 2^athered, sufficient mulch*
«ig may be applied to keep down all weeds, or all of i^

S4 SMALL FRUIT CULTtrRlST.

may be removed, and a plow passed between the rows Ic
break up the soil, which will have become quite compact
from being frequently traveled over in gathering the
fruit.

New plants may be allowed to take root in the rows
between the old stools, thus bringing them the second
season into what is termed row culture. Some varieties
will remain productive for several years under this treat-
mentj but usually three or four years will be as long as
they can be relied upon for a remunerative crop. I have
practiced this system with many varieties, and believe
that more fruit per acre can be produced (})articularly with
the foreign kinds) than by any other system. One strong
stool, with plenty of room for its roots, and with the sur-
face of the soil covered with mulching, will give more and
.arger fruit than twenty plants that are crowded, and
upon an unprotected soil.

For general field culture, and with most of our native
varieties, the biennial or annual system would probably
be less troublesome and equally as profitable.

When pistillate varieties are grown they should be kept
in separate beds, and every alternate one should be a per-
fect flowering variety, and one that blooms at the same
time with the pistillate. This bed need not be more than
half the width of the others.

GARDEN CULTURE.

The same systems recommended for field culture are
equally applicable to the garden, but usually greater care
will be given to a small bed than to a large one.

Water may be applied so that the plants shall nevel
ii«ffer fcr the want of it. Liquid manure should be ap-
plied, if very large fruit is desired, in addition to mak
ing the soil rich.

Diiferent varieties may also be planted ; for it is not the
most profitable market fruit that is always of the begl

8TEAWBERRT. 60

'quality. In fact, a very hard, firm berry such as we
would select for market purposes, is seldom so highly flac
vored as those which are more delicate.

By giving an abundance of water, with liquid manure,
a second crop is often produced upon many of our com-
mon varieties. To insure a late crop, the first one must
not be allowed to mature, but the flowers should be re-
moved so soon as they appear in spring.

Then keep off all new runners, and give plenty of water,
and a fine crop in August or September is almost certain.

The Boston Pine I have found to be one of the best
varieties for producing a late crop when treated in this
manner.

The monthly Alpines are excellent varieties for garden
culture, although they do not produce very large fruit.
Give them plenty of moisture and a rich soil, and ther%
will bo but few days from May to winter in which a dish
of Strawberries may not be gathered from a bed of mod-
erate size.

The Bush Alpines are less troublesome than those that
produce runners.

This class of Strawberries vary but little when grown
from seed, except that tlie fruit produced on the seedlings
will be considerably larger for the first two or three crops
than ever afterwards.

This peculiarity of the Alpines is well known in Europe,
and the growers of these kinds always renew their beds
with seedlings, and never depend upon the runners of old
ones for making new beds or plantations. It is no uncom-
mon thing to find berries an inch in diameter on young
seedling plants of Alpines, while on old beds they will
scarcely average more than one-half of this size.

The seeds may be saved and sown in the same manner
as recommended for other kinds.

The amateur who only cultivates a few Strawberry
plants in his garden will appreciate the fruit he grows 'm

60 SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

his own grounds far above any market valne ; therefor*
the cost of production is of very little importance, pro-
vided the results are satisfactory.

It is not to be expected that a man in moderate cir
cumstances will continue to grow fruit which costs more
than it is worth ; still there is a pleasure in producing ex-
tra fine fruit, even if there is no great profit in the opera-
tion. Besides, I am not quite sure that extra care and
cultivation will not, as a rule, prove to be as profitable as
that which is generally called good culture.

I have made several experiments for the purpose of
thoroughly testing extra cultivation, most of which have
been quite satisfactory.

A few years since I prepared a sixteenth of an acre bi
trenching it two feet deep, applying twelve large two
norse loads of pure, well-rotted cow manure, thorough!)
incorporating it with the soil to tlie depth of one foot.

I then planted this bed with the Triomphe de Gand
Strawberry, placing the plants about two feet apart each
way. A few runners were allowed to take root between the
plants in the rows, but I removed all others. The groun(^.
was hoed often, and in winter the plants were protected
with a coat of salt hay two inches in depth. The whole
expense of preparing the bed-planting, hoeing and mulch-
ing up to the time of picking the first crop was fifty dol-
lars. The bed yielded a little over four hundred quarts,
which, at the low price of twenty-five cents per quart,
would have given a fair profit. The next crop was fully
equal to the first, and the expense incurred tu produce it
but very little in comparison to the first. This bed con
tinued in bearing for five years, and even then the lan(?
was in good condition for any other crop. There are prob-
ably many soils that are naturally as rich as this bed was
after being prepared, but in this instance it was impera-
lively necessary to enrich the ground to get even a mod
erate crcp,

STRAWBERRY. 67

An abundance of moisture is one of the requisites for
producing large fruit, and the amateur should not fail to
see that his plants receive it, particularly at the time when
the fruit is ripening. Mulching the beds is a sure method
of keeping the soil moist, besides it prevents the fruit
from getting splashed during violent showers. The short
mowings of grass from a lawn make an excellent mulch,
besides it looks very neat — much more so than straw or
leaves.

In Europe a tile is sometimes used for the purpose of
keeping the fruit clean, as well as for covering the soil
and keeping it moist.

These tiles are about an inch and a half thick, and
twelve inches square, and in two
parts, as shown in figure 21. The
hole in the center is about four inches
in diameter. The plants are placed
a foot apart in the rows, and be-
fore the fruit begins to ripen the
tile is placed about them.

If the rows are only a foot apart, Fi^-STRAWBERRT
then the whole surface will be tile.

covered, the soil will be kept moist, and the fruit
clean. If water is required during the time of ripening,
it can be applied directly to the plant by passing to the soil
through the hole in the tile. These tiles could probably
be obtained at any pottery or brickyard if ordered a few
months in advance of the time they were wanted for use.
It would be necessary to remove the tile after the fruiting
season was over, and the soil should be Avorked over
among the plants; if not it would become heavy and
soured from being excluded from the air.

A newly patented article, answering a similar purpose,
has just made its ajDpearance in this country. It is called
II. A. Fuller & Co.'s Patent Strawberry Vase, and is
manufactured by the above-named firm at Norwich, Conn.

68 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Figure 22 shows the form of the vase, with a plant grow-
ing within it. N'ot having tested this vase, I cannot re-
commend it from experience ; yet
it appears to be a good thing for
the purpose designed.

The manufacturers claim that
it protects the fruit from dirt and
the vines from weeds, and that,
by using it, double the amount of
fruit will be jn-oduced on a given
space than when the vines are
cultivated in the ordinary method. ^'^- 33.-strawbekrt vase.

The runners are kept trimmed close to the edge of the
vase, thereby concentrating the strength of the plant, and
larger and better fruit will necessarily be the result.

The flower stems will also grow much longer by being
inclosed in the neck of the vase, while at the same time
they will be supported by it, and the fruit will rest or hang
over its upper part. The peculiar form of this vase will
not only insure the recej^tion by the plant of a greater
part of the water that falls in the form of rain, but will
make a direct application more convenient when apjolied
artificially. When this vase is to be used the plants should
be set one foot apart each way, leaving a j^ath every four
rows. The vases will touch each other, and shade the
ground, with the exception of the paths, which may be
covered with a mulch of saw-dust, tan or other material.

The j^resent price, I am informed, for small quantities
is twelve dollars per hundred; consequently they will
scarcely be used by those who grow Strawberries for
profit, unless the yield of fruit is increased in proportion
to the outlay.

ISTevertheless, all these peculiar contrivances are of in-
terest to the amateur, besides, it was by improved methods
of cultivation and extra care that our largest and best
varieties were first produced.

Those old and long celebrated English varieties, Keen's
Seedling and British Queen, were not produced from seeds
gathered from neglected plants, but from those which
had been stimulated by extra culture. And 'f we expect
to keep on improving we must stimulate our plants into a
vigorous growth — not only the ones from which we gather
the seeds, but the seedlings themselves.

To produce large and extra fine specimens, only a few
berries should be allowed to mature uj3on the plant
When there are several fruit stems, select three or four of
the strongest, and destroy the others; also remove all ex-
cept two or three berries from each.

Large Strawberries are quite the fashion at the present
time, and the amateur cultivator generally takes the lead,
merely because he applies the requisite means for produc-
ing the results.

A few years since an amateur Strawberry grower
brought some monstrous fiiiit to an exhibition held in
one of our eastern cities, and they were so much larger
than anything that had heretofore been shown, that he
was offered and accepted a very large price for the entire
stock of this variety.

The purchaser sent his gardener for them soon after,
and when he took up the plants he found the beds so filled
with offal from a slaughter-house that the operation of
removing the plants was anything but a pleasant one.
Here were cause and effect but little separated. This is
but one instance among the many that might be given to
show that great results in fruit growing of any kind are
only derived by direct effort on the part of the producer.

Old plants seldom produce as large berries as young
ones, and a fresh stock should always be provided, either
by allowing a few plants in the fruiting beds to throw out
runners, or by setting a few in separate beds €very year
'or that particular purpose.

Plants that have been highly stimulated will seldoDi

70 SMALL FBOTT CULTUBIST.

last more tban two or three years, and they will frequently
fail after producing one large crop. The safest plan is
not to expect more than two crops, and to make the beds
upon fresh soil, where no Strawberries have been ^own
for at least two seasons.

FORCING STRAWBERRIES.

The term forcing is generally used to indicate that a
fruit is made to ripen at other than its season. In Europe
the forcing of Strawberries has been extensively practiced
for a long time, but in thitj country very little attention
has been paid to this system of cultivation until within the
past few years.

There are few plants that will grow more readily, or
produce more fruit in proportion to the expense incurred,
than the Strawberry when grown under glass.

When only a few plants are to be forced, and the object
is merely to obtain fruit a few weeks in advance of the
usual time, then a common hot bed may be used for the
purpose. The plants, however, should be prepared the
season previous, and stored where they can be had when
wanted in early spring.

An ordinary green-house, such as is used for tender exotic
plants, will answer the purpose. But one which has a
roof so low down that the plants will be within two or
three feet of the glass is better than one that is consider-
ably higher; besides, it will take much less fire to heat a
low house than a high one.

The soil in which the plants are to be grown should be
exceedingly rich. A compost made of three-fourths old
sods or turfy loam, and one-fourth barn-yard manure, will
be found excellent for this purpose, and if there is consid*
erable cow manure among the latter so much the better.

Mix these materials together, and let them becomt
thoroughly decomposed before using. Th e moi e frequently

STBAWBKKRT. 71

the compost is turned over, the less time it will require
for its decomposition.

Leaf mold from the woods or friable muck, with a little
addition of pure sand, will answer in the place of sodsL

PREPARATION OF PLANTS.

When the first mnners appear upon plants in the open
ground, fill as many three inch pots with the compost aa
you desire, and set them near the old plants from which
you wish to take those for forcing, placing the top of the
pot just level with the surface of the soil. When the
yoang plants on the runners begin to show roots, place
one on the soil in each pot, and lay a stone or a little soil
on the runner to keep it in its place.

The end of the runner should be pinched off just beyond
the plant, so that it will receive all the nutriment furnished
by the parent. When the young plant has become rooted
in the pot, it should be taken up and the runner cut off
close to the plant ; then set the j^ots away in an open and
airy place for a few weeks, being careful not to let them
suffer for the want of water. Set them on flat stones,
bricks or boards, so that no worms can have access to the
pots through the hole in the bottom.

When the plants have remained in the pots a few weeka,
they should be shifted into larger ones. Some prefer to
place them in five-inch pots, and afterwards shift into six
or eight-inch pots, in which they are to be fruited, while
others make but one shift from the small pots. It will
make but little difference, as either plan will work well if
carefully done. The ball of earth containing the roots
should not be broken when re-potting, but preserved
whole. A few pieces of broken pots or brick should be
placed in the bottom of these large pots for drainage.

There are a few orardeners who assume that drainacje ia
dI no importance, but from my own experience of several

73 SMALL FRUIT CULTirRlST.

years with a great variety of plants, I cannot indorse tbu
new theory of no drainage, particularly when the plants
grown in pots naturally succeed best in a soil that ia
deep and moderately dry. With the small potSj drainage
is of little importance, but with those of larger size all
surplus moisture should be allowed to pass through, leav-
ing only what will usually be retained by the soil.

The plants, after they have been placed in the large
pot3, may be set close together, or plunged op to the rim of
the pot in the open ground until wanted, care being given
to keep them growing vigorously until within a few weeks
of the time they are to be placed in the forcing-house.
Water should be gradually withheld, so that the plants
may ripen. It is not advisable to withhold water en*
tirely, but give only enough to keep the plants from
actually suffering for the want of it, and allow them a
short period of rest before starting them again into
growth. If runners should appear they must be pinched
off. Those wanted for an early crop may be placed in the
house the first of November, as it will be ten to four-
teen weeks from the time the plants are placed in the
forcing-house before the fruit will be ripe.

If a succession of crops is desired, then only a portion
of the plants should be placed in the house at one time.

The pots may be set on shelves or plunged in soil — the
latter method is preferable, as there is less danger of the
plants being affected by careless watering or change of
temperature.

The plants should now be watered regularly, just enough
to keep the soil moist, but not wet — the temperature of
the house raised to 65 or 75 degrees in the day, and 50 to
60 at night, slightly increasing as the flower stems appear.

The plants should be frequently, say every alternate
day, syringed or sprinkled overhead until they bloom,
then omit it until the fruit is set, after which it may be
continued, but not quite so often as before. While th«

ffTEAWBERBT. W

plants are io bloom, as much air should be admitted as
possible wittiout lowering the temperature or allowing a
direct current to strike upon the plants. In clear weather
the plants will generally require water once a day, and
sometimes twice. Care should be observed not to let the
leaves wilt, but do not give so much water that the soil
shall become sodden and heavy.

A few applications of liquid manure may be beneficial,
provided the compost used is not sufficiently rich. When
the fruit is set and swelling, is a good time to apply it, but
withhold it after the fruit begins to ripen.

The reserved plants should be stored where they will
not be frozen. A light, warm cellar or walled pit,
covered with glass, will answer the purpose — a place
where they vill receive light, and not be frozeu,
yet so cool that they will not be excited into growth.
Sometimes plants a year old are taken up in the fall and
potted, and used for forcing, but those prepared as de-
scribed are preferable. Forcing houses are sometimes so
arranged that the plants are set directly in the ground
without pots. A more vigorous growth of plant is se-
cured by this method, but it is doubtful if the crop of
fruit is increased.

Plants that have been once used for forcing should be
discarded and not used for the same purpose again. It
may be advisable, in cases of scarcity, to plant them out
'ji the open ground in spring, for they will occasionally
produce a moderate crop late in the season.

All the different operations may be varied to suit the
fircumstances of the case, as in open air culture ; and
I have only endeavored to give a general plan, omit-
ting minute details, which tlie grower will readily
•upply while the operation is in progress. At every step
caution and a due amount of thought are requisite — such
fts preventing cold currents of air striking the plants
4

74

SMALL FEtriT CULTtJRIST.

when in bloom, or chilling the roots by applying very
cold water.

Forcing Strawberries for market is not a common prac-
tice, except near our larger cities ; but it will probably be-
come more general in a few years than at present, partic-
ularly if two to three dollars per quart can be obtained
for the fruit, as has been done in Kew York for several
years past.

rOECING HOUSES.

Few, if any, structures have been built in this country
expressly for the purpose of forcing Strawberries.

The common lean-to or sj^an-roof houses are j)rincipally
used for forcing all kinds of fruits, and perhaps they

Fig. 23. — FORCING HOUSE.

answer as well as any other. In Europe many different
styles are in use, among which there is probably none
more unique or better adapted to forcing the Strawberry
than the one shown in the accompanying engraving, fig-
ure 23. Tills is a lean-to house, but instead of the usual
form of roof it is made up of a series of short frames, one
above the other, like a flight of stairs. These frames rest

STRAWBEERT. 7b

Qpon cast iron brackets, fixed against the wall or upon
standards erected for the purpose. Where the bracketa
are fastened directly upon the wall, access is had to the
plants by lifting the frames from the front. But the one
shown is wide enough to allow a passage behind the
frames. The idea is a good one, which our own gardeners
will not fail to take advantage of The plants in the
frames are brought close to the glass, and there is no ex-
tra or waste space, which requires just as much heat as
that which is occupied by plants. This style of house
is said to have originated with the firm of Weeks & Co.,
Chelsea, England. Three different plans of these Eng-
lish houses were given in the Gardeners' Monthly, in
June, 1865. They may be heated with hot water, steam,
or any of the other modes usually employed.

VARIETIES FOR FORCING.

Comparatively few experiments have been made in this
country in forcing Strawberries; it is, therefore, not
known which are the best varieties for that purpose.
None but those with bi-sexual flowers can be used advan-
tageously, inasmuch as in the still atmosphere of a house
the pistillate varieties would be imperfectly fertilized, even
if abundant perfect flowering kinds were grown among
them.

Forced fruit is not generally as highly flavored as that
which ripens in the open air ; consequently only that of
the best quality should be used, provided flavor is an
object.

Trollope's Victoria is a fine show fruit, and produces
well when forced, but it is usually insipid.

Austin or Shaker, is equal if not superior to the last,
but with the same defect, although not to such an extent.
Its fine color and large size are very much in its favor
and it usually commands a large price in market.

The British Queen is the must popular variety in Eng

W SMALL ^EtJiT Txwrxjuiat,

land for forcing, and it would probably be worthy of trial
here, although it does not succeed very well in the open
air.

Among our native varieties we have probably no better
variety for forcing, taking flavor and productiveness into
consideration, than the Boston Pine. The monthly Al-
pines do exceedingly well, and the fruit is usually con-
iiderably larger than when grown in the open ground.

THINNING THE FRUIT.

It is sometimes necessary to take off a portion of th«
fruit from forced plants. This should be done as soon as
it has set, thereby giving that which remains a better
chance for full development. Numbers do not always in-
dicate quantity, and, with ten to fifteen berries upon each
plant, as many quarts will usually be obtained from
a given space as with twice as many to each.

Plants that are not over-cropped at first, may often be
made to produce a second crop by giving stimulating
manure soon after the first is gathered.

One crop, however, is all that is usually expected with
those which do not produce any more naturally,

HYBRIDIZING AND CROSSING.

The Strawberry may be hybridized or crossed as readily
as other fruits, but this having already been done to such
an extent between the i^ Virginiana and F. grandiflora^
the results of special effort in the same direction will be
yery uncertain, especially if we use the varieties under
cultivation for tliat purpose.

These being in many instances a mixture of two species,
it becomes a difficult matter to determine whether the
cause which produced certain results originated with us,
or wab the effect of some previous operation which had
just made itself apparent in the seedlings.

STEAWBERRT, Y7

Ih other words, liybridizing hybrids is only the mixing
togetlier of two compounds — the exact proportions of
neither being known.

The pistillate varieties are always fertilized by othef
kinds ; their seeds are impregnated by whatever kind
produces the pollen ; consequently the plants grown from
them are natural crosses between the two or more, as the
case be.

It is very doubtful if any dependence can be placed
upon the results of artificial crossing between any of the
varieties of the two species named ; still, it may be worthy
of trial. All that is required is to fertilize the pistils of
one variety with the pollen from another.

For instance, if we select the Wilson's Albany for the
parent from which we wish to procure seeds, when the
flowers first open, we take a pair of small scissors and cut
ofi* the stamens, being careful to remove every one. It
is best to do this early in the morning before the petals
have fully expanded ; then set a l)ell-glass or a fine wire
screen over the entire plant, so that insects, which go
from flower to flower with pollen adhering to them, shall
not fertilize the plant upon which we are operating and
thereby defeat our object. In three or four hours after the
stamens have been removed, the pistils will probably be
sufficiently developed to receive the pollen, at which time
cut a fully expanded flower from the variety that has been
selected for tlie other parent, and apply its stamens to the
pistils of the Wilson's Albany. The stamens may be cut
ofi" and allowed to drop on to the pistils or merely brushed
over them. Three or four flowers are sufficient, and all
that it is safe to undertake to operate upon on a single
plant; all others should be removed before they open.

Each flower must hav6 its stamens removed and its pis.
tils fertilized in the same manner; and as they will proba-
bly not all open in one day, they must be attended to sao
cessively as they bloom.

T8 SMALL FRUrr CULTUBIST.

Mark the plants, and keep the screen or bell-glass ovei
them for two or three days. When the seeds are ripe,
save and plant as I have already directed.

There are a few Strawberry growers who place great
reliance upon their particular efforts in crossing, and when-
ever they produce a new variety it is always (if we believe
their assertions) a cross or hybrid between some two re-
markable varieties or species. But to show how exceed-
ingly difficult it is te know positively whether a seedling
is a cross between the two varieties upon which we have
experimented, or the result of some previous one, let ug
suppose a case.

For instance, we will take Hovey's Seedling and fertil-
ize it with the Wilson, and from the seed of the former
raise a variety that shall resemble the latter more than it
does the Hovey — would this be positive proof that the
seedling was the result of our especial effort ? Not at all,
because similar varieties may be and are produced from
the Hovey without artificially fertilizing its flowers from
the Wilson or any similar variety.

And further, the Wilson is probably a seedling of the
Hovey, and it possesses naturally the same inherent char-
acteristics which only require an opportunity, which seed-
lings afford, to show themselves.

Direct efforts to improve are commendable, but the
causes of results are not always what are supposed, and
assertions are not to be implicitly relied upon. The in-
fluence that one variety has upon another by fertilizing
U generally supposed to affect the seeds only, but from
many experiments which I have made, I am quite certain
that it extends further.

Every Strawberry grower is aware of ' *. fact that
whenever a portion of the pistils are not fertilized, the
berries will be proportionately deformed. If there are no
seeds, then the receptacle, which we call the fruit, is abor-
tive. But if we are to supnose that the influence of th«

STEAWBERET. 79

poflen extends no fiirther than the seeds, why does not
the fruit enlarge and come to maturity without seeds, as
we see in other fruits, particularly those which produce
their seeds within a fleshy receptacle, as the grape, ap-
ple, &c.

With corn, we can see the effects of cross-fertilization
in the color of the grains the first season, also upon the
receptacle (cob) ; thus, in this instance, showing con-
clusively that the effect is apparent the first season upon
the seed as well as beyond.

It is quite probable that impregnation affects the whole
plant, but not to an extent worthy of any particular at-
tention. Still, from personal observations upon this point,
I am well satisfied that principles similar to those which
govern the animal kingdom are potent in the vegetable.
Because they are not so readily observed is no reason for
disputing their effect.

The most careful experimenter or observer is generally
less positive in his assertions than the more careless, be-
cause by thorough study he learns that although cause
and effect are linked together, the connecting chain is of-
ten not only hidden, but has so many ramifications that
e&ch cannot be traced with any degree of certainty.

In giving names to new varieties errors are occasionally
made — sometimes purposely, and with intent to deceive,
but let us hope more often carelessly or through ignorance.
Many of my readers may remember the advent of
Peabody's Hautbois Strawberry.

The originator claimed that it was a cross between the
Ross and Phoenix and the wild Strawberry of Alabama,
neither of which belong to the Hautbois species ; conse-
quently it was a deception to call the new seedling a
Hautbois, although the originator had, according to cus-
tom, a right to give it whatever name he pleased.

Many other so-called Hautbois Strawberries have been
M far from what their name implies as the Peabody, and

80 SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIJST,

may have been applied through igiioraDce or design. It
is very doubtful if there have ever been any true hybrldi
produced between tlie Hautbois, or the Alpine, and other
species. Some fifty years ago, a Mr, Williams, of Pitmas-
ton, in England, claimed to have produced a hybrid be-
tween the Hautbois and Alpine, which gave fruit without
Beed, but nothing more vras heard of it beyond the an-
nouncement of its production.

Whether hybrids between the Alpines and Hautbois,
or these and other species, have ever been produced is un-
certain ; yet I think it possible and worthy of trial.

WINTER PROTECTION.

In many portions of the country a winter protection to
Strawberry plants is very beneficial, if not positively ne-
cessary. Some of our mo5?t successful growers in the
Korthern States never fail to protect their plants, and
without doubt they are amply repaid for the expense in-
curred. For my own part I never have had a full crop
without giving protection, and never expect one.

There can scarcely be a doubt that the great success of
some cultivators, with particular kinds, is owing, in a
great measure, if not entirely, to the winter protection of
the plants.

The embryo fruit buds are formed within the crown of
the plant in autumn, and therefore it must be apparent
that sudden transition from heat to severe cold will very
.nuch weaken if not wholly destroy them.

In sections of the country M'here the plants are covered
with snow during the entire winter, other protection is not
BO important as where there is little snow, but continued
freezing and thawing. It is not expected nor is it desira*
ble to protect the plants so that they shall not be frozen,
but merely to shade them, and prevent their being aflTect
ed by every little change in the weather.

A covering of straw, hay, leaves, or any similar mate

STRAWBERRY.

rial, to the depth of one or two inches wUl usually he
BufPoieut.

Every one ought to know, if he does not, that frozen
plants thawed out in the shade are less injured by frost
than when fully exposed to the light; and this is another
reason why Strawberry plants should be covered in win-
ter, because, if the weather should be very changeable,
they will be less liable to injury than when fully exposed
to light.

Protection is sometimes objected to, because it is said
to retard the blooming of the plants, and the crop will be
later in ripening. This may be true to a certain extent,
but I have always thought that protected plants came for-
ward more rapidly, when they did start, than the unpro-
tected ones. The lost time may not be fully made up,
but there will be but a very slight difference.

In some sections of the country, retarding the time ot
blooming would be very advantageous, as by this means
the injury from late spring frosts would be avoided. The
benefit of having late blooming kinds was quite apparent
the past season, (1866), when a late frost was very de-
structive through a great portion of the Northern and
Middle States ; and the reports of the Strawberry crop
furnished some amusing illustrations of the careless man-
mer in which some cultivators arrive at conclusions. The
early blooming varieties came in for all the censure, while
the late bloomers, which escaped the frost, received all
the praise ; and still, with this very potent fact before
him, scarcely a fruit grower, in making up his report of
success or fxilure, alluded to the time of the blooming of
the variety cultivated. The varieties of F. grandiflora
in particular, require winter protection to insure a full
crop. The large, prominent crowns of these varieties are
more liable to injury than the smaller and more compact
ones of those of other species. When the plants are grown
ip beds, then a portion of the material used for protection
4*

g2 SMATJ. FBTJIT CDXTUEISI'.

should be removed in spring, leaving about balf an inch in
depth, allowing the plants to grow through it, thereby
affording a mulching that will keep the fruit clean as well
as shading the ground.

Saw-dust and tan-bark are sometimes used for mulching,
but there is usually so much fine dust among them that the
fimit will become more or less splashed during heavy rains.

Spent hops from a brewery is a most excellent material
for mulching the Strawberry; besides, few insects will
attack the plants or fruit where it is used. The young
runners strike root very readily in spent hops, showing
that it is an excellent fertilizer. Fallen pine leaves are
found to be very good, as they keep the fruit clean, while
at the same time they will have decayed so much as to
interfere but very little with the growth of the plants.
Some have suggested that the peculiar flavor of the
Pine varieties is imparted to others by the use of this
kind of mulching, but this is probably more in imagina-
tion than in reality.

Salt meadow and bog hay are excellent for a mulch, as
also is straw or corn stalks cut fine.

When the plants are cultivated in rows, the mulching
should only be removed from tne crowns of the plants,
and the entire amount allowed to remain on the ground
between the rows.

Another method of protecting the plants is to covei
them with soil. This is done by passing the plow along
each side of the row, turning the soil on the plants in
the fall, and then removing it again in the spring. This
plan might answer in light soils, *but then a mulching
would be still needed in summer to keep the fruit clean.
This method has been practiced in a few j)laces, but with
what success I am unable to state.

STKAWBERRT.

83

DISEASES AND INSECTS.

The Strawberry is peculiarly exempt from diseases,
there being few which affect it to any considerable extent.

Sometimes a sudden change of weather will cause the
flowers to blight, and no fruit will be produced ; but this
cannot be classed as a disease, but merely as an accidental
cause of failure. In warm, wet weather, the fruit and
leaf -stalks will be affected by mildew, and the leaves at-
tacked by a kind of rust which is called in Europe Straw-
berry Brand {Aregma ohtusatum). Mr. Cooke, in his
late work oii Microscopic Fungi, has given a description
and highly magnified illustration of this species, which
we quote, figure 24. The
spores are produced in
clusters on the upper side
of the leaves, and appear
to the naked eye like
minute yellow spots, but
under a magnifying lens
they have the form shown
in the illustration, figure
24. As this fungus makes its appearance late in the
season, it causes but very little injury.

A kind of blight or rust is reported to have appeared
on Strawberry plants in some of the Western States dur-
ing the past few years, causing considerable loss to grow-
ers of this fruit, but as I have had no opportunity of per-
sonally examining the affected plantations, I am unable
to express an opinion as to the cause or nature of the
disease. In most cases of fungus diseases, dusting the
plants with ashes or gypsum will be beneficial, even if
it does not entirely destroy the fungi causing them.

Insects are more injurious to the Strawberry than are
diseases, and among the most destructive of tliese are the
various species of the May Bpctles {Lachnosterna), of

Fig. 24. — STRAWBEBBT BRAND,

84 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

which there are over sixty species already described as
inhabiting the United States, and there are probably
others not as yet discovered by our entomologists. There
is no locality, from Washington Territory to Florida, in
which one or more species of May Beetles do not abound,
and the larvas or grubs of all are destructive to the roots
of various plants, and especially those of the Strawberry.
These grubs, when fully grown, are from an inch to an
inch and a half long, of a whitish color, and with brown

heads. They are commonly known
as White Grubs, without regard to
species. The most abundant in the
Eastern States is Lachnosterna fiisca
of Frolich, a large brownish beetle,
figure 25, which usually appears
Fio-. 25.— MAT BEETLE, about tlic first of May, or a little
later, hence the common name.
There are also several other species, more or less abun-
dant, and appearing at the same time, but as all are
similar in habits, they may be considered as one.

These grubs are usually more numerous in old dry
pastures and meadows than elsewhere, because their prin-
cipal food is the roots of different kinds of grass. The
old sods afford protection against the birds and animals
which devour them ; consequently they often become
very abundant in such places. If these grass lands are
plowed and planted with the Strawberry, the grubs will
attack the roots, and, if numerous, will destroy every
plant almost as soon as it is put in the ground. In some
sections of the country the white grub has very materially
checked the cultivation of the Strawberry. The only
remedy with which I am acquainted is, to occupy the
ground with some crop which requires considerable hoe-
ing and cultivation, for two or three years before plant-
ing Avith the Strawberry.

The grub is three or four years in attaining its growth^

STRAWBEREY. 85

and by continually manipulating the soil they are ex-
posed to the attacks of birds, and many are destroyed by
crushing ; besides this, the Beetles will seldom deposit
their eggs in freshly disturbed soil. As all the May
Beetles are nocturnal in habit, many may be taken by
using tubs of water with a floating light in the center.
A few hundred taken every evening during the lirst few
weeks of summer will do somethino: toward diminishins:
the number of the succeeding generations in a neighbor-
hood, but the birds and domestic fowls are the Straw-
berry grower's most efficient helpers in the way of destroy-
ing May Beetles and AVhite Grubs. The grubs are greedi-
ly devoured by birds ; the Crow being exceedingly fond of
them. This much abused bird will always seek them on
recently plowed ground, where, I regret to say, many a
Crow has lost his life while devouring the White Grub ;
he was benefiting the cultivator, who returned his kind-
ness with a death-dealing bullet. From a pretty intimate
acquaintance with the habits of the Crow, having kept
several tame ones, I am well satisfied that they are far
more beneficial than injurious to the farmer. A crow
will eat a hundred white grubs in a day, after he he has
had a breakfast of an equal number of rose bugs. I do
not state this as an imaginary case, but as a simple fact
that I have proved many times. From experience, I
firmly believe that the Crow is one of the most useful
birds that we possess, although he does a little mischief
now and then in the way of pulling up corn. When
domesticated he forgets those tricks of his wild nature,
and, not being a timid bird, he is not frightened by hoe
or spade, but when the earth is turned over he is gener-
ally there to see and do his duty.

At tlie time of Avriting this book, my strawberry beds
and tliose of my neiglibors had suffered more or less by a
small green worm, at that time unknown to me or to any
entomologist of my acquaintance. This insect was quite

86 SKALL FRtJlT CULTURIST.

destructive to the leaves of the plants, frequently strip-
ping a plantation of its foliage m a few days. I have
since ascertained that these worms are the larvae of the
Emphytus maculatus of Norton, a small black fly, figure
26. This worm has received the common name of
*^ Strawberry Worm," and appears to have become abun-
dant throughout the Northern States, and really more
destructive to strawberry plantations in the West than at
the East. Prof. Eiley figured and described this insect
in vol. 1, page 90, of the American Entomologist. The
worms are of a yellowish-green color, a little over a
half inch long, and when feeding are usually curled up,
with the extremity of the body hanging down, as shown

Fig. 26. — FLY OF THE STRAWBERRY Fig. 27. — STRAWBERRY

WORM — ENLARGED. WORM.

in figure 27. The parent fly appears in our Northern
States early in May, and, as I have said, is of a black
color, with two rows of transverse whitish spots upon the
abdomen. The female deposits her eggs m the leaf stalks,
first puncturing them by means of a saw-like instrument
with which she is provided, and thrusting her eggs into
the wounds thus made. The eggs hatch m a few days,
and the young grubs immediately attack the leaves.
When fully grown they descend into the ground, roll
themselves up in a slender cocoon, the pupa remaining
within until the following spring. Dusting the leaves
with lime, when wet with dew, or just after a shower, is
the best m.ethod with which I am acquainted for destroy-
ing the pest.

STRAWBERET. 8?

Another leaf enemy of the Strawberry is known as the
"Strawberry Leaf-roller" [Anchylopera fragaricB, Walsh
and Riley), of which figure 28, a, gives the larva of nat-
ural size, and h, the moth, enlarged. This insect, like
the last, appears to be more abundant at the West than
eastward. Still I have frequently found it on the plants
m my garden, and I presume it is not uncommon in
strawberry plantations throughout the country, but only
noticed when so abundant as to strip the plants of their
leaves. In feeding, it folds up
the leaves, drawing the edges to-
gether with silken threads, and
then eats out the more tender or
pulpy parts. Prof. Riley ^h^i^
states that there are two a ■'-6

broods of this insect dur- "' ^"'"''^ ' ^' ^'^^*''-

ing the year, the worms ^^- 28.-strawberry leap-roller.

of the first brood passing through their transformation on
the leaves, the moths appearing about the first of July.
The female moths deposit their eggs on the leaves, where
they soon hatch, and the worms commence their work ;
but those of the second brood, when coming to maturity
late in the fall, descend into the ground, change to pupge,
and remain in this state until the following spring.
Owing to the habit these worms have of rollmg them-
selves up in the leaves, they are somewhat protected from
destruction by any dry or liquid application that may be
made to the plants for the purpose. SAveeping the leaves
with a broom will disturb and destroy a few of the worms,
but tlie most rapid method of destruction is burning off
the leaves. after the fruit is gathered, or passing a heavy
roller over the plants in time to destroy the second or late
brood in autumn.

The Strawberry Crown Borer (Tyloderma fragarice,
Riley), is another pest of the Strawberry, more or less
abundant in the Western States and Canada; but I have

88

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

ris:.29. STRAWBEE
RT CROWN BORER.

not as yet discovered it in my own grounds, or those of
my neighbors. It is a small Snout-beetle, a yeritable Cur-
culio, about an eiglitli of an inch long and half as broad,
and ornamented on the back as shown in
figure 29, which is an enlarged portrait
of this pest. The grubs of this beetle
bore into the crowns of the plants, as
its common name indicates, where they
destroy the embryo fruit-stalks and
leaves. The only remedy proposed is to
plow up the infested plantations soon
after gathering the fruit in summer,
while the grubs are still in the crowns of the plants.
The Snail or Slug which is so abundant and destructive
to the Strawberry and other garden products in Europe,
has found its way to this country, and is now quite
plentiful in some gardens near New York. These snails
are great gourmands, and will destroy the fruit in quanti-
ties if they become very plentiful. Hand picking, or
destroying them with lime, is a pretty sure way of getting
rid of this pest.

The Plant Louse (Aphis), or Green Fly, as it is usually
called, sometimes becomes numerous upon the roots of
the Strawberry, particularly when the soil is quite loose
and open, so as to admit them readily to the roots, upon
which they congregate in immense numbers, sucking the
juices of the plant, and thereby effectually checking its
growth. A liberal application of dry ashes or refuse from
a tobacco factory will usually destroy them. The Aphis
also attacks the plants grown under glass, but they are
more readily destroyed than the Red Spider {Tetranychus
telarms), which insect is often very injurious.

The best preventive of the ravages of the Red Sjfider
is a moist atmosphere, but when this cannot be allowed,
flowers of sulphur should be freely scattered among the
plants or upon the soil near them. The fumes of melted

STRAWBERRY. 89

sulphur will make quick work with them, but it requires
great care in its application, for should the sulphur take
fire and burn, the fumes will destroy the plants also.

Birds are, in some portions of the country, very de-
structive to the Strawberry, but I forbear to suggest a
remedy, because there are already too many effectual
ones in use.

VARIETIES.

In the following catalogue I have endeavored to give
the names, with a concise description, of all the varieties
now in cultivation, which are worthy of it.

To give a full description of all known varieties would
require a volume by itself, and it is very doubtful if,
when such a list was made, any one would take the trou-
ble to peruse it. It is such an easy matter to raise new
varieties, that a few men seem to have gone into the
business, not for the purpose of improvement, but mainly
to see how many varieties they could produce, and so they
name each new seedling, and give it a glowing description,
whether it is worthy of cultivation or not.

Now, while I would not supjiress any information that
would benefit the public, I do not feel called upon to rec-
ommend or give the names of all varieties that have
appeared in the catalogues of some few of our Strawberry
growers, especially of those who appear to always have
ready, if we were to believe them, some wonderful variety
for every annual edition of their catalogues.

Our enterprising fruit growers are supposed to know and
procure the best varieties, and when one has been before
the public for from five to ten years, and then it is not
found in general cultivation, it may be safe to conclude
that the fruit grower lacks confidence in the originator,
and consequently does not purchase it, or that it has
been tried and discarded. The reader, if he has followed
me through the preceding pages, will have noticed that

90

SMALL VUVIT CULTtJRIST.

I recognize among cultivated yarieties but two sexes,
yiz. : Perfect or Bi-sexual, and the Pistillate varieties.
The latter kinds are marked pistillate j all not so desig-
nated are perfect, and will bear fruit without the aid of
others to fertilize them.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES.

The following are varieties of Fragaria grandifiora and
F. Virgmiana. Some of them show more of the pecu-
liar characteristics of one species than of the other, while
with a few it would be difficult to tell to which they were
related, and it is very probable that they are a mixture
of both. They were all produced in this country, and
are called native varieties :

Agriculturist. — Very large, irregular, conical, with long

neck, large specimens often flat-
tened or coxcomb shaped ; color
light reddish crimson ; flesh deep
red, moderately firm, sweet, rich
and good ; plant a very strong
grower ; leaves large, thick, dark
green, with reddish petiole ; hardy
and productive, and succeeds re-
markably well on light sandy soils,
as well as on those that are heavy.
A valuable variety. Figure 30
shows a fruit of medium size in
ordinary field culture. Originated
with 8eth Boy den, Newark, N, J.
Austin or Shaker.— Superseded by better sorts. Origi-
nated among the Shakers at Watervliet, N. Y.

Albion White. — See Lennig's White.
Belle. — A new variety, which originated with J. B.
Moore. I have not seen it, and only know of it bv re-

Fig. 30.— AGRICULTURIST.

STRAWBERRY. 01

ports of Massaclinsetts Horticultural Society, Tvliere it is
referred to as '* very large/' or as ^'the largest Strawberry
ever exhibited on tlie Society's tables/'

Bid well* — Very large, conical ; bright scarlet ; flesh
firm ; quality excellent. A vigorous grower and plants
are reported to be very productive. A new variety not
fully tested.

Black Defiance* — Large, irregular in shape ; dark
glossy crimson ; flesli moderately firm ; high-flavored.
Only moderately productive. The color is objectionable,
as the berries, soon after gathering, assume a dull, stale
appearance. Originated w^ith E. AY. Durand.

Boston Pine (Bartlett.) — Medium to large, obtuse-
conical ; color light crimson ; flesh but slightly colored,
firm, sweet, most excellent ; fruit stalks very long ; plant
vigorous and productive ; a fine market variety ; ripens
early ; succeeds in both li^-ht and heavy soils, and is very
hardy. Originated with 0. M. Hovey, Boston, Mass.

Brighton Pine. — Medium to large, roundish-conical,
with short neck ; color light crimson ; flesh rather soft,
sweet and juicy ; plant strong, vigorous and moderately
productive ; early. Originated with Mr. T. Scott, of
Brighton, Mass.

Burr's New Pine. — Once a very celebrated variety, but
is now seldom seen in cultivation. Originated with Mr.
Burr, Columbus, Ohio.

Buifalo. — See McAvoy's Superior.

Brooklyn Scarlet. — Medium to large, regular, conical,
with neck ; color bright scarlet ; flesh rather soft, sweet
and rich ; quality best ; plant a dwarf grower, producing
very large stools, hard}^, vigorous and i)roductive ; one of
the best for home use. Originated with A. S. Fuller,
in 1859, from seed of Peabody Seedling. One of the
three *' New York Tribune" prize varieties.

9$J &3«fALL FRtJlt CULTURIST.

Baltimore Scarlet. — See Scotch Runner.

Captain Jack. — Medium, or small, regular, sliort coni-
cal ; bright scarlet ; flesh pink, firm ; poor in quality.
A vigorous and productive variety, more highly prized at
the AYest than at the East. Originated with Samuel
Miller, Bluffton, Mo.

Caroline. — Large, conical ; bright scarlet ; quality good ;
plants rather feeble, and only moderately productive.
'Not fully tested. Originated with J. B. Moore, Concord,
Mass.

Centennial Favorite. — One of Mr. Durand's seedlings,
of large size, irregular shape, but scarcely possessing
sufficient merit to entitle it to a j^rominent position
among better and more prolific sorts.

Champion. {Windsor Chief.) — Large, round; bright
crimson ; flesh rather soft j inferior in quality, but the
plants are so vigorous and productive that this is con-
sidered a very profitable market variety ; pistillate.
Originated with Dr. J. C. Netf, Carlisle, Pa.

Charles Downini?. — Medium to large, round, obtuse-
conical ; very regular in form ; bright scarlet, becoming
darker wiicn fully ripe ; flesh moderately firm, pink,
juicy, with a rich, sprightly sub-acid flavor. One of the
very best varieties in cultivation. The plants are vigor-
ous, wonderfully productive, and succeed admirably on
light soils, and bear profusely even in thick matted beds.
Originated with the late J. S. Downer, of Fairview, Ky.,
and named in honor of the Veteran Pomologist of New-
burgh, X. Y.

Cinderella, — Large, conical; bright scarlet, glossy;
moderately firm ; of second-rate flavor. Plants only
moderately productive. A handsome and attractive va-
riety. Originated witli Oscar Felton, of New Jersey,
who has also raised several other sorts.

STRAWBERRY.

93

Col. Cheney. — Small, long-conical ; bright scarlet ;
flesh soft, watery, poor flavor ; plants vigorous and pro-
ductive. A poor thing at best, although it has been
highly praised by certain dealers who were anxious to sell
plants. Pistillate.

Col. Ellsworth. — Superseded by better sorts. Dis-
carded, because unproductive.

Continental. — A large, dark crimson berry; said to be
of good flavor and the plants very productive. I give
this only on hearsay evidence, not having seen the plants
growing.

Crescent Seedlinj!^. (Figure 31.) — Medium to large,
somewhat irregular conical ; bright scarlet ; fl.esh rather
soft for a market berry, but
will do for short distances,
or when carefully handled ;
quality fair, not rich ; the
plants, however, are of such
a vigorous growth and so
productive that this variety
has become quite a favorite
among cultivators for market.
Originated with Mr. AVilliam
Parmelee, New Haven, Conn.
This is quite a different berry
from the old and long since

Fig. 31. — CKESCENT.

discarded *^ Crescent Seedling," which originated at the
South.

Crimson Cone. {Pme Apple, Scotch Runner, etc.) —
Medium, regular, conical, with long neck ; seeds deeply
imbedded ; color light, bright crimson ; flesh firm,
spriglitly acid, with a rich flavor, and highly perfumed.
Figure 32 shows a fruit of the usual size. One of the
best Strawberries in cultivation, although too small and
^cid to suit some people. This is one of the old market

94 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

kinds, and there are probably more acres of it in cultiva-
tion for furnishing the New York market, than of all
others put together. The flowers are perfect, and not
pistillate, as has often been asserted.
There is, however, another variety which
is generally found mixed with it, and
also called Scotch Eunner, v.hich has
l^istillate flowers. The latter variety is
tlie true Scotch Eunner, for which see
description.

Crystal City. — A new Western variety ;

handsome bright scarlet, but very indif-

Fig. 32— CRIMSON ferent in quality. I have no informa-

coNE. ^[qj^ \yl reo'ard to its oridn or value,

except some brief notices which have appeared in western

papers, and in a few catalogues. Said to be very early.

Cumberland Triumph. — Large, smooth, and uniform in

shape ; light bright scarlet ; flesh j^ale pink, soft, but of
good flavor. A very handsome, vigorous grower ; the
leaves deep glossy green, quite distinct. Eequires a strong
fertile soil. A valuable variety for amateurs, or for home
use, but too soft for market. Originated Avith Mr. Amos
Miller, Carlisle, Pa.

Damask Beauty. — The only reference to this variety
we have seen is by E. P. Eoe, who says it is *'a very
distinct variety and interesting to amateurs, but of no
great value." But just why ifc is *^ interesting" we are
not informed.

Downer's Prolific. — .^^edium to large, globular, light
scarlet ; seeds deeply imbedded ; flesh rather soft, acid,
not rich, but highly perfumed ; very early, hardy, and
wonderfully prolific. An excellent old market variety,
provided the market is near by. Originated with J. S.
Downer, Fairview, Kentucky.

i>ucliess. — Large, roundish, uniform ; bright scarlet ;

STRAWBERRY.

95

flesh pink, moderately firm, good flavor, but not best;
ripens early ; plants vigorous, and very hardy and pro-
ductive. This variety has an excellent reputation among
those who raise fruit for market. Originated with D. H,
Barnes, Poughkeepsie, IS". Y.

Duncan. — Medium, slightly conical, although often
quite variable in form and size ; bright scarlet; firm, ex-
cellent flavor. A productive and valuable market berry.
Originated with J. G. Lucas, Ulster Co., N. Y.

Durand's Seedling. — Large, oblong, or oblong-conical,
sometimes flattened ; seeds but slightly sunken ; color
scarlet; flesh firm, solid, nearly white, of good flavor.

Fig. 33. — DUEAND.

Fig. 34. — DURAND.

Originated with Mr. F. W, JDurand, near Irvington, N. J.
Figures 33 and 34 give a fair representation of two of the
berries, showing its variableness in form.

Early Scarlet.— Medium, conical; light scarlet ; flesh
firm, moderately acid. An old variety, but little culti-
vated at the present time.

Fillmore,— Large, obtuse-conical; dark crimson; sweety

96

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

moderately rich and good. In deejD, rich soils this va-
riety produces a fair crop, but it is not generally popular
among fruit growers. Pistillate. Originated with Samuel
Feast, Baltimore, Md.

Forest Rose. — Large, irregular, obtuse-conical ; bright

scarlet ; flesh firm, of good
flavor ; a superior market berry,
but unfortunately it does not
appear to be well adapted to all
kinds of soils and loc^ations.
Where it succeeds it will rank
high for market purposes as
well as for home use. An ac-
cidental seedling, introduced
by a Mr. Fetters, of Lancaster,
Ohio. Figure 35 gives a good
idea of the size of this va-
riety. From '^''American Agri-
culturist," 1878.
General illcClellan. — See McAvoy's Superior.
Glendale. — Large, oblong-conic ; bright scarlet ; flesh
firm, with a brisk sub-acid flavor ; a
vigorous grower and a very produc-
tive, new variety, promising well
for market. Introduced by Mr. W.
B. Storer, who found it growing in
the cemetery at Akron, Ohio.

Golden Deflance. — Large, obtuse-
conical ; bright scarlet ; flesh mod-
erately firm and of excellent flavor ;
ripeus quite late ; plants very vigor-
ous, hardy, and productive. Prom-
ises to be a valuable acquisition to
our list of good sorts. Pistillate.
Amos Miller, of Pennsylvania. (Figure 36.)

Fig. 35. — ^FOREST ROSE.

Fig. 36. — GOLDEN
' DEFIANCE.

Oricrinated with Mr.

STRAWBERRY.

97

Fig.ST.— GOLDEN SEEDED.

Golden Seeded. — Mediuoi to large, bluntly-conical,
sometimes flattened ; dark crimson, with prominent yel-
low seeds ; sweet and rich ; early, but succeeds only in a

few localities and soils. It is prob-
ably a seedling of a foreign variety.
Originated in Canada with Mr. Read.
Figure 37 shows the form and size
of a medium sized specimen.

Great Americao. — Extra large,
irregularly oval ; dark crimson ;
flesh moderately firm, second-rate in
flavor, but under high culture and
in the originator's grounds it has
yielded some of the largest berries
ever seen in this country. Although
this variety caused considerable ex-
citement among strawberry growers when first exhibited,
it was soon discovered that it required extra culture to
produce extra sized berries. It has fallen far short of
what was expected of it when it was first introduced.
Originated with Mr. F. W. Durand.

Green Prolific. {Newark Frolific.) ^Yeij large,
round ;• pale crimson or deep
scarlet ; seeds slightly sunken ;
rather soft, very acid, without
richness, and of inferior flavor ;
fruit stalks long and stout ;
leaves very large and thick ;
one of the Iowa class ; vigorous
and productive. Originated
with Seth Boyden, Newark, N.
J. Figure 38 shows a berry ^^^- 38.-green pROLirrc.

of the average size under gojd culture.

Hervey Davis, — Large, obtuse-conical ; bright scarlet ;
flesh moderately firm, nearly white, flavor good; season
5

98 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

medium ; plants tall, vigorous, and productive. Origi-
nated with J. B. Moore, Concord, Mass.

Hooker. — Large, short, obtuse-conical, nearly globular;
dark crimson ; very sweet and rich ; too soft and dark
colored for market, but a fine variety for the amateur.
The plants are a little tender, and should always be pro-
tected in winter to insure a good crop. Originated with
H. E. Hooker, Rochester, N. Y.

Hovey. (Germantoivn, Young^s Seedling.) — Large,
conical ; bright crimson, handsome ; sub-acid, sprightly,
good. An old and much esteemed variety, and largely
cultivated for supplying the Boston market. Pistillate.
Originated with 0. M. Hovey, of Boston, Mass., in 1834.

Huddleston's Favorite. — This variety has been dis-
seminated by E. Y. Teas, Dunreith, Ind., who describes
it as a very large berry ; bright crimson ; firm flesh, with
a rich, spicy flavor. Said to be a vigorous grower and
wonderfully prolific. Pistillate.

Kentucky. — Tliis is another of Mr. Downer's produc-
tions, and, like all those disseminated by him, of consider-
able value. Large, conical ; bright scarlet ; flesh white,
moderately firm, excellent flavor ; ripens late, and con-
tinues in fruit a long time ; plants grow rather tall, but
are vigorous, hardy, and prolific. A valuable variety,
which has been fully tested over a wide extent of coun-
try. Succeeds well on light as well as heavy soils.

Ladies' Fine. — Small to medium, round ; pale orange-
scarlet, with a slight crimson tint in the sun ; seeds ratliei
prominent ; flesh soft, sweet and rich, highly perfuni'^^^,
probably the most delicious flavored variety known. Re-
quires extra culture, and even then it is not \ery produc-
tive ; nevertheless it is well worthy of a ])lace in the most
select collection. Pistillate. Originated in Canada, with
Mr. Read.

Lady Finger. — Medium, elongated, conical ; color bril-

STRAWBERRY.

99

liant dark scarlet ; seeds set in a deep open csivitj ; flesh
very firm, sub-acid, good ; plant hardy, vigorous and
prolific. An excellent market variety. Originated with
the late Benjamin Prosser, Burlington, Kew Jersey.

Fig. 39.— LADY FINGER. Fig. 40.— LADY FINGER.

Figure 39 shows a berry of this variety of medium size,
and figure 40 one of the largest.

Lady of the Lake. — Medium, conical, with neck ;
crimson ; flesh light colored, firm, not very juicy, but
moderately good ; plant tall and vigorous, productive.
Formerly quite a favorite in Boston market. Originated
in Brighton, Mass.

Laurel Leaf. — A new variety, of which little is yet
known. Described as of medium size, slightly conical,
with short neck ; light scarlet ; in flavor good, but not
superior ; plant only moderately vigorous and produc-
tive. Originated with Mr. A. N. Jones, Le Eoy, N. Y.

Loili^fcllow. — Very large, elongated-conical, somewhat
irregular ; dark glossy red ; flesh firm, sweet and rich ;
plant vigorous, with large, healthy foliage, and with-
standing the hot sun admirably. Productive and con-
tinuing a long time in bearing. Originated with Mr. H.
D. Webb, Bowling Green, Ky.

100 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Lennig's White. {Albion White, White Pine Apple.)
— Large, obtuse-conical ; seeds prominent, and of a pink
or light crimson color ; fruit almost white, but with a
delicate blush when exposed to the sun ; flesh pure white,
melting, rich and sweet ; plant a vigorous grower, and
moderately productive. This is evidently a seedling of
Fragaria grandiflora, but one of the most hardy and
productive, and, without doubt, the best white variety
known in this country. It has been disseminated under
several names, either through mistake or design. I re-
ceived it under the three different names, and the lots
being cultivated in separate beds, I, like many others,
thought that they were distinct, until beds were pre-
pared in a similar soil, and the same cultivation given to
each, after which no difference could be discovered. I
have since learned through Mr. Meehan, editor of the
'^Gardener's Monthly," that the supposed three varieties
were all taken from the garden of the originator, Mr.
Lennig, of Germantown, Pa.

Longworth's Prolific. — Large, roundish, oval or oblate;
light crimson ; sprightly sub-acid, and good ; plant vigor-
ous and productive. An old variety but little cultivated,
although it is far superior to many new ones. Originated
in the garden of the late Nicholas Long worth, of Cincin-
nati, Ohio.

McATOy's Superior. — Large, irregular, roundish, the
surface being uneven, with prominent projections ;
color varying from light to very dark crimson ; the
flesh dark red, soft, sweet, variable, in some soils rich
and sprightly, in others insipid ; vigorous, and usually
very productive. Pistillate. The originator of this
variety was awarded a $100 prize by the Cincinnati Horti-
cultural Society, about thirty years ago, but it has now
become obsolete, and was long since discarded. I retain
in the list on account of its history.

STRAWBEERY. 101

Ularviii. — Large, elongated, somewhat beyond wliat ia
usually termed conical ; bright crimson ; flesh firm, but
juicy, rich, and high-flavored ; j)lant vigorous, stocky,
and productive. A very promising new variety. Origi-
nated with Mr. Henry Marvin, Ovid, Mich.

Miner's Great Prolific. — Large to very large; some-
what irregular, but inclining to a globular form ; deep
crimson; flesh pinkish, firm, and of good flavor; plant
vigorous, leaves large, light green, quite glossy. A pro-
ductive and valuable variety, although the irregular form
of the berries is somewhat against it for marketing.
Originated with the late T. B. Miner, Linden, N. J.

Monarch of the West, — Extra large ; globular, but
often coxcombed ; pale red ; flesh soft, excellent flavor ;
plant vigorous on good soils, but only moderately pro-
ductive. Valuable for its large size and good flavor.
Originated with Mr. Jesse Brady, of Piano, 111.

IVicanor. — Medium to small ; conical ; scarlet ; flesh
with a reddish tingg throughout, firm, juicy, and of ex-
cellent flavor ; ripens early ; the plants in my grounds
have always been weak and unproductive. Still, I have
seen them in rather heavy clay soils quite vigorous and
carrying a heavy crop of fruit. Originated with Messrs.
Ellwanger & Barry, Eochester, N. Y.

New Dominion. — A new variety unknown to me, but
described by the disseminators of the jilants as very large ;
globular ; bright glossy red ; flesh firm, and of good
flavor. Originated with Mr. 0. N. Biggar, on the battle-
field of Lundy's Lane.

Neunan's Prolific. — Large under high cultivation, but
ordinarily only medium or small ; obtuse-conical ; light
scarlet, with a short neck ; very firm, rather acid, but
good when fully mature ; plants strong, vigorous, and pro-
ductive. A very popular variety in the South, where it
is extensively cultivated for shipping to northern mark-

X02

S^klALL FRUIT CULTtJEIST.

ets, Avliere it may be seen among the first Strawberries of
the season. Originated by a Mr. Kennan, of Charleston,
S. C.

New Jersey Scarlet, — Medium; conical; light bright
scarlet, with long neck ; moderately
firm, sprightly flavor, and good ; very
early and productive ; the plant a
s trcng and vigorous grower. Succeeds
admirably on the light sandy soils of
New Jersey. An excellent market
variety. See figure 41 for size and
form. Originated near Burlington,
New Jersey.

Old John Brown. — Very large;
broadly conic, pointed ; light crim-
son ; sweet, sj^rightly, and good.
Fi^. 41.— NEW JERSEY Originated with Dr. H. Schroeder,
SCARLET. Bloomington, Illinois.

Orient. — Very large, and claimed to be the largest
Yariety in cultivation ; roundish-conical, sometimes a
little irregular ; bright scarlet, with glossy surface ; flesh
white, moderately firm, quality ex-
cellent ; plant vigorous and pro-
ductive, the fruit continuing of
good size to the end of the season.
A seedling of the Monarch of the
West, raised by Mr. Oscar Felton,
in 1876, and is one of several new
Yarieties shown by him at the Cen-
tennial Exhibition.

Perry's Seedlini^. — Medium to
large, globular, with a slight neck ;
color bright crimson ; sweet, rich,
and sprightly. Raised by Geo. Perry & Sons, George-
town, Conn. See figure 42.

Fiff. 42. — PERRY.

STRAWBERRY.

103

Pioneer. — Medium ; oval, with a long neck ; bright
scarlet ; sweet, and highly perfumed. Very early, and
appears to be gaining friends as it becomes better known.
One of Mr. Durand's seedlings, which has not as yet been
widely disseminated, although it has been for some time
under cultivation.

President Wilder, — Medium ; obtusely-conical, very
regular ; seeds yellow ; skin bright glossy scarlet ; flesh
firm, but juicy, and very high flavored. A very hand-
some variety, but with me the foliage burns in summer,
and for this reason, perhaps, the plants have never proved
to be sufficiently prolific to warrant cultivation. In
heavy or cool soils this would no doubt prove to be a
valuable addition to even the most select list of Straw-
berries. Originated with the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder,
Dorchester, Mass., in 1861.

Russell's Prolific* — Very large ; irregular, roundish-
conical, with neck ;
deep crimson ; mod-
erately firm, sweet,
and perfumed; qual-
ity good, in sandy
soils very good ; the
flesh is lighter color-
ed than the skin ;
leaves large, with
wavy upper surface;
lobes broadly ovate.
Pistillate. Origi-
nated with H. Rus-
sell, of Seneca Falls,
ISlew York, in 1856.

Satin Gloss. — Me-
dium to lar^e; Fig. 43. -satin gloss.

rather long-conical ; calyx very large ; bright glossy ver-
milion ; flesh firm, of good flavor. The large calyy and

104 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

firm flesli of this variety make it an excellent fruit for
shipping, as it is not likely to become bruised during
transit. Originated with Mr. Oscar Felton, from seed
of the Lady Finger. Figure 43 — from ''^American Agri-
culturist/' 1880.

Scotch Runner. — Small; oval; bright scarlet; good
flavor. Largely cultivated for market in New Jersey, but
should have been discarded long ago, and
its place filled by larger and better varie-
ties. Pistillate. Figure 44 shows one
of the berries of full size.

Scott's Seedling. {Scarlet Runner.) —
Medium ; elongated-conical ; bright light
scarlet, very handsome ; sweet, rather dr^^,
not high flavored, but good ; plants moder-
ately vigorous and productive. An old
Tig. 44!^scoTCH variety, but little cultivated at present ;
RUNNER. yg^ j|- jg Qjjg Qf jT^Q most beautiful berries

we possess. Requires good culture, and with it will
yield an abundant crop. Originated about tAventy years
ago with J. Scott, of Brighton, Mass.

Seth Boyden. {Boydeii^s No. 30.) — Very large ; irregu-
lar-conical, with long neck ; dull crimson ; flesh firm,
rather dry, but sweet and of good flavor ; plant extra
strong and vigorous, and quite jirolific when grown in
hills, but otherwise unproductive. This is one of the best
market varieties in cultivation, and under good care and
in rich soils, berries of immense size are readily produced.
Originated with the late Seth Boyden, of Newark, N. J.,
and disseminated by him as No. 30 of his seedlings, but
since his death, by common consent, it has been given
the name of the originator.

Sliarpless. — This is another mammoth variety, and a
genuine surprise to Strawberry growers generally, because
it has proved to be all that was claimed for it at the time

&TRAWBEIIRY. 105

of dissemination. Uniformly very large ; often broadly
wedge-form, wider at the base than at calyx ; light glossy
red ; flesh firm, but juicy, rich, and highly perfumed ;
plants vigorous and productive. One of the best. I re-
ceived some of the first plants sent out by the originator
of this fine variety, and they succeed admirably, never
failing to produce a good crop. Originated with J. K.
Sharp less, near Philadelphia, Pa., in 1872.
White Pine Apple. — See Lennig's White.

iVilson's Albany. — Large ; irregular-conical ; dark
tJrimson ; flesh firm, very acid, but good, and bears trans-
portation v/ell. One of the most productive varieties
known. The plants will usually fail after producing one
full crop, and the beds should be frequently renewed.
This variety has probably done more towards advancing
Strawberry culture in this country than any other variety
that lias appeared since the Hovey. Originated with
John Wilson, Albany, New York.

MISCELLANEOUS VARIETIES.

Within the past few years new varieties of the Straw-
berry have been raised in such immense numbers that it
would be impossible for any one man, or half dozen men,
to test them all and learn their merits, or faults. But I
may safely assert that not one in a hundred of these new
kinds is an improvement upon the older and well known
sorts. It is quite natural that the raiser of a new variety
should look upon it with favor, and somewhat magnify
its merits, for there are few Strawberries that do not
possess some good qualities. It is an old saying that
*' some Strawberries are better than others, but all are
good, and none actually bad." The success of a few
originators of new varieties, and the ease with which
seedlings can be produced, have prompted hundreds of
amateur and pi-ofessioual cultivators to try their luck in

106 SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

this direction ; as a result, there are hundreds of varieties
named and offered for sale which are not worthy of any
consideration. In addition to these worthless new sorts,
old and Avell known varieties of merit will often appear
in a garden, which the owner has no knowledge of ever
having purchased or planted. Their presence may be
readily accounted for upon the supj)osition that they
have been introduced with other sorts, or a few plants
have come, attached to the roots of some tree or shrub
received from a nursery or neighbor's garden. The extra
care and attention naturally bestowed upon these waifs
when found growing in some out-of-the-way place, has a
tendency to strengthen the finder's belief that they
are really new, because the care given them usually
produces good if not great results. The Romeyn Seed-
ling is one of these waifs, which I pronounced Triomphe
de Gand the first time the fruit and plants were shown
in New York, and although I was roundly abused for
my presumption, the Romeyn has at last found its proper
place as a synonym of the old and well known Triomphe
de Gand. The so called Maximillian, or Mexican Ever-
bearing, is another variety Avhich caused a good deal of
excitement among Strawberry growers a few years ago,
and although the story told of its discovery in Mexico and
introduction into the United States, was enough to raise
doubts in the minds of thinking men, still there were
not wanting several, who had been generally acknowledged
as authorities in such matters, to indorse and describe
this variety as new and worthy of the highest praise and
most extended cultivation. Two years after, this variety
passed into the hands of practical cultivators, and it was
generally admitted to be nothing else than the old
Monthly Red Alpine of Europe, a variety which has been
in cultivation nearly or quite one hundred years, and
known by at least a score of different names.

Nearly all the varieties mentioned in my "Additional

STRAWBERRY. 107

List" in the first edition of this work have become obso-
lete, showing that they received all the attention th<?y
merited at that time. I now make np another similar
list, containing, besides new and not fully tested varieties,
some old ones still retained in cultivation for pei'sonal
reasons, or because they possess some peculiar merit, or
characteristics, not common to other and more widely
cultivated sorts.

Austin or Shaker.— Old, but still retained in a few
collections.

tetywayo. — A pistillate variety from Ulster Co., N. Y.
Promising for market.

€liainpion of Richmond. — From Cumberland Co., Pa.
Has only a local reputation.

Chorlton's Prolific. — Productive, but too small, r.nd
poor in llavor.

€ol. Ellsworth, — Of large size, but second-rate in
quality.

Crimson Favorite. — Of extra fine flavor, but unpro-
ductive.

Cutter's Seedlinj^. — Small, and of poor flavor.

Diadem* — Soft, acid, and unproductive.

Durand's Beauty. — New, promising.

Early Adela. — Early, but too small.

Eclipse. {Prince.) — Probably obsolete at the present
time.

Emily. ( Huntsman^ s.) — Raised some fifteen years ago,
but I doubt if it was ever disseminated beyond the orig-
inator's gardens in Flushing, L. I.

Endicott. — New and untried.

Finches Prolific. — From Ohio.

French's Seedlini?. — Old, but still retained in a few
collections.

108 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Fragaria lucida. — An old California variety, admired
for its beautiful folias^e.

Georgia I^Iammotb. — Small, but the plants are vigorous
and prolific.

Golden Queen. — Has proved to be Trollope's Victoiia,

a, foreign variety.

Hart's Minnesota. — Highly endorsed by Truman M.
Smith, President of the Minnesota Horticultural Society.
Fruit large, but second-rate in quality.

Ida. {CocMin.) — Has been superseded by better sorts.

Iowa* — Once famous, but probably not now in cultiva-
tion.

Kerr's Prolific. — Has a local reputatiou, but is not in
general cultivation.

Kramer's Seedling. — Originated at Dubuque, Iowa, in
1863, and a few years later sent out at eight dollars pel
hundred ; but it is now almost if not quite extinct.

Kirkwood. — New, but its value is not yet determined.

Le Baron. — Once considered valuable, but has been
superseded.

Mammoth Bush. — A pistillate variety, with only a local
reputation.

Meade's Seedling. — A handsome, good-flavored berry,
but too small.

Metcalf 's Early. — Once a popular variety in Michigan,
now very generally discarded.

Monitor. — One of the ^* Tribune " prize varieties ;
obsolete.

Mount Vernon. — Si:p posed to be Identical with Kirk-
wood.

Panic. — New ; proi*..i?es to be a valuable variety.

STRAWBERRY. 109

Philadelphia. — Old, but is still retained in a few coU
lections. Pistillate.

Piper's Seedling. — I have no information in regard to
this variety further than that it is named in a few
nurserymen's lists.

Reed's Kansas Mammoth.— New and little known.

Russell's Advance. — A good berry but a feeble plant.

Sucker State. — New and promising.

Walden. — New and untested.

Warren. — New ; originated with Mr. H. L. Webb,
Bowling Green, Ky.

Wilding. — New; originated with Mr. A. N. Jones,
Troy, N. Y.
Wieland. — New and untested.

FOREIGN VARIETIES.

During the past dozen years there has been a very
marked change in the opinion of our Strawberry culti-
vators regarding the value of foreign varieties. Novel-
ties in European catalogues are no longer sought so
eagerly as formerly ; in fact, the importation of Straw-
berry plants is now confined almost wholly to amateurs,
and I am inclined to think that but few of these gentle-
men indulge in the once common practice of sending
orders out to Europe for the latest novelties mentioned
in the catalogues of English and Continental growers of
this fruit. It is not because new varieties are not pro-
duced as abundantly as ever, but simply because our
horticulturists have learned from experience that few
European sorts will succeed in this country, and that, at
best, they are inferior on the whole to our new improved
native varieties. The old Triomphe de Gand and Jucunda
still hold a place in the catalogues and grounds of both
amateurs and professional cultivators, but beyond these,
it is seldom that f oreiofn varieties are exhibited at our fairs

110

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

or seen in market, with the excei)tion of forced fruit. Of
late the forcing of Strawberries under glass, in order to
have the fruit ripen during winter, has become a business
of considerable importance in the suburbs of nearly all
our larger cities, and for this purpose some of the foreign
sorts are said to be preferable to the native, owing in part
to their mild flavor, when raised under these artificial
conditions. For the above reasons, I have thought best
to retain the foreign list very much as it was in the first
edition of this work. Many new varieties might be added,
but little is known of them, and their merits would have
to be taken on trust, while those here named have been
pretty thoroughly tested by myself and other cultivators
in this country.

Ambrosia. {N'ichohon.) — Large, roundish, dark red,
sweet and very good, moderately vigorous and productive.

Admiral Dundas. ( Myatt.) — Yery large, irregular, of-
ten flattened, pale scarlet, very juicy, and brisk flavored.

Baron Bemau de Liunick. {3Iakoy.) — Very large,
oblate or flat-
tened cone, light
scarlet ; seeds
prominent; flesh
pink, solid, sweet
and perfumed.

Bowie d'Or.

( Boisselot. ) —
Very large,
roundish, flat-
tened, figure 45 ;
color a bright,
glossy, orange
scarlet

Fig. 45. — BouLE d'or.
seeds prominent; flesh white, sweet and good;
plant robust and moderately productive.

Bonte dc St. Jiilieu. {Carre.)-

-Medium to large, coni-

•*?'

STRAWBERRY. Ill

eal, dark crimson, sweet and good ; plant quite vigoroui
»nd very productive.

Bijou. {De Jonghe,) — Fruit large, regular, bright,
glossy red; flesh vory solid, sweet and crisp; plant a
very dwarf grower, and with me very unproductive.

Bicolor* {De Jonghe.) — Medium, conical, light crim
Bon, sweet and good. A poor grower.

Belle fie Vibert. ( Vihert.) — Large, conical, light crim-
son, sweet, but not rich ; flesh firm. A handsome berry ;
succeeds poorly, except in a very few localities.

Belle Ariesienne. {Demay.) — ^Very large, conical, dark
crimson, poor quality, and usually unproductive.

Carnolia lYfagna. {Be Jonghe,) — ^Large, oval, bright,
glossy Vermillion ; seeds projecting ; flesh solid, pink,
often hollow at the core, juicy and sweet ; productive.

Deptford Pine. (Myatt.) — ^Large, pale orange scarlet,
almost white in the shade, very sweet ; the plant a vigor-
ous grower, but unproductive.

Duke de Malakoff. (Gloede.) — Very large, irregular,
dark, dull red, poor flavor, and unproductive.

Eliza. (Myatts.) — See rejected list.

Emma. {De Jonghe.) — Large, obtuse-conical, bright
scarlet, sweet and good ; plant hardy and moderately
productive. A new variety that promises well.

Elton Improved. — ^Raised at the royal garden at Frog*
more, England. Large, conical, bright, glossy crimson;
seeds prominent ; flesh solid, sweet, and good.

Empress Euj^enie. {K7ievett.) — Very large, irregular,
flattened, dull crimson, poor flavor, unproductive.

Frog^more Late Pine. {Ingram.) — Very large, conical,
sometimes flattened, brilliant crimson, firm flesh, and of
good quality. A magnificent berry, but the plant bumi
badly in summer, and is unpro'Iuctive.
6*

112

SMALL FEUIT CTJLTUEIST.

Goliath. (KittUrfs^j — An old variety placed in the re-
jected list by the American Pomological Society in 1858,
but still praised by a few growers. It is worthless.

Gwentver, {31ts. Clements.) — Medium, roundish or
flattened, bright scarlet ; flesh pink, juicy and sweet ;
vigorous, moderately productive and earl}^

Haqilin. [H'aquin.) — Fruit large, flattened cone, bright
red ; seeds prominent ; flesh solid, white, juicy and sweet ;
plant hardy, requires very high culture and a moist soil
to insure even a moderate crop.

Hero. {De Jonghe.) — Large, of a regular, globular
shape, bright red; flesh carmine, very sweet; early.

Hillman. — Medium to large, oval, briglit scarlet. New ;
from Germany; not fully tested.

Jlicunda. {Salter.) — Large, conical, bright light crim-
son or dark scarlet, excellent flavor; a good grower, but

rather tender ; moderately
productive. Figure 46. This
variety has lately been re\ iv-
ed under the name of Knox's
700, and it is said to be
very prolific in Mr. Knox's
grounds at Pittsburgh, Pa.
I have cultivated it for six
or seA^en years, but it has
never proved to be any more
l^roductive than the mass of
foreign kinds which I liave
tried. If it should prove
valuable at the West, it will only be another instance
among the many where the success of a variety is only
local.

Kate. {Mrs. Clements.) — IMediuin, conical, bright
glossy red, solid, juicy, sweet, but sprightly ; very early.

^^vtV'j.:

I. '^ n ^ w

Fig. 46. — JUCUNDA.

STEATVBEREY.

KIniberley Pine. {Klmherley) — ^Large, irregular, oval
or flattened, "bright crimson ; seeds very prominent; fiesh
very solid, red, juicy and brisk ; productive, and late in
ripening.

La Constante* {De Jonghe.) — Large, regnlar, conical,
bright crimson, fine flavor ; flesh firrn; ripens late. One
of the most beautiful Strawberries known. The plant ia
a dwarf grower, and requires a moist, rich soil, and even
under the highest culture it is not very productive.

La Sultannc. {De Jonghe.) — ^Large,- conical, bright
deep scarlet, of excellent flavor, but the plant a poor
grower, and unproductive.

Lucida Perfccta. (Gloede.) — Said to be a cross be-
tween the British Queen and the Fragaria lucida of Cal-
ifornia. Large, round, bright salmon color ; flesh solid,
Bweet and. rich. It is worthless with me, but it is said to
do well in some localities.

Lorenz Booth. {De Jonghe.) — Large, oval, bright
glossy red ; flesh dark crimson, solid, sweet, but sprightly ;
hardy.

Leon de Saint Laumer. {Dupuy Jamm.) — Large,
conical, bright pale scarlet; fle>5h carmine, rich, juicy and
sweet ; moderately prolific.

Lucas. {De Jonghe^ — Large, roundish, oval, glossy
crimson ; flesh hard, firm and crisp ; good flavor, and a
very good grower.

Wargwerite. (ie Breton.) — Very large, long, conical,
pale scarlet, sweet, but rather insipid. With extra culti
vaiion it is quite productive, but the plant is naturally
feeble. A very fine show fruit.

Napoleon HI. — Fruit large, of a brilliant trimsoii ;
flesh firm, juicy ; plant vigorous. The Austin has beoo
(ient out from several establishments in lliis country uudoi
Uiis namtJt

314

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Oscar* [Bradley.) — Large, slightly conical, dark crini'
son, sweet, rich and good. A very handsome variety, re-
quiring extra culture.

Prince's Frederick William. {Mvln.) — Large, round-
ish, often flattened, light crimson,
sweet, of fair quality, early, moderate-
ly productive ; plant quite tender.

Souvenir de Kieff. [Be Jonghe.) —
Very large, flat cone ; seeds very pro-
minent ; bright glossy crimson ; flesh
solid, pale red, juicy and good.

Sabreur. {Mrs. Clements.) — Medi-
um, conical (see fig. 47) ; color bright
orange scarlet ; seeds very prominent ;
flesh solid, white, sweet, and of high
flavor ; productive. Fi^. 47 —sabreur.

Topsy. {De J'onghe.) — Medium, elongated, conical,
(see figure 48,) bright light scarlet, sweet, sprightly and
good; plant moderately vigorous and productive.

Fig. 48.— TOPST. Fig. 49. — TRiOMPnE de gand.

Triomphe dc Oand, — Yery lar^c, irregular^ conical,

STRAWBERRY.

but often flattened, as in figure 49, bright crirnson ; flesh
firm, crisj), not rich, rather mild flavor. This variety has
probably been more extensively cultivated and given bet-
ter satisfaction than any other foreign variety ever intro-
duced. Among the hundreds I have tried, this has pleased
toe most, because with good culture it has never failed to
give a large crop.

Vicomptesse Hericart de Theury, {Jamin and Du~
rand.) — Large, irregular, conical, sometimes flattened,
dark scarlet or light crimson ; flesh firm, sweet, lich and
excellent ; early and productive. This variety, like the
Triomj^he, has been cultivated and ' widely disseminated,
and may be placed as second to none of the foreign kuids.

Vineusc de JVantes. {Boisselot.) — Medium to large,
flattened, figure 50, bright glossy crimson ; seeds very
prominent; flesh red, sohd and sweet, wdth a peculiar vin'
ous flavor.

Fig. 50, — VINEUSE DE NANTES, Fig. 51. — VICTORIA,

Victoria. {Trolloiye's) — Figure 51. Very large, round'
ish-conical, light pale scarlet ; seeds slightly imbedded,
and set wide apart ; flesh nearly w^hite, juicy, but not rich,
often insipid. The productiveness of this variety is ex-
tremely variable ; in some soils it is very prolific, while in
pthers, apparently as rich, it is unproductive. It is an

SMALL FRUIT CULTURI8T.

old English variety, discarded by nearly every cultivatoi
in the country, yet it has been frequently brouglit out un-
der a new name. Trembly's Union proved to be this
variety, and was so declared by several fruit growers
when it was first exhibited. The Golden Queen of
Rochester, N. Y., is also said to be the Victoria.

I might add a hundred varieties more to this list, but it
would be only increasing the number of names without ad-
ding any merit, and it is very likely that before these
pages are read by fruit growers there will be another list
of new kinds announced,

ALPINE STRAWBERRIES.

Alpine Red. [American Alpiiie, Berancon^ De Mon*
treuil a Fruit Houge^ De Montreuil a Marteau^ Fressant^
Dent de Cheval^ De Ville de Bois.) — ^^lediiim, conical;
seeds projecting; light crimson or dark scarlet, mild sub-
acid, not rich, but good ; plant very hardy, and moder-
ately ])roductive.

Alpine Red, Monthly • {Autumnal Galande^ Des Ah
pes a Fruit Bouge^ Des Alpes de tous les Mois a Fruit
Rouge^ Des Alpes de deux Saiso?is a Fruit Rouge, De^
Alpes de quatre Saisovs^ Alpine Rouge, Scarlet Alpine,
ProliJiG Alpine, Poitou Alpine 3fonthly, Versailles Al-
pine Monthly, La Mendonaise, Glory de Nancy Alpine,
<te., c&c.) — Similar to the common Red Alpine, but pro-
duces a continuous crop throughout the entire summer.
Requires high culture.

Alpine White. {Alpine Blanc, De Montreuil a Fruit
Blanc.) —Same as the first, except in color of fruit, ^hich
is white, and the leaves are of a li^ihter <xreL'n.

Alpine White, Monthly. {Alpifie Blanc, Des Alpes a
FVuit Blanc, Des Alpes de quatre Saisons, Sc.) — Same as
the oommon White Ali)ine, except that it bears a coutinu
3U8 crop through the summer.

STEAWBEREY. 117

Bash Alpine, Rcdi {Wood Strawberry, Buisson a
Fruit Rouge, Commun sans Filets, Sans Coulans Or'
dinaire. Sans Filets'* Ordinaire, De Gaillon a Fruit
Rouge, <S:c.) — Medium, roundish-ovate, sub-acid, rather
Iry, agreeable ; plant produces few or no runners ; propa-
gated by dividing the plants. Suitable for edgings of
walks, or cultivating in pots or in very small gardens.

Bush Alpine, White. ( White Wood Strawberry, Buis-
tons des Alpes Blanc, Buisso)is a Fruit Blanc, <&c.) —
Same as the last, except in color of fruit. There are two
other varieties, one with red and the other with white
fruit, similar in every respect to the above, except they
continue in bearing all the season.

Green Alpine. [De Bargemont, Breslinge d^ Angle-
terre, Caucasian, Green Pine Apple, Green Wood, Pow'
dered Pine, Verte d'' An gleterre^ Frasier Vert, William's
Green Pine, Gilberts Large Brown, <&c.) — This variety
is by some supposed to be a distinct species, but the ap*
pearance of the plant and fruit show it to be a true Al-
pine. Fruit small, roundish, depressed, gi-eenish brown ;
flesh green, with a somewhat musky flavor. Cultivated
more as a curiosity than for its fruit.

One Leaved Alpine. {Fragaria monophylla.) — Leaves
simple, not divided ; fruit same as the last. Raised in
France in 1761 by Duchesne. Figured and described in
Curtis' Botanical Magazine, vol. 2, 1788, plate 63. Prob-
ably not now in cultivation.

HAUTBOIS STRAWBERRIES.

Belle Bordelais. — Roundish-oval, dark brownish pur
pie ; flesh white, juicy, sweet, with a strong musky flavor.
Said to produce a second crop in autumn, but has not
with me, although I have given it good culture for the
Dast six years.

Common Uautbois. {FragaHa elatior, Diceciaus Hau^

118 SMALL FEUIT CULTUBIST.

hois, Mushy Hauthois, Sc.) — ^]\Iedium, roundish or ovate^
reddish green, strong musky flavor ; fruit stems project
ing above the leaves. Hence the name Hautboy or High*
wood.

There are several varieties, the difference between them
being very slight. The most common are :

Black Hautbois.— Medium, ovate, dark redtlish brown.

Globe HautboiS. — Roundish ovate, i-eddish green.

Long Fruited Muscatelle. — Oblong, rather small, late.

Prolific HautboiS. {Double Bearing, Hermaphrodite^
Megenfa Dwarf, Sacomhe, Sir Joseph Banks, Caperon
Hoyaly Sc.) — Conical ; large for this class ; flowers quite
laro^e. One of the best.

Monstrous Hautbois. — ^New. Said to be very large for
one of its class. There is a variety being disseminated
under this name, which does not belong to the Hautbois
species.

The Hautbois varieties are very little cultivated in this
country, as there are very few Americans who like theii
peculiar musky flavor.

CHAPTER nL

BASPBEBEY.

NATURAL FAMILY BOSACR&

[BuBUB.— The Latin name for the Kaspberry and Blackbeny derived from tba
eeltlc rub, red ; French name, Framboisier ; German, Himbeeren Strauch ; Dotch,
Fratmboot; Italian, Bovatdeo; Spanish, Frambueso; the old English name la
BaspU or Hindberry.]

GENERAL CHABACTEBS.

Perennial herbs, or somewhat shrubby plants, with
biennial, and, in a few species, perennial woody stems ;
flowers, white or red ; petals, five deciduous ; stamens,
many ; seeds collected on a spongy, succulent receptacle,
becoming small drupes. In the Raspberry, that which is
called the fruit, is a collective mass of drupes, which
readily parts from the dry receptacle when ripe.

SPECIES.

Our native species are divided into three classes by Dr.
Gray, as follows :

Class 1. — ^Leaves simple; flowers large, prickles none*
fiiiit and receptacle flat.

Rubus odoratus* — ^Purple Flowering Raspberry. — Stem
shrubby, three to five feet high ; branches, stalks and ca-
lyx bristly, with glandular, clammy hairs ; leaves three to
five lobed ; the lobes pointed and minutely toothed, the
middle one prolonged ; peduncles many flowered, purple
rose-colored; fruit variable in size, from two or three
119

120 SMALL FRUIT CITLTURIST.

grains to nearly an inch in diameter, red, with a rather
dry, musky flavor. Common, in most of the Northern
States, in high rocky places. It is sometimes called
Thimblebcrry, Mulberry, etc.

liubus ^'lUkailus. — AVliite Flowering Easpberry. —
Leaves almost ecpially five-lobed, scarcely bristly ; petals
oval, white, very much like the last, and probably only a
variety of E. odoratus. Northern Michigan and west-
ward, and northward to Alaska. The California Salmon-
berry [R. velutinus, Hook.) is now regarded as only a
variety of this.

R. ('hamcTmonis. — Cloudberry. — Herbaceous, low; dioe-
cious ; stem simple ; two to three- leaved ; one-flowered ;
leaves roundish, kidney form, somewhat five-lobed ; petals
white ; grains few, amber color. Native of Europe, par-
ticularly in the more northern portions, also in the high
mountains of Maine and New Hampshire, and in the
Canadas.

Class 2. — Leaves three-foliate, sometimes simple, but
rarely five-foliate. Stems soft, woody, and somewhat
prickly.

R, spcctabilis. — Showy Easpberry. — Stems rol)ust, five
to ten feet high, bearing a few straight, stout prickles ;
leaflets ovate, accuminate double incised -serrate and often
two or three-lobed ; veins beneath as well as petioles,
sparingly villous-pubescent ; flowers mostly solitary, red,
large, and showy ; fruit large ovoid, red, or yellow. Com-
mon on the Pacific coast from California northward to
Alaska. Var. Menziesii — Is more tomentose and silky,
but otherwise resembles the species.

Class 3. — Leaves compound, of three to five leaflets.
Stems annual, herbaceous, not prickly ; fruit of a few
separate grains.

Ri pcdatuSt — Bird's-foot Easpberry. — Stems slender,

RASPBERRY. 121

pubescent ; lea^s smooth or slightly villous ; leaflets
cuneate-obovate, about an inch long, incisely toothed.
Flowers often solitary, on long slender peduncles, white,
succeeded by fruit consisting of from three to six large
red, pulpy drupelets. Pacific coast.

R. triflorus. — Dwarf Easpberry. — Stems erect, six to
twelve inches high or trailing ; leaflets three ; rhombic-
ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute at both ends, coarsely
doubly serrate, thin, smooth ; peduncles one to three-
flowered. Woody hill-sides throughout the Northern
States. Not in cultivation, and no improved varieties
known.

Class 4. — Leaves as in Class 3. Stems biennial and
woody, prickly ; receptacle oblong ; fruit hemispherical.

R. lecuodermis. — White-stemmed Raspberry. — Stem
erect, but ends bending over, as usual with all the black-
cap Kaspl:)erries ; glaucous, armed with stout, mostly re-
curved prickles ; leaves three-foliate, or sometimes pe-
dately five-foliate, never simple; leaflets ovate to lanceolate,
acuminate, double serrate, white-tomentose beneath, veins
and petioles prickly; fruit large, but variable in color,
from a yellowish brow^n to black, usually with consider-
able bloom. This species was first described by Douglas
some fifty years ago, and recently in the Botany of Cali-
fornia, but from long acquaintance with it, not only in its
native habitats in the Eocky Mountains, and with plants
from various sources cultivated in my garden, I cannot
see why it should be separated as a distinct species from
the R. occide7itaUs.

R. strigosus. — Wild Eed Easpberry. — Stems upright,
beset with stiff, straight bristles ; leaflets three to five,
oblong, ovate, pointed, cut serrate, whitish-downy under-
neath ; fruit light red, finely flavored. Common ev^sry^
where, and many varieties of it in cultivation.
6

122 SMALL FHUIT CULTUmST.

R. occidentalis — Black Raspberry. — Stems recurved,
armed with hooked prickles ; leaflets three, sometimes
five, ovate, pointed, coarsely serrate, Avhitened under-
neath ; fruit purple or black, occasionally yellowish- white.
A variable species.

R. Idaeus. — European Raspberry. — Stems erect, woody,
prickles, slender, straight ; leaves trifoliate ; leaflets ovate,
deeply serrate, whitish-tomentose beneath, green above;
flowers white ; fruit red or yellowish-white ; root peren-
nial, creeping, producing numerous suckers. Common
garden Raspberry. Native of various portions of Europe,
and probably of Asia. It derived the name Idaeus from
Mount Ida — this name being given it by the Greeks.

There are many other species of the Raspberry, natives
of different portions of the world. In fact, there is
scarcely a country with which we have any communica-
tion that does not possess one or more species. Many of
these have been introduced, but so far none have proved
of sufficient value to be worthy of cultivation.

The R. Japoniciis, which was disseminated some years
ago from the experimental garden at Washington, was
supposed at the time to be of value, but it proved to be
too tender for open air culture at the North, and we have
no accounts of it from the South.

The R. Idceus has given thus far all varieties from
abroad worthy of cultivation. But from our native spe-
cies, Ruhus strigosus and R. occidentalis, a number of
very valuable varieties have been produced.

HISTORY.

Pliny, the elder, who is supposed to have written his
natural history about the year 45, mentions the Raspberr*
as one of the wild brambles, which the Greeks called Idaea

EASPBEERT. l23

Palladius, a Roman agricultural writer, whfo flourislied
in the fourth century, or about fourteen hundred years
ago, mentions the Raspberry as one of the cultivated
fruits of his time.

Tusser, Gerarde and Parkinson mention the Red Rasp-
berry, and Miller adds the White as among the varieties
of his time.

But Uke most of the other small fruits, very little im
provemeut was made until within the past century, as th
old gardeners depended mainly upon the wild plants,
which they obtained from the woods of their own or
some foreign country.

PROPAGATION.

By Seeds. — Growing from seed is only tj be recom-
mended for the i^urpose of producing new varieties.
Gather the fruit when fully ripe, and either dry it and
preserve the seeds in this manner until wanted for plant-
ing, or wash the seed from the pulp and preserve in sand,
or sow them immediately in the open ground. Raspberry
seeds possess great vitality, and may be kept sound for
years in any cool dry place. If sown in the fall they will
germinate early in spring, and usually produce canes suf-
ficiently strong to fruit the second year. If the seed is
from a tender variety, then the young plants should be
protected in winter, either by being taken up and heeled-in,
or by bending down and covering with soil. It is usually
better to take up the seedhngs in the fall and heel them
in until spring, then plant again, cutting them down close
to the ground at the time. This will cause them to throw
up strong canes, that will produce fruit the next (third)
year in sufficient quantities to enable the grower to deter*
mine very nearly its relative value to other kinds.

By Roots and Root Cuttings. — A larger portion of
the varieties of the Raspberry in cultivation produce

124 SMALL FEUrr CULTURISl;

suckers from the roots, or what may be properly called

underground stems.

There is, however, one species, and its varieties, which
does not, as a rule, multiply in this manner, but as this li
only a single exception, I will give the method of its prop-
agation under the head of layers.

Some varieties produce suckers in great abundance,
while others do so sparingly. This manner of propagation
being a natural one, we take advantage of it, and not only
allow the plants to produce suckers naturally, but dig up
the roots and cut them into small pieces, and force each to
produce a plant, thus increasing the number many fold.

To save repetition I will give a rule which will apply to
all of the members of this great family of plants, whether
it be the Rose, Raspberry, Blackberry, Apple, Pear, Plum,
&c., &c., and that is, any of them which naturally pro-
duce suckers from the roots may be readily propagated
from cuttings of the same. Those which produce them
most abundantly are the most readily multiplied in this
manner. Whether it would be advisable to employ this
means of propagation upon every variety or species which
is susceptible of it, is an open question, but upon the spe-
cies now under consideration, there is scarcely a doubt of
its utility ; therefore I will give the manner in which I
usually propagate those varieties of Raspberries which
naturally produce suckers, as well as all of the varieties
and species of the Blackberry. I follow the same plan
for both, and with equally good results.

Take up the roots when the plants have ceased growing,
and cut them into pieces of from one to three inches in
length. Then prepare some boxes, by boring holes in the
bottom to insure a good drainage, and place a layer ot
straw over the holes to prevent the soil from falling
through ; put on an inch or two of soil, over this a layer of
roots, then a layer of soil, and so on until the box is full

RASPBEKEY.

125

Bury the boxes containing tlic roots on a dry knoll or
slight elevation in the garrlen, bank them, up with soil,
and cover so deeply that the roots will not be frozen. In

addition to this, it is
well to cover the
whole with boards
to carry off the wa-
ter, and if tlie soil is
naturally tenacious
Fi^. 53— BOX OF CUTTINGS. and wet, a small ex-

cavation should be made at a point that will be under the
center of the box when put in place, as shown in figure 5,2.
This arrangement will allow any surplus moisture which
may accumulate in the boxes to drain off. Early in spring,
as soon as the weather and soil will permit, take out the
roots and plant them in good rich soil, j^lacing the pieces
about three or four inches apart, in drills, and covering
two to four inches deep, according to the nature of the
soil. If it is a heavy one, two inches will be sufficient.
When the plants are to be cultivated with the plow or
cultivator, the drills should be three feet apart : but the
best method is to place them not more than eighteen
inches or two feet apart, and cultivate entirely with the
hoe or fork. In a naturally dry and porous soil, it is a
good plan to cover the entire surface, at the time of plant-
ing, Avith a liberal dressing of some coarse material as a
mulch. This will insure a supply of moisture, and often
save a large j^ortion of the cuttings, if not the entire
stock. Cuttings made in the fall, and placed where they
will not freeze during winter, have an advantage over
those made in the spring, from the fact that the peculiar
process which always precedes the formation of roots,
called the callus^ has sufficient time for full develoj^ment
before actual root growth commences. The new roots are
usually emitted from the ends of the cuttings where the
callus appears. The callus is always produced first, roots

126 BMAIX FEUIT CULTXIBIST.

succeed it, but what relation the callus bears to the root
is not fully known ; it appears to hold the same relation
to it that the cotyledons of some seeds do to the germ,
I. e.y it supplies the roots with the necessary food until
they are able to extract it from the soil themselves.

The buds from which the stems are produced are dis-
tinctly adventitious, that is, they do not arise from any
previously formed or latent bud, but are developed from
the matter between the bark and wood. From this point
the bud originates ; first, by a very minute aggregation
of cells, which assumes a conical shape, pressing outward
*hrough the bark and up to the surface, where the leaves
Ere spread out to the light and air. Sometimes several
buds will be produced on a very small piece of root ; but
when this occurs all will be comparatively feeble if they
continue to grow. In a majority of such cases the
strongest of them will take the lead and the others fail.

Figure 53 shows a piece of root with two shoots, one of
which has reached the surface, and the leaves expanding.
Plants grown in this manner are much better than those
produced in the natural manner from suckers, because
they are more abundantly supplied with fibrous roots.
Root cuttings of from one to three inches in length, plant-
ed in good soil, will make plants one to three feet high
the first season. Plants may also be taken up, and the
roots made into cuttings, in the spring, and planted in the
same manner as described for those made in the fall.

When the variety is very scarce, then any small roots
may be used for propagating, but in such cases it is best
not to attempt it in the open ground, but place them in a
propagating house. Cut the roots into pieces of from one-
half to one inch long, mix with sand, and place in a warm
situation, but not in so high a temperature as to force the
formation of buds. When the callus is formed, and buds
begin to show themselves upon the surface, which they
should do in four to six weeks, place them in soii con^r

RASPBERRY.

127

posed of equal parts of leaf mold and saod, and in a posi-
tion where thev will receive a heat of seventy-five to
ninety degrees.

When the plants have made a growth of four to six
inches, they m:iy be potted singly, or planted out into the
open ground, provided the weather is warm and there is
no danger of their becoming checked by cold.

Fiy. 53. — KOOT CUTTING.

Root cuttings, however, j)roduce the very best plants,
and the number that can be made from the roots of one
large stool, if given proper care, is much greater than
one would suppose who has never tried it.

There will be occasionally a variety whose roots will
develop buds A^ery slowly with ordinary care, and they
require a little forcing. With such kinds I have some-
times found it beneficial to place the boxes of roots in 2^
0

128

SMAI.L FRUIT CULTURIST.

warm cellar or room, during winter, being careful not to
keep them so wet as to cause tbeni to rot, nor so dry that
they will shrivel. In a warm situation, and with proper
care in keeping them just moist and no more, both buds
and roots are sure to be produced by planting time in
spring.

Layers. — Layering, as a means of propagating the
Raspberry or Blackberry, is seldom practiced, neither is
it to be recommended, except in cases of extreme scarcity.
To succeed with this mode, the layers must be put down

Fig. 54 —MANNER OF GROWTH OF BLACK CAP.

early in the season, so soon as the young canes are of suf-
ficient size to 1)0 conveniently handled. A tongue should
be made on the layer as with hard wooded plants, al-
though with some varieties of the JR. occidentalism this is
not necessary, as every portion of the branch that is cov-
ered will readily emit roots. Most of the varieties of this
species grow in the form shown in figure 54. The canes
grow very strong and stocky at the base, gradually becom-
ing slender, and the ends bending down to the ground
and taking root as shown, thus form a natural layer.
The extreme point of the cane generally, after enterinir
the ground, turns up, forming a large bud, from which the
cane for the next season is produced,

KASPBEEKY.

129

130 SMALL FBUIT CULTURIST.

In figure 55 is shown what may be called a well-rootedl
plant, produced from the tip of one of the canes. When
these young plants are taken up, a foot or more of the
cane may be left on them for convenience in handling, but
when planted again this should be cut off close to the
-oots, and but the one bud {A.) allowed to grow.

Occasionally more than one plant will be produced upon
a single cane, because after the extreme end of the main
cane has taken root, one or more of the buds immediately
above it will push into growth, and being but a few inches
off the ground they soon reach it and become rooted, as
shown in figure 56. Sometimes the roots will become so
interlaced that they are separated with difficulty, although
in the engraving they are shown with very few roots.

If a foot or more of the cane is covered with soil, late
in the summer, when the wood has become somewhat
firm, roots will be emitted from every portion of it, and
when taken up it may be separated, and each bud become
a plant. The plftnts obtained in this manner are not gen-
erally as good as those produced from the extreme tip of
the canes. It will very often be necessary to go over the
plantation and cover the tips of the canes to insure their
producing roots. If the plants are grown where the wind
is constantly moving the canes about, their tips will not
root, because they do not remain long enough in one place
to allow the roots to penetrate the soil. All that is neces-
sary is to throw a small quantity of soil on to the extreme
end of each cane. A garden trowel is a good implement
for this purpose, putting on just soil enough to keep the
end of the cane steady in one place, and no more.

The time of perfonning this operation will vary in dif
ffcrent locations and soils. In the latitude of New York
City, the last of August to the middle of September i*
the usual time of covering or layerhig the canes. But
care should be observed in not covering too early, as weU
fts deferring it until too late.

RASPBERRY.

131

The canes will usually show indications of becoming
rooted, such as a slight enlargement near the end, a ces-

Fig. 56. — END OF STEM FORMING SEVERAJL PLANTS.

sation of growth, &c., before it is really necessary or safe
to cover them. If covered too early, and before the canes

132 SMALL FKUn CULTUEIST.

have begun to ripen, they will rot, and no plant will bt

produced.

The roots will continue to grow until the ground freezes,
and if the canes are in a proper state when covered, they
will .generally become well rooted in two or three weeks.

It is so little trouble to cover the tij^s, and thereby in-
sure their taking root, that it is seldom advisable to neg-
lect it, if the plants are wanted. All of the tips will not
be in the same condition at one time, so that it will be
necessary to go over the plants at least twice, covering a
portion each time.

The same theory has been advanced by some cultivators
in regard to the plants produced from the ends of the
canes, as that which I have mentioned in a previous chap-
ter, relative to the runners of the Strawberry. And there
is just as much truth in one as the other ; the only differ-
ence, in fact, lies in the strength of the plants, and should
the last tip reach a lump of manure or richer soil than the
first one, it would become a better rooted plant than the
first, and superior to it in every respect.

There is another theory in regard to the production of
plants of this class of Raspberry that has been accepted
by many, and may be worthy of a passing remark.

The theory referred to was promulgated by Mr. Doo-
little, the introducer of the Jocelyn or DooHttle Black
Raspberry, and is this ; " The first growth from the young
plants only must be used for propagation." To carry out
this plan, the young plants may be allowed to take root at
the ends the first season, but thereafter, no plants must be
taken from them, but new plants must be put out every
season for the purpose of propagation.

Mr. Doolittle claims that great improvement can be, and
has been, made by following this system for several years
in succession, and if it is not folio wed, the plants degener-
ute,. But facts do not substantiate the theory, because
we have varieties that have been as many years in calti

EABPBEBBT. 133

vation as the one sent out by Mr. Doolittle, and although
never subjected to this system, they have not deteriorated,

And furt-her, there is not one grower of the Black Rasp
berry in a hundred who attempts to follow Mr. Doc little's
plan, but they propagate from the same stools from year to
year, and yet this variety appears to be just as large, pro-
ductive and good as it was when first disseminated.

Mr. Doolittle's theory is contrary to the one usually ac-
cepted in regard to fruit trees, for with them we generally
select wood for propagation from fully developed speci-
mens, believing that by doing so we are more likely to in-
sure productive and healthy plants, than by pursuing an
opposite course.

Young plants may sometimes produce better ones than
old, because when planted on fresh soil, and the stem be
ing entirely removed, they start early, making a compara-
tively small plant the first season — the ends of the branches
reach the ground earlier, and become rooted before they
would from older stools. Just so long as the old plants
can be kept growing vigorously, and the young canes re-
main healthy, they may be used for propagation without
danger of deterioration.

All of the varieties of the Black Raspberry are more or
less subject to producing what are generally called sports^
that is, the plants vary from the usual type very often
mthout any apparent cause. Sometimes the plant wnll as-
bume a very different character from the normal one, becom-
ing barren, leaves smaller, canes of a different color, &c.,
while in other instances these sports will be a decided im-
provement upon the original, the fruit becoming larger
and produced in greater quantity, or two crops will be
borne in a season instead of one.

These changes may be the result of neglect in culture,
diseases, or from extra care, which causes a more rapid
And foil development than usual.

134 SMALL FEUrr CULTURIST.

By Cuttings. — ^There are but few varieties of tlie Rasp
berry that can be Ruccessfully grown from ripe wood cut
tings. Soma ol" tlie Black IJaspberry class will succeed
if the cuttings are made early in the fill, and then placed
in a propagating house, but, as a rule, there is nothing
gained in endeavoring to propagate them in this manner
Green wood cuttings, however, grow very readily by the
same process used by propagators in multiplying grapes
and other plants.

The cuttings may be taken from plants gro\ving in the
open air, but it is better to take them up in the autumn
and pot them, and place in a propagating house, and then
take off the young growth from time to time as it appears.

All the varieties and species of the Raspberry and
Blackberry may be successfully propagated in this manner
ivhenever it is desirable; although there being so many
other methods of multiplying them, that it will seldom bo
necessary to resort to this one.

Single bud cuttings may be made of the mature wood
in the fall, always selecting the medium sized branches and
those that have not become very hard.

In making these single bud cuttings, cut off the cane
about half an inch above the bud, and the same distance

below, and then divide the cut-
ting through the middle length
wise, preserving the half that
Fig. 57.-8INOLB BUD CUTTING, contains thc bud (fig. 57). Plant

them in boxes or pots, about an inch apart, covering
about half an inch deep ; then place them where they
will be in a temperature of from 75 to 100 degrees.
This is not quite so certain a method as the others, still
with some varieties very good plants can be produced by
an experienced propagator. When propagating the Black,
berry from single bud cuttings, the dividing of the stem
lengthwise may be omitted, but with the Raspberry it if
better than leaving them entire.

EASPBEERY.

135

By Suckers. — While, as I have previously stated, there
are some varieties which naturally produce suckers in
abundance, there are also others that do so very sparingly ;
and still these kinds do not multiply in any other way if
left entirely to themselves. It is also true that those kinds
which produce few suckers are more difficult to propagate
from cuttings of the roots ; consequently we must find
some method of forcing the roots to produce a greater
number of suckers than they do naturally.

This may be accomplished in the following manner:
Late in autumn, or very early in spring, dig up the old
stools by cutting off with a spade all the roots within a
foot' of the base of the stem.

In figure 58 is shown a plant of the Philadelphia Rasp-
berry, the simi-circular white line showing the point where

the roots are severed. The Phila-
delphia, Catawissa, and similar
kinds, which do not sucker freely,
are often treated in this manner.
If more plants are wanted than
may be expected if the roots are
left entire, then another incision
may be made in the same way
one foot outside of the first, but
in making it, no soil should be
thrown out, the spade being
thrust down into the soil its en-
tire length, to separate the roots,
and then withdrawn. After the
rig.58.-cuTTrNG THE ROOTS. ^Qots havc bccu dlvldcd, the sur^
face of the soil should be harrowed over and made level.
If a liberal supply of manure is applied as a top dressing,
it will assist the growth of the plants very much. The
roots remaining in the ground will usually throw up
suckers in abundance, and make excellent plants.

6*

136 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

SOIL AND LOCATIONS.

For the purpose of giving a general rule (exception!
included), I will divide the Raspberries into two classes,
without regard to species :

Class 1. — The common Red and White kinds, taking
the Antwerps as the foreign branch, and the wild Red as
the native type. These require a deep rich moist soil, and
one that is rather compact, such as a heavy loam or clay.
These succeed very poorly in a sandy soil, unless it be in
the extreme ^orth.

Class 2. — ^The Black Raspberry {H. occidentalis) and
its varieties succeed in both light and heavy soils (although
they prefer the former), and in the most Northern as well
as in the Southern States.

To this peculiarity of the varieties of the two classes,
we owe, in a great measure, the diversity of opinion so
often expressed by fruit growers from the different sections
of the country.

The Antwerp class, as a whole, do not succeed apon
light soils south of latitude forty-one, and they sometimes
fail even to the north of this. In the sandy soils of New
Jersey, and farther South, their leaves burn in summer,
which prevents the canes maturing; consequently they
die in winter whether covered or otherwise.

This has been one of the great obstacles to Raspberry
culture, as this class has been the one chiefly recommended,
for the very good reason that the fruit was of superior
quality, although the plants were delicate.

North of the latitude named, very few of the varieties
cultivated are hardy, and protection in winter is required.
A few of the native Red kinds will withstand the cold of
winter at the North, but for some cause they have not as
yet become very popular. These few kinds, which are
hardy at the North, often fail at the South from the caus6
named, and the canes winter-kill even in a very mild

EASPBEEEY.

olimate. The fact that one class succeeds better in s
heavy soil than a light one should not be overlooked, even
at the South, but taken advantage of whenever practicable^

SELECTION OF PLANTS.

The canes of all the varieties of Raspberries are only
biennial, that is, canes are produced one year, bear fruit
the next, and then die ; therefore there is no such thing
as two or three year old plants, as with trees and vines,
when we refer to the stems, but the roots may be several
years old, as they are perennial. One year old plants are
the best for transplanting in all cases. Suckers are con-
Bidered the best plants with those kinds which produce
them, but plants grown from root cuttings, if the opera-
tion is properly performed, are equally as good, and some-
times they are really superior, because furnished with a
larger number of fibrous roots. The same may be said of
those grown from cuttings of" the stems ; they may be of
first rate quality or otherwise.

The old stools may also be taken up and divided and
planted again, but such plants are not to be recommended^
and should never be used if it can be avoided. "With
those kinds which produce plants from the tips of the
canes, it is more important to select none older than one
season, because the old plants produce new fibers very
slowly at the best, and when transplanted they are very
likely to fail, even with the best of care.

PLANTING AND CULTURE.

Thorough preparation of the soil before planting is jus
%8 important with the Raspberry as with other fruits.

Planting in rows and then restricting the plants to hills
or stools, as it is termed, is the usual method.

The rows should be four to six feet apart, according to
the variety cultivated. With the Antwerp, and similai
varieties, four feet each way is the usual distance, but with

138 SMALL FEUIT CULTUEIST.

the stronger growing kinds the rows should oe at least
BIX feet apart, and the plants four or five feet apart iu th«
rows.

In planting the smaller growing kinds, two plants may
be set in a hill, placing them about six inches apart ; for
in this way we doable the chances of securing a uniform
plantation, because one may die and the other live; and
if both should grow, a large stool will be secured in less
time than if the plants were placed singly. The first cost
of the plant is not usually of so much importance as the
loss of a crop, or of a year in time, which would be the
result wherever the plants should die and have to be re-
placed. Spring is the usual time in the Northern States
for planting the Raspberry, and the fall for sections where
the ground does not freeze very deeply.

Select plants that have plenty of small fibrous roots,
and set them no deeper than they were before removaL
The upper tier of roots is usually about four inches below
the surface, but in some instances they will be at a faf
greater depth. It is not advisable, however, to plant
deeply, because the suckers which spring from the stem
below ground, or from the lateral roots, will not come up
BO freely when the plants are set deep as when shallow.
At the time of planting, cut the canes down close to the
surface of the soil, because if they are left entire, it will
require nearly, if not quite, all the strength of the root to
force the buds on them into growth. These will produce
a few weak shoots, and perhaps some fruit, and then the
canes will die down to the root and no farther.

The entire forces of the plant are required the first sea*
son to produce canes, if anything like a crop of fruit is
expected the next.

In some sections of the country the soil is naturally
very poor, and it may also be very difficult to obtain sut
ficient manure to enrich the whole of it before planting.
Under such circumstances, the plants may be manured ii

RABPBERBT. 135

the bill by mixing a shovel full or more with the soil at
the point marked for the plants before setting them.

Afterwards manure may be applied to the surface of thfe
soil, and worked in with plow or cultivator. If barn-yard
manure, or a compost of it, and other materials cannot be
obtained, then bone, poudrette, or some other kind may
be applied.

A plow or cultivator may be used among the plants for
kee])ing the weeds down in summer, but keep the soil aa
nearly level as possible ; never bank up the plants and let
them remain in this situation for any considerable time.
A small plow may be used to break up the soil between
the rows whenever it is necessary, but the cultivator
should be passed over it soon after, to level it down again.

If the variety cultivated is one that increases by suckers,
allow but one or two from each root to grow the first sea-
son, and not more than six to eight from one stool in any
one year thereafter, unless the production of plants is more
important than that of fruit.

The fruiting canes will not always remain in one place,
as the suckers will come up more freely upon one side
than upon another, and the uniform distances between the
stools will soon be lost, and some will be six feet apart
while others not more than two. A little care given a1
the time the suckers are making their appearance in early
summer, by cutting out where they are likely to be
crowded, and preserving all where they are thin, will ena-
ble the grower to preserve the required number of bear-
ing canes in each row.

It will often be necessary to use the hoe among the
plants, because the olow or cultivator cannot be used to
advantage, except in passing lengthwise of the rows,
except for the first year or two, and not then unless great
care was observed in planting, so that the rows are placed
in direct lines each way.

Clean cultivation is important, because if the plants b<*

140 SMALL FRtJIT CTTLTURIST.

come choked with grass and weeds, it will check thew
growth, and not only the fruiting canes will suffer foi
moisture, but those intended for the next season's crop.

With varieties which produce no suckers ffom lateral
roots, but only from the crowns of the main root, greater
uniformity can be preserved in their cultivation. The
only precaution necessary is to see that too many canes
do not grow ; three or four are sufficient, all others should
be cut off when they first appear.

PRUNING.

Very little pruning is necessary with the Raspberry, and
in general field culture none is given, except to go over tlie
plantation after fruiting and cut out close to the ground
all of the old canes. Some defer this operation until win-
ter or the following spring, but it is better to do it soon
after the fruit is gathered, so that the young canes shall
not be crowded by the old ones. Because no other pru-
ning is generally practiced, it is no sufiicient reason why it is
not necessary, or that it would not be beneficial. The bear-
ing canes should be pruned in the spring by heading back
the leading shoots, and shortening the lateral ones. This
operation is particularly beneficial to the Black Raspberry,
Purple Cane, and others of this class, inasmuch as they
produce such long slender canes that they would be
broken or bent to the ground by the weight of fruit un-
less severely pruned.

The principal canes, as well as the lateral ones, should be
^lioitened to about one-third their original length. When
pruned in this manner the fruit will be much larger, and
the plant will yield as many qunrts as though the canes
were left their full length. Besides, the plants will very
often set more fruit when left unpiimed than they can
mature, and all is lost.

There are a few varieties in cultivation which product
two crops in a season ; that is, the year old canes throw

BASPBEERY. 141

oat laterul fruitinf^ branches the same as other kinds, and
the new canes of the season bear fruit on their terminal
point or branches in autumn. This second crop, or what
is really the first crop of the cane, is usually not a very
abundant one, although highly prized by some persons,
because produced at other than the usual season for such
fruit. If it is desirable to increase the late crop, then the
entire plants should be cut down at the time of the annual
pruning. This will cause the young canes to start early,
and having the whole root for their support, they will
come into bearing earlier in the fall, and bear more abun-
dantly than if two crops were produced.

TRAINING.

In general field culture the usual mode is to train to
stakes, but many cultivators are now dispensing with
these artificial aids, and by close pruning they endeavor
to make the canes sustain their fruit without assistance.

I think, however, that it is questionable at least whether
there is really anything saved by not using stakes, because
many of the canes will be blown down by the wind, others
will be broken by the weight of fruit, while the lateral
branches will fall upon the ground, and the fruit become
splashed with soil, thus making it unfit for use. The cost
of stakes is but a trifle in comparison to the value of the
fruit lost when they are not used, especially when it com-
mands so large a price as it does in most of our eastern
mai kets.

Chestnut stakes five feet long and two to three inches in
diameter, made from large trees, cost me less than two
cents each, and my location is within twenty miles of New
York City, and where timber of all kinds commands a
large price. I cannot afford to grow Raspberries without
staking, because every stake will save on an average ten
cents worth of fruit, and in m&Dy instances three timei
thiit amount.

142

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

In the great Raspberry plantations of New York, stakes
are used, and every fruiting cane is tied i\])^ early in spring.
The stakes used are four or five feet loner, one beins; driven
near each stool, and the canes tied loosely to it. After the
crop has been gathered, the stakes are all taken up and
put away under cover until wanted the next season. The
old canes are all removed in the fall, and all suckers not
wanted fur fruiting are taken up, preparatory to giving
winter protection to those that remain.

WINTER PROTECTION.

Until within a very few years, the varieties principally
cultivated for market were those of foreign origin. Oc-
casionally one would be introduced that was quite hardy

Fig. 59. — LAYING DOWN THE CANES.

even in the Northern States, but as a whole they required
protection to insure a full crop. Many different methods
for protecting the ])lants in winter have been suggested
and tried, but there is probably none so simple or cheap
as that of laying down the plants and covering with soil.
To perform this operation rapidly,it requires two men, one
to bend down the plants while the other throws a shovel
full of soil upon them, or just enough to keep them in
place. The canes should be bent down lengthwise of the
row, as shown in figure 59. When the plants have all
been laid down, a plow is passed along on each side of the
row, turning the soil upon them. In this manner an acre

EASPBEBBT. 143

may be covered at a cost not exceeding fifteen dollars.
The plants should not be covered until the approach of
cold weather, usually deferring the operation as long as it
can be with safety. If the canes are covered while the
weather is warm, or before they are fully ripe, they will
decay.

In the spring, after all danger of severe freezing is past,
take up the canes by passing a fork under them, gently
lifting and shaking off the soil. Drive down the stakes
and tie the canes to them as before. Cut off all dead and
broken canes, and shorten all others. When the canes are
rery tall, a foot or more may be pruned off with benefit to
that which remains. All side or lateral branches should
be shortened at least ono-half, and sometimes if two-thirds
of their length were cut away, it would be still better.

GARDEN CULTXJRE.

The same general systems adapted to field culture are
also applicable to the garden, but usually more care will be
bestowed upon a few plants than upon a larger number.
When only a few are grown, they may be watered, or the
ground covered with a mulch, either of which operations
will assist very much in the full development of the fruit.

The plants may also be allowed to bear the first season,
if fruit is very desirable, for by giving extra care, new
canes for the next year may be produced from the same
root, besides supporting the fruiting cane. It is, however,
the safest plan to set three or four plants in a hill, and cut
one or two of them down to the ground, and leave the
others with canes about two feet long. Sometimes quite
a large crop will be produced on plants set in spring, and
though it usually prevents the root throwing up suckers
strong enough to bear the enduing year, still, with plants
\hat cost but a few cents each, there is nothing lost even
/f they die outright after fruiting. With those who are
just commencing a garden, it is sometimes quite an object to

144

SMAIiL FKUIT CULTUEJST.

have fruit the first season, even if there is no profit in the op-
eration. A different system of training may also be adopted,
and instead of stakes, a simple and cheap trellis may be made
by setting strong stakes about twenty feet aj^art along the
rows, and then stretch a wire from one to the other, and

"Fig. 60. — KASPBERRT TRELLIS.

to this tie the fruiting canes, as shown in figure 60. If
the variety cultivated is tender, then bend down and cover
the canes with soil in winter, using a spade or shovel in-
stead of the plow.

"Fig. 61.— TRAINING TO STAKES.

Another metliod is shown in figure 61. In this the
stakes are driven on opposite sides of the stools and about
two feet distant, the bearing canes are bent over and tied
in the manner shown. The young shoots of the season
will not always grow up in the center as represented in the
engraving, but that is the place where it would be desira-
ble to have them grow to enable us to carry out this

EASPBERRT.

145

somewhat ideal system. The bearing canes are cut away
after the fruit is gathered, and the next sprhig the four
young canes shown in an upright position, are bent dow^n
in the same manner as those of the previous year.

Training wdthin a hoop is a very pretty plan for small
gardens. This is done by driving two stakes, one on each
side of the stool, and about a foot
from it ; then take a common barrel
hoop and nail it to the stakes, as in
figure 62. The canes are trained up
within the hoop and tied to it at
regular distances apart, thereby sup-
porting the canes and preventing
them from being blown about by
the winds and injuring the fruit.

There are many other very neat
and convenient systems of training
the Raspberry in use among amateur
cultivators, but those already named will give the reader a
very good idea of their general scope, besides suggesting
other modes, such as training upon walls, fences, along
the sides of walks or as a kind of a liedge, also planting and
training in a half shady situation, with a northern exposure
for a late crop, and in one of an opposite character for an
early one.

So various are the changes that can be made in every
department of fruit-culture, that to give them all in detail
would require one or more large Aolumes for each species
in cultivation.

-HOOP TRAIN-
ING.

DURATION OF PLANTS.

The duration of a Raspberry plantation will depend
very much upon the variety cultivated, as well as upon the
nature of the soil and care given the plants. Ten to four-
teen years is about the average under good culture, but
sometimes they will remain productive for twenty years.

14:6 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Ko rule or set time should be heeded in this matter, but
so soon as the plants fail to produce remunerative crops,
plow them up and plant some other crop upon the soil,
for two or three years, after which it may again be planted
with Raspberries if it is desirable.

DISEASES AND INSECTS.

The diseases affecting the Raspberry are principally
those known by the common names of rust and blight.
They are microscopic fungi or parasitic plants of a low
order, which seem to thrive best under conditions inimi-
cal to their victims. If ^plantations of the Raspberry are
neglected, and weeds are permitted to grow and ab-
sorb the moisture and fertility of the soil, some of the
many species of rusts are pretty certain to appear, and
aid in the destruction of the plants. A cold, wet, or dry
season, over-bearing of the plants, exhaustion of the fer-
tility of the soil, in fact, any condition unfavorable to
the growth of the Raspberry canes, is usually followed by
the appearance of blight or rust. A peculiar species of
red or orange-colored rust has, of late years, been very
prevalent among both Raspberry and Blackberry j^lanta-
tions of the Eastern States, but appears to be more
abundant and injurious to Black-cap Raspberries than
other species. It has received the scientific name of
TJredo 7'nbro7'iim. Various remedies have been recom-
monded, and while some may answer, together with good
cultivation, the safest plan is to dig up and burn every
infested plant as soon as it is discovered in one's grounds.
Applications of lime, salt, ashes, soot, and similar ferti-
lizers, may in some instances ward off attacks of fungoid
diseases, but when they once become prevalent, the cul-
tivator had better spend his time in setting out new
plantations on fresh soil, than in attempting to renovate
those that are old and diseased.

EASPBEKRY. 147

With insects the cultivator has a better chance of ob-
taining the mastery than with the microscopic fungi,
although with some of the smaller and more numerous
species of insects, he has enough to do if they are kept
in check. Some kinds infest both the Easpberry and
Blackberry, and as it would not bo strange to find almost
any of the species passing from the plants of one to the
other, I shall treat of the enemies of both in this place.

The common cutworms are sometimes very destrtictive
to the young suckers about the old plants, these pests
severing them as they appear above the surface. In old
and well-established plantations, the loss of a few hun-
dreds or thousands of new shoots will not be missed, for
others soon appear from the subterranean stems and roots ;
but in newly set plantations, the destruction of the first
young shoots frequently causes the roots to die, and re-
planting becomes necessary. I have found the cutworms
a great pest, when setting out Black-cap tips, they ap-
pearing to be very fond of the young sprouts, and if left
undisturbed will very soon destroy the plants. The only
certain method of destruction of cutworms is to search
about the hills or plants daily, and crush
all that are found. They usually hide
just under the surface, and not many
inches from the plants they have attack-
ed, or are about to prey upon. There
are also several leaf-cutting pests which
occasionally infest Raspberry plants, but
with all these, dusting the plants with
lime, ashes, and similar insecticides, will Fia;. 68.— rasp-
usually prove effectual. Among the in- bekbt-borer.
sects affecting the canes, the common Raspberry-Borer, oi
Red-necked Buprestis [Agrilus rnficolUs), figure 63, is
probably the most injurious, at least in the Western
States. It is a small ])eotle of the form shown in the en-
graving, with a red thorax or neck. The larv^ bores the

148 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

canes in snmmer, causing large excrescences or galls, check-
ing the flow of sap, and causing the death of the cane.

The Snowy Tree-Cricket {(Ecmithios niveus), figure 64,
is another insect pest that appears to prefer the canes of
the Raspberry as a nidus for its eggs, to the twigs of other
shrubs and trees. It will, however, if there are no Rasp-
berry plants handy, de-
posit its eggs in the
Grape, Willow, Peach,
and other kinds of trees.

Fig. 6i. — SNOWY TKEE-CKICKET. tj t it

its long, slender eggs
are deposited in a close compact row, each egg placed at
a slight angle, and deep enough to reach the pith of the
cane or twig. This weakens the canes, and they are often
broken off by the wind. This breaking of the stems is
not a serious loss, but the perfect insect has the very bad
habit of cutting off the leaves of various plants in sum-
mer ; and sometimes extends its mischievous work from
Raspberry plants to Grape Vines, from which it cuts both
leaves and fruit ; working at night when perfectly safe
from observation. To get rid of the mature insect, I
advise gathering the egg-infested canes and twigs in win-
ter and early spring, and burning them. Of the insect
enemies of the Blackberry, the Bramble Flea-Louse {Psylla
trijninctata. Fitch; P. rvh., Riley) has been, perhaps,
the most formidable of late years. The appearance of
this insect in our Blackberry plantations, in sufficient
number to do any considerable damage, is quite recent,
probably within the past ten years. It is a small in-
sect, and is quite closely allied to the Green Fly or Plant-
Louse (Aphis), but is distinguished from that by a differ-
ent veining of the wings, and by having knobbed antennas,
somewhat like those of the butterfly. These insects jump
as briskly as a flea, from which characteristic they derive
their scientific name. The presence of this pest in a
Blackberry plantation is readily detected by the leaves of

BASPBEBSfT. lid

the infested 'ahiyjis m summer being twitted and cuiled
up, and the ends of the youn^ canes aUo carl over and

frequently agsume &. • - V ' ited form. In the tall
the leaves on the in. ;-. ,^; ■. ,^:. - " '-' - off, but curl

np, and remain attached to -tema. This

pest appears to be on the incTease, especially in the Eastern
States, and every one haTing Blackberry plants in hia
garde r. ' I be on k-out for it, and, whenfotcnd,

it sho^.. ^ ,-; ^athere . ^.- , .amed. This operation should
be performed eit?:er early i:i the morning or during the
cool wet weather, else many of the insec-ta will escape,
and at the same time the shoots, as severed, should be
immediately " 1 into bags, and then carried to the

place where t^- ,^' c.- to be burned.

Several species of bor ' * ' "^'^ ' 'erry: one of

the most common is a r , . -.- , , . .. .. ,- Oherna j^er*

tpiciUafa of Haldeman, figure 65. The small

eyeless grubs bore the pith of the canes, c-ausing >v_

them, to die prematurely, or so weakening

them that they are ' ' ' ' he wind.

As there are some :..-..,- .. ^-.. .n st.«^<-'^-

of the Oherea described in onr entomol .

works, it may be that more than one infest ^ " ^ --t

the canes of the Blackberry and Baspberry. 2 . z^

The Blackberry is subject to the Skttacks of several
species of gall-insects. A iu.zzj, prickly gall on the twigs
is produced by a f ■."--— ' :• ' ~" " ■ ^"ophus ai^/mtcB-

/oTwii^ 0. S). Anc:_.- .- :_. ._me genus (Z>i<r^

trophu^ neb-uIo^M O. S.) produces a large pithy gaU on
the canes, but both of these gall-makers have very formid-
able parasitic enemies which k zi in check. There
are also a few leaf-eatir-r '- " .-■ - • ' -erpiHars,
that sometimes attack :^ . ^__.j ^ .7 are sel-
dom sofficiaitly numerous or injurious to attract much
att^itkni. Ti^ larger species are resbdilj destroyed by

150 B^fALL VTXir CrLTURIST.

hand-gatliering, and the smaller ones can usually be
driven oil by dusting the plants with lime.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES.
NATIVE SPECIES AND VARIETIES.

Class I. — The Black Caps {EuMs occidetitalis).

American Black. (Black Raspberries, Blach Cap
Raspberry, Tliimhle Berry). — Fruit medium, slightly
ovalj black with bloom ; sweet pleasant flavor ; there is but
little juice, a greater portion of the berry being seeds.
The plant roots from the ends of the young canes. In its
wild state one of the most variable species known. Com-
mon in all parts of the United States.

American White Cap. {Yellow Cap, Golden Cap.) —
Pruit one-half to five-eighths of an inch broad ; slightly
oval ; grains larger than in the preceding variety ; pale
or deep yellow, covered with a white bloom ; sweet, juicy,
rather musky, but agreeable ; canes light 3^ellow, slightly
glaucous, very strong, stocky, with a few short spines ;
only moderately productive. This variety is also found
wild from Maine to the Mississippi River, and probably
farther West. I have received it from nearly all the
Northern States, and from the southern portion of the
State of Delaware.

American Improved. {Doolittle's Blach Cap, Joslyn^s
Improved, Improved Blach Cap Raspberry). — Large,
black, with slight bloom ; sweet, juicy, of the same flavor
as the Wild Black Raspberry ; canes very vigorous, with
numerous strong-hooked prickles. The extremely thorny
character of the plant is its greatest fault, as it is equally
as disagreGai)le a subject to work among as the Blackberry.
Very productive and hardy. Found growing wild by
Leander Joslyn, of Phelps, Ontario County, N, Y.

RASPBERRY. 151

Caroline. — Very large ; globular ; pale buff or yellow,
tvith slight bloom ; juicy, with a sub-acid flavor. Ex-
cellent for one of its class. This is claimed to be a hybrid
between the Oatawissr. and Brinckle's Orange, but I think
this is doubtful, as it is far more hardy and vigorous than
either of the alleged parents, and the canes and leaves
show it to be a genuine offsj^ring of Ruius occidentalism
It is certainly one of the best, if not the very best, of the
Yellow Cap varieties. The plants produce a few suckers
from the roots, and this characteristic is cited as proof of
its being a hybrid. Originated with Mr. E. W. Carpen-
ter, of Rye, N. Y.

Davison's Tliornless. {Tlwrnless Blade Cap.) — About
the same size and shape as the American Improved, but a
week or ten days earlier. Canes strong and quite stocky,
smooth, except a very few small straight spines near the
base and an occasional one on the leaf-stalk. The thorn-
less character of the plant is certainly a decided improve-
ment upon those which produce thorns in such abundance
as do some others. Originated in the garden of Mrs.
Mercy Davison, in the village of Gowanda, N. Y. ; intro-
duced to the public in 1866, by Joseph Sinton, Angola>
Erie County, N. Y.

CJrefffi!'. — Berry very large ; black, with bloom ; flavor
about the same as that of all the best sorts, but not supe-
rior ; ripens late, and with the McCormick ; plant vig-
orous and productive. Found growing wild in a ravine
on the Gregg farm, Ohio Co., Indiana, in 1866. This
variety has been highly extolled, and while I am ready
to admit that it is a valuable variety of Black-cap Rasp-
berry, I fail to see that it is in any way superior to many
other older and well known sorts.

illctormicko (Large 3fiami. Mammoth Cluster.) —
Very large ; black, covered with a whitish bloom. One
of the very largest and best sorts in cultivation, ripening

152 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

some two weeks later tlian the Doolittle, and a week or
more later than the Seneca. Plants very strong, vigor-
ous, and productive. An old variety, found in Ohio some
thirty years ago, but re-named and brought out as new
since the first edition of this work was issued. There
seems to have been two varieties known as Miami. The
large and small ; the first, however, was known locally
as McCormick, being named from the man who first cul-
tivated and distributed the plants to his neighbors.

Miami Black Cap. — Large ; dark brown, almost black ;
sweet, juicy, and good. A little later than the American
Improved, and the spines not so numerous. Hardy, pro-
ductive, and valuable. From the Miami Valley, Ohio.

Ohio Everbearing. {MontUy Black Cap.) — Large;
black ; sweet, and moderately juicy ; canes strong, and
rather more upright than some others ; spines strong,
hooked, and numerous ; very productive. The young
canes produce a moderate crop in autumn. Cultivated
among the Quakers in Ohio, and introduced to public
notice many years ago, by N. Longworth, of Cincinnati.

Seneca. — Large ; black, with slight bloom, and good
flavor ; plants vigorous and productive. An excellent
sort to fill up the season between the earliest and latest
varieties. A good market variety.

Summit Yellow Cap. — Medium size ; pale pink or nearly
white in the shade ; rather dry, but very sweet ; ripens a
little later than the Common Black Cap ; canes strong
and vigorous, pale-orange yellow, with considerable bloom ;
spines short, slightly hooked, and rather numerous. From
Summit Township, Crawford County, Pa.

Surprise. — Very similar to the American Improved,
but the berries are larger, more conical, and covered with
a thick bloom ; sweet, sprightly, and good ; a valuable
variety. Found growing wild in Missouri.

RASPBERRY. 153

Class II. —Purple Caxe Family.

A portion at least of the following kinds are supposed
♦;o belong to the same species as the common Black Cap
Raspberry {R. occidentalis.) But as they have a few
characteristics in common, which are not found in the
wild Black Raspberry, nor in any other species, I have
placed them in a list by themselves.

This separation is not claimed to be a strictly scientific
one, but as a matter of convenience.

The old Purple Cane Raspberry is so well known that
I have selected it as the type or representative of this
class.

The principal difference between the varieties of the
Black Cap and the Purple Cane is in the fruit. The first,
as is well known, have a rather dry, tough fruit, with a pe-
culiar flavor. Its grains numerous, and very irregular in
size. The fruit of Purple Cane, as a rule, is rather soft,
juicy, often very brittle, the grains separating very readily.
Color, varying from light red to dark brownish-purple,
but never black ; the flavor mild and agreeable, but en-
tirely distinct from those of the true Black Raspberry.

Catawissat — Medium, round, dark reddish-purple,
rather brittle and soft, juicy, moderately good, canes
strong, very branching, bark dark brown, and few hooked
spines. Produces a second crop in autumn. If the whole
stool is cut down in spring, the young canes of the season
will come into fruit early, and continue bearing until
winter. The fruit is borne principally on the ends of the
shoots of those which do not bend down and take root.
Suckers are also produced very sparingly, but if the stools
are taken up, and tlie roots left in the ground, a greater
number will grow than otherwice. The plant is quite
tender in the Northern States, and even in the locality
where it was discovered, it is sometimes winter-killed.

154

SMALL pRtJIT CULTURIST.

Fig. 66.— LEAF or PHILADELPHIA RASPBERRY.

HASPBERRY. 155

I have cultivated tliis variety about ten years, and have
never as yet had a plant survive the winter unless protected.
It is of no particular value unless for the purpose of pro-
ducing a late crop, and to insure this the entire plant
must be cut down early in spring. This variety Avas found
in a graveyard, in the Village of Catawissa, Columbia
Oountv, Pa.

Eilisdale. — Large, roundish-oval, grains medium to
large, quite regular in size ; color, light crimson or dark
scarlet; rather firm and of good flavor ; canes very strong,
light red, smooth, with a few straight spines near the
base, and an occasional hooked one on the upper portion.
The plant produces no suckers from its lateral roots, but
propagates from the tips of the canes, the same as the
Purple Cane. New, not thoroughly tested at the East,
but considered as a very valuable variety in the locality
where it originated. Found in 1856, by Mr. J. E. John-
son, growing on the Eilisdale farm, in Pottawatomie
County, Iowa. The stock was placed in the hands of
H. A. Terry, of Crescent City, Iowa, for propagation and
dissemination.

Gardiner. — A very large, coarse growing sort, with
large, dark, dull red, poor flavored fruit. I tested a few
plants when it was first sent out, some fifteen years ago,
and then dug them up. I am inclined to think that it
received no better treatment from other growers, as it ap-
pears to have dropped out of sight and cultivation.

(lianarqua. — This is another variety of the Gardiner
class, and having had a brief notoriety is passing out of
cultivation. The fruit is rather large, well flavored, and
attractive in appearance. This was claimed to be a hybrid
wlien first disseminated.

Fiirpie I'aiie. {American Red Cane.) — Medium, or
small, roundish, dark dull red, witii bloom; grains large,
soft, svveet, very good 3 canes very strong; growing eight

156

SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

to twelve feet long, smooth, with a few straight spines at
the base, and a few hooked spines above ; vigorous and
productive, fruit good for home use, but too soft for
market. This variety has been in cultivation in the vicin-
ity of New York for at least fifty years. Propagates from
the tips of the young canes, and produces no suckers.

Philadelphia. — Medium to large, globular, dark red,
scarcely any bloom, moderately firm, sub-acid, not rich.

Fig. 67.— PHILAJDELrillA.

nor very juicy; grains large, adnci-e incie firmly than those
of the Purple Cane; canes erect, strong, and stocky, dark
red or purple, branching ; spines very small, straight, and
scattering, almost spineless; leaves large, dark green above,
lighter beneath, very thick and tough, have a peculiar
wavy appearance on the upper side, finely serrated.

RASPBERRY. 157

Figure 66 shows the general form of the leaf, and figure
67, a cluster of fruit of the average size under common
field culture. The canes do not bend over and root from
the tips, like the Purple Cane, but produce suckers,
although rather sparingly ; yery hardy and wonderfully
productive. Found growing within the present limits of
the City of Philadelphia, some thirty or more years ago.
It has lately become very popular as a market variety, and
for some soils and locations is unexcelled. This is par-
ticularly the case in the sandy soils of New Jersey, where
all of the finest foreign varieties fail, and no amount of
care will enable the growers to secure a remunerative
crop. It has been widely disseminated in the past few
years, and very favorable reports are being received from
all parts of the country in regard to its hardiness and
productiveness.

Reliance. — This is said to be a seedling of the Phila-
delphia, and resembles its parent, but, as usual, it is
claimed to be far superior. I have not seen it, therefore
cannot speak from experience as to its value, but those
who saw this variety when exhibited a few years ago at
Philadelphia, speak of it as strongly resembling its parent,
the Philadelphia, Avith the same dull color.

Class 3. — Varieties of Rubus strigosus.

{}ViId Bed Raspherry.)

The common Wild Red Raspberry of our country pos-
sesses many valuable qualities, even in its normal state,
as every boy in the rural districts knows. Yf ithout any
thought of varieties, he is aware that a certain locality,
the bushes along a certain road, for example, give
him better fruit than he can find elsewhere. But
to produce new and improved varieties from it has

158

SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

seldom been attempted, because foreign kinds were at
hand that apparently possessed qualities superior to our
own ; consequently we have very few native kinds worthy
of cultivation. This is certainly to be regretted ; inas-
much as the foreifjn va-
rieties are usually ten-
der, ^vbile our native
kinds are quite haidy,
and there can scarcely
be a doubt that if the
same persistent efforts
had been put forth to
improve them, as haA^e
been expended upon the
foreign sorts, we would
now have varieties of
the native species far
supei'ior to any that ^ye
have obtained from
abroad.

The variableness of
the Muhus strigosus is
worthy of being particu-7
larly noticed by those
who may attempt its im-
Fi^. 68. — STEM OF WILD RED. provcmeut. Some of the

wild varieties produce an immense number of suckers,
others but very few. Some have very smooth canes,
others are covered with close set spines or bristly
hairs, as shown in figure 68. The fruit is also variable
in color, from a dark red to a light bright crimson ;
globular or conical in shape, and of medium size. Figure
69 shows a fruit of about the average size Avhen grown
in good soil.

Figure 6o shows a fruit branch when coming into bloom,
and figure 64, a leaf, both somewhat reduced in size. The

EASPBEEEY.

159

leaves are bright^ green and whitish-downy underneath,
but not so much so as in some of the foreign varieties.

Allen's Red Prolific. — Medium, globular, light crim-
son, separates freely from the core, juicy, but mild
flavor ; canes strong, erect, reddish purple when mature ;

Fig. 69. — FRUIT or ayild red.

spines white, long, slender, \evy few and scattering ; leaves
thin, oblong, pointed, evenly serrated, not toothed. Not
very prolific, and produces suckers rather freely, but not
so abundant as the next.

Allen's Antwerp. — Similar in size, shape, color and

160

SMALL FKUIT CULTTJRIST.

quality to the last, the leaves deeply serrated or toothed,
and of more substance ; spines very numerous, and of a

■pio; 70.— FLOWERING STEM OF WILD RED.

reddish-purple color. Both this and the precedmg variety
were sent out hy L. F. Allen, Black Rock, N. Y., about

RASPBERRY. 1^^

ten years ago, but they have been placed on the rejected

Fiff. 71. — LEAP OF WILD RED.

list by the American Pomological Society, and almost uni-

1^*

163 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

versally discarded by fruit growers. They were not
claimed to be seedlings by Mr. Allen, but merely acci-
dental varieties of the wild Red Raspberry of his locality.
I have been more particular in giving them a description,
because it is very probable that they will again be brought
forward by other parties as new and valuable varieties.

Brandy wine* {Susqueoo. Wilmington.) — Medium to
large ; round ; bright scarlet ; firm, and of agreeable
flavor ; canes stocky, but rather short, of a reddish color,
bearing a few light-colored spines or prickles ; plants
productive, and very hardy. An excellent market variety,
but because of its rather dwarfish growth it requires a
strong, rich soil. Origin unknown, but supposed to have
been found near Wilmington, Del.

Cuthbert. (Queen of the Market.) — Large ; roundish-
conical ; bright red ; firm, but juicy, with a sprightly,
agreeable flavor ; canes strong and stocky, well beset
with small straight prickles ; leaves firm, dark green,
and resisting the hot sun as well as any of our native
sorts. Very hardy and productive, and altogether one of
the very best of our native red Raspberries. Originated
in the grounds of the late Thomas Cuthbert, at Riverdale,
N. J., and disseminated by Mr. I. J. Simonson, of Staten
Island, to whom I am indebted for plants, kindly sent me
several years ago. It has been suggested that the Cuth-
bert is a chance seedling of the Hudson River Antwerp ;
I can see no evidence of any such parentage, but believe
it to be a true and pure Rubus strigosus.

Kirtland. — Medium ; nearly round ; light bright-crim-
son ; separates freely from the receptacle ; moderately
firm, sweet, of the same flavor as the wild Red ; canes
very erect, nearly smooth, pale red at maturity ; produces
a large number of suckers, quite productive, and the
earliest of the class. The canes are also quite hardy. One
of the best of the native varieties. Originated with Prof.
J. i'. Kirtland, Cleveland, Ohio.

kaspberry. 163

Class 4. — Foreign Varieties aj^-d Their Seedlings.

The greater part of the following kinds belong to the
foreign species {Ruhus IdcBus), but many of them origi-
nated in this country from seed of the foreign varieties.

The fact of their being produced here does not make
them any the less or more valuable than those imported,
although it will be conceded by most of our fruit growers
that some of the varieties raised in this country are equal,
if not far superior, to any that have been obtained from
abroad. As a class, the varieties of the E. Idceus are
larger and better flavored than those of our native spe-
cies, B. strigosuSj but there are very few of them that
are hardy in the Northern States, and their leaves burn
more or less at the South.

Antwerp Red. {True Red Anhverp, Old Red A^ittverp,
KneveWs A?itwerp, Hoiuland^s Antiuerp, Burleifs Ant-
werpy English Antiverp.) — Fruit large, nearly globular,
dark red, with bloom ; grains large ; juicy, sprightly
flavor ; canes strong and tall ; spines light red and nu-
merous. An old variety seldom cultivated at the present
time, as it has been superseded by the following :

Antwerp, {Hudson River, New Red Antiverp.) —
Large, nearly conical, firm, of a pleasant, sweet, but
sprightly flavor; canes short, stocky growth, with few
spines ; the bark on the mature canes is of a peculiar
grayish color ; very productive, but requires winter pro-
tection. This is the great market berry which is so ex-
tensively cultivated in the eastern portion of the State of
New York. Origin unknown, but supposed to have
been procured in England, and brought to this country
fifty years ago by Mr. Briggs, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.

Antwerp Yellow. {White Aiitioerp, Double Bearing
Yelloiu. — Large, conical, pale yellow, sweet, but not high
flavored -, canes strong and vigorous, light yellow ; the

164

SMALL FKUIT CULTUBIST.

leaves are pale green ; spines long, slender, white, on
some canes very numerous, but scarcely any on others,
liather more hardy than the red, but not sufficiently so
to omit protecting. Of European origin, and but little
cultivated, as it is not so productive or good as some
others of a similar color.

Barneti {Lord Exmouth, Large Red, CornwaWs
Seedlings, CornwaWs Prolific, Barnefs Ayitiuerp.) —
Large, obtuse-conical, bright purplish-red, sprightly,
pleasant flavor; canes tall, very branching, yellowish
green. An old English variety of little value.

Brentford Cane. — Small to medium, obtuse-conical,
dark red, inferior flavor. An old English variety of
little or no value. Placed among the inferior varieties
in the nurserymen's catalogues of forty years ago.

Belle de Fontenay. {Amazon.) — Very large, irregular,
long-conical, deep crimson, with a thin bloom,
separates freely from the core, moderately firm,
rather acid, but good ; canes very
strong and stocky, branching ; leaves
thick, dark green above and silvery-
white beneath; spines reddish -purple,
short and stiff ; very hardy and pro-
ductive. Produces a second crop in
autumn ; the best of the autumn-
bearing varieties. It produces a
great number of suckers, the larger
portion of which should be removed
as soon as they appear to insure a
good crop of fruit. This has fre-
quently been confounded with Mer-
vielle des quartre Saisons, bat it is distinct. Originated
in France. Figure 72 represents a berry of this variety
rather below the average size which it attains under or-
dinary culture. It is very probable th^t the engraver

Fig. 72. — BELLE DE
FONTENAY.

EASPBERRY.

166

Fiff. 73.— BELLE DE PALLUAU.

has rather reduced than enlarged the illustration of spoo-
imqns placed in his hands.

Brinckle's Orange. — See Orange.

Burlington. — Large ; same color as the Eed Antwerp.
Originated by the late Benjamin Prosser, of Burlington,
New Jersey.

Belle de Palluau. — (Fig. 73.) — Very large; obtuse-
conical ; grains large, regular ; light bright crimson,

separates freely from
the core, sub-acid, juicy,
very good, moderately
firm; canes very strong;
spines short, purple, not
very numerous ; leaves
medium, deep green ;
lobes broadly ovate ;
serratures very regular
and sharp pointed; very productive, and will probably
become a valuable market variety. Requires protection
in winter. From France.

Clarke. — (Fig. 74.) — Large; roundish-conical; light
crimson ; grains medium ; very sweet, rich, and high
flavored ; parts freely from the
core ; moderately firm ; canes
very strong and stocky, erect,
more or less branching ; spines
white, the ends slightly colored,
rigid, numerous at the base of the
canes, scattering, and few above ;
leaves very large, thick, rather
flat, deep green above, and silvery
white beneath, coarsely and un-
evenly serrate ; very productive ;
moderately hardy. Raised from seed by E. E. Clarke^
New Haven, Conn., in 1856.

Fig. 74.— CLARKE.

166 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Cretan Red. — Small ; conical ; crimson or deep red ;
sub-acid, poor flavor, not very productive. A very old
foreign variety. Placed on the rejected list by the
American Pomological Society.

Cope. — Large ; obtuse-conical ; light crimson ; parts
freely from the core ; rather firm, sweet, and good ; canes
moderately strong ; spines purple, short, and numerous ;
productive, but not equal to some other varieties. Origi-
nated with the late Dr. Wm. D. Brinckle, of Philadel-
phia, Pa., to whom we are also indebted for many valu-
able varieties of the Easpberry,

Col. Wilder. — Large ; roundish-conical ; yellowish white
or cream color ; very sweet, juicy, and good, but rather
soft ; canes strong and vigorous ; spines white ; leaves
dark green, somewhat crimped or wavy. Eaised from the
Tastolif by Dr. Brinckle, and named in honor of Marshall
P. Wilder, the distinguished pomologist of Boston, Mass.

CushinSf. — Large ; roundish-conical ; light crimson ;
yery regular in form ; grains small, compact ; separates
freely from the core ; juicy, sprightly flavor, and good ;
fipines brownish-purple, stiff, and rather numerous ;
leaves large and thin, irregularly and coarsely serrated or
toothed ; moderately vigorous and j)roductive. Raised
by Dr. Brinckle, and named in honor of J. P. Gushing,
of ATatertown, Mass.

Cutbush's Prince of Wales. — Large ; very regular ; ob-
tuse-conical ; light crimson ; rather dry, sub-acid flavor ;
canes strong and vigorous ; spines purple, long, and
slender, numerous ; productive. An English variety of
no particular value, as many others are far better.

Double Bearini^. — An old variety, which has been dis*
carded by the American Pomological Society.

Downing. — Large ; regular, conical ; grains medium ;
bright crimson ; juicy, sweet, and rich ; firm, parts freely
from the core ; canes strong, erect ; spines very short and

EASPBERRT. 167

stout, pale green ; leaves very large, deep green, nearly
flat when fully developed ; quite productive. A good
market variety. Requires protection in winter the same
as the Antwerp. A seedling of the Orange, raised by
Charles Downing, Newburgh, N. Y., who has no plants
of any kind for sale.

Duhrin^. — Large ; roundish-conical ; bright red ; firm,
rich, and excellent flavor. A strong and vigorous grower,
and said to be very productive and hardy. New ; not
fully tested. Supposed to be a seedling of the Hornet.
Originated on the grounds of Henry Duhring, Esq., Bel-
mont, near Philadelphia, Pa.

Emily* — Large ; roundish-conical ; pale yellow ; spines
white ; vigorous and productive. One of Dr. Brinckle's
seedlings, which proved unworthy of dissemination.

Fastolff. — Large ; obtuse, or roundish-conical ; crim-
son ; grains large, soft, sweet, and rich ; one of the best
in flavor ; adheres so firmly to the core that the berries
are often broken in picking ; canes moderately strong and
rather crooked ; spines purple, stiff, and quite numerous ;
very productive. An excellent variety for home use, but
too soft for market. An old English variety ; its name
said to be from an old castle in G-reat Yarmouth, England.

Fillbasket. {Northumherland Fill-
lasket. ) — Large ; obtuse - conical ;
crimson ; grains large, with thin
bloom ; firm, sweet, not very juicy,
but good ; canes strong, with purp-
lish spines, which are quite abund-
ant on the entire length of the cane;
leaves large, thick, not so deep green
as some ; the leaflets broadly ovate ;
quite productive. An English varie-
ty, introduced about ten years since, ^^o- 75.— franconia.

Franconia* (Fig. 75.) — Naomi, — Laro^e; obtuse-ooni«

168 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

cal ; dark purplish-red, or crimson ; firm, -^'itli a rich,
sprightly flavor ; canes strong, branching ; spines purple,
stout, scattering ,• leaves large, deep green, rather flat
when fully developed. A valuable marlvet variety. Re-
quires protection in winter.

Freach. ( Vice President French. ) — Medium to large ;
obtuse-conical ; crimson ; grains large i. firm, sweet, rich,
and excellent ; one of the best ; canes very strong, erect ;
spines purple, stout, and numerous ; very productive.
A valuable variety. Supposed to be a seedling of the Fas-
tolff. Raised by Dr. Brinckle, and named in honor of B.
V. French, Vice President of the Mass. Horticultural Soc.

Fulton. — A large, crimson variety, raised by Dr. Brinc-
kle. Probably lost, as nothing has been heard of it lately.

General Patterson. — Large ; round ; crimson ; adheres
firmly to the core. One of Dr. Brinckle's seedlings.

Herstine's Seedlings. — The late D. W. Herstinc, of
Philadelphia, raised a large number of seedling Rasp-
berries, and as some of them gave promise of excellence,
he invited several prominent horticulturists of New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to visit his grounds and
examine the plants while in bearing and full of fruit.
The invited gentlemen responded to the request of Mr.
Herstine, and visited his grounds on July 6th, 1870.
Mr. Herstine had not performed any of the usual opera-
tions of crossing or hybridizing, in order to produce these
varieties, but merely gathered seeds from what was said
to be the Allen, growing near the Philadelphia, as well as
some of the foreign varieties. He thought that his seed-
lings were a cross between the Allen and Philadelphia,
but, as time has shown, this was doubtless an error, at
least so far as relates to the parentage of the varieties
selected and sent out as " Herstine's Seedlings." The
four varieties selected and described at the date named,
are here given, instead of distributing them in alphabet!-

EASPBEERT. IGO

cal order. I will add that there is an unnamed seedling
of Mr. Ilerstine's in cultivation in several gardens in
Bergen Co., which has the appearance of being a cross
between the Allen and the Philadelphia. I received a few
plants of it from Mr. Herstine, in 1875i, labelled ^'Hers-
tine's 0./^ and the plants have been distributed among
my neighbors, some of whom prize it highly as a market
Tariety. Canes are red, quite distinct. Fruit of good
size, and of a bright crimson color.

Ilcrstiac. — Plant vigorous ; an early and abundant
bearer ; canes strong, of a light color, covered with a
whitish bloom ; spines green, but not abundant ; foliage
abundant, of a light green color ; fruit large ; conical,
with small grains, and of a crimson color ; flavor sub-
acid, but good. This is the best of the four sorts dis-
seminated by Mr. Herstine.

Elizabeth. — A strong grower, and productive in favor-
able soils and localities ; canes green, with some purple
shadings ; spines small, but very numerous ; leaves light
green, and quite large ; fruit very large, nearly globular,
and of a bright crimson color ; grains large ; flavor ex-
cellent.

Ruby. — A free grower; canes moderately vigorous;
spines few, and small ; leaves large, light green, whitish
underneath ; fruit of good size ; nearly round ; dark
crimson ; grains large ; quality good.

Saunders. — Moderately vigorous and productive, pro-
ducing a large number of suckers ; canes green, with a
•shade of purple ; spines abundant ; leaves large, and of
good substance ; light green ; fruit large ; globular ; of a
crimson color ; quality excellent.

Much was expected of the Herstine Raspberries, when
Grst disseminated, but they seem to have failed in most
localities. The first, or Herstine, is now considered the
best of the four.
8

170

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Fig. 76. — HORNET.

Hornet. — Very large ; conical ; deep crimson ; grains
Variable in size, juicy, sub-acid, good ; moderately firm ;

canes very strong, erect ; spines
short, purplish ; fruit stems
very long ; productive, and
promises to be a good market
variety. Originated in France,
with M. Souchet, of Bagnolet,
near Paris.

HuntsmaU'S Giant.— In size,
shape, and quality, very similar
to the Franco nia, but the canes
grow much taller, and when
fully mature have a peculiar grayish-white bark. A
seedling of the Franconia, very productive, and continues
a long time in fruit. Eaised by Prof. T. W. Huntsman,
Mushing, N. Y.

Imperial. — This is another French variety resembling
the Hornet.

Jouet. — Medium to large ; light pale yellow ; canes
feeble ; spines very numerous ; nearly white. Not worth
cultivating, as we have several others of the same color
which are far superior to it in every respect.

Knevet's Giant. — Large, or very large ; globular ; light
crimson ; adheres rather firmly to the core ; juicy and
good ; canes very strong ; spines short, purplish, very few,
and scattering ; very productive. An English variety of
considerable merit.

Large Fruited Monthly. {Rivers* New Monthly.) —

Medium to large ; roundish-conical ; crimson ; soft, sweet,
and juicy, good ; canes strong ; spines red, stout. Some-
times it produces a very fair crop, but not equal to Belle
de Fontenay for a late one. Raised by Thomas Rivers,
Sawbridgeworth, England.
Magnum Bonum* — Very simil-ar, if not the »ame as the

RASPBERRY. 1*?!

Yellow Antwerp. Introduced from England many years
ago.

Merveille de Quatre Saisons. {Marvel of the Four
8easo7is. ) — Medium to large ; obtuse-conical ; crimson ;
soft, sweet, and good ; canes erect, rather slender ; spines
purple, sliort, and quite numerous ; leaves flat, pale green
underneath, and not so dark green above as the Belle de
Fontenay, which is often sold for this variety. The
leaves are finely and evenly serrated. Very hardy, and
produces an immense number of suckers. There is a va-
riety with yellow fruit, but very unproductive.

Montclair. — Medium to large ; globular ; grains large ;
dark, and rather dull red when fully ripe ; firm, and
somewhat brittle ; sub-acid, not rich, but would be called
good ; canes strong, vigorous, branching ; leaves dark
green, and of good substance ; productive and hardy.
Originated with E. & J. C. Williams, Montclair, N. J.

Orange* {BrinckWs Orange.) — Large ; obtuse-conical ;
orange ; sweet, rich, and delicious flavor ; canes strong,
with small, white spines ; plant vigorous, and very pro-
ductive. This is one of the best varieties in cultivation.
Plant requires protection in winter. Originated by the
late Dr. Brinckle, in 1845.

Pilate* — Large ; long-conical ; grains small, compact ;
dark red ; firm, juicy, sub-acid, only passably good ; canes
not very vigorous ; spines numerous, purplish red ; pro-
ductive. A French variety, highly extolled, but inferior
to many of those produced in this country.

Rivers' Seedlings. — Mr. Thomas Rivers, the late veteran
pomologist of England, paid considerable attention to the
Raspberry, and has produced many hundreds of seedlings.
Some of them have reached this country, but there ap-
pears to be considerable confusion in regard to their iden-
tity and names. The one known as Rivers' Black Rasp-
berry does not belong to the Black Raspberry family of this
country. It is a dark purple fruit, with a white bloom.

172 SMALL FEUIT CULTUEIST.

rather soft, of peculiar rich flavor, but not particularl)^
valuable. Another, received under the name of Rivers'
Seedling, is a large, roundish-conical berry, deep crimson,
"udth a thin bloom, quite acid and not rich; canes very
vigorous, branching, of a reddish color, spines purple, short,
and very strong ; produces very few suckers. Perfectly
hardy and very productive ; will probably be a good mar-
ket A'ariety. Mr. Rivers exhibited a new variety at one of
the Horticultural shows in England a few years since,
which he claimed to be a hybrid between the Raspberry
and Blackberry, but I am not aware of its success.

Russell's Red Raspberry. — Large, roundish-conical,
dark red, moderately firm, juicy, sweet and good; canes
strong, erect ; spines white, straight, few and scattering.
Supposed to be hybrid between the Purjile Cane and White
Antwerp; very hardy and productive ; propagated by
suckers. Originated in the garden
of Dr. G. W. Russell, Hartford,
Conn., and named by the Hartford
Co. Horticultural Soc, in 1858.

Souchettii. [White Transpar-
ent.^— (Fig. 77.) — ^Large, conical,
somewhat irregular in form ; pale
yellow, firm but juicy, sweet and
very good ; canes vigorous ; spines
nearly white and few; leaves large
and wavy, thin, light green. A pro- Fig. 77. -souchettii.
ductive variety, raised by Mr. Souchet.

Semper Fidelis. — Large, irregular-conical, dull crimson,
rather firm and dry, sub-acid ; second rate in quality ; canes
strong, spines purple, short and stift', numerous; leaves
large, evenly serrated ; very productive. A new variety
from England, where it is highly extolled.

Walker. — Large, round, deep crimson, soft, juicy,
sprightly flavor, good ; canes strong with a few stiff, pui>

BASPBEBBY. 173

4i8h spines; very productive. One of Dr. Brinckle'a
Beedlings.

Yellow Chili. — ^Large, conical, pale yellow, slightly
cinged with orange, very soft, sweet and juicy; canes
strong, branching, spines long, slender, white. A French
variety which I received about ten years since. Not valu-
able, and inferior to several others of similar color,

Miscellaneous Varieties. — The following list comprises
the new and old varieties of which little is known at the
present time. Some of them have been merely announced
in the nurserymen's catalogues, or in some of the various
Horticultural Journals, while others are old foreign varie-
ties that have been superseded by better kinds. I have
added whatever information I possessed in regard to each.
Plants of some of the new ones have been received, but not
tested, consequently I cannot give a description, nor de-
cide upon their merits :

Bromley Hill. — An old, red, English variety, of fair
quality, but not productive.

Beehiye. — Large red. (Prince's Catalogue, 1844.)

Cornish. — An old discarded English variety.

Chili Monthly. — An old foreign variety.

Cox's Honey. — An old white variety.

Early Prolific. — Poor flavor; an old variety from
England.

Jillards'S Seedling. — An English variety of very good
quality.

Keystone. — Originated with A. L. Felton, Philadelphia,
Pa. Described as very large, crimson. An excellent
variety, although the canes are tender.

Longworth. — Large, round, deep crimson. One of Dr.
Brinckle's seedlins^s.

Mrs. Ingcrsoll. — Large, yellow, of fair quality. Raised
by Dr. Brinckle.

174 BMAIX FEFIT CtTLTUBIST.

Mrs. Wilder.— A seedling of the Colonel WUder, simi
lar in color. Named by Dr. Brinckle.

Wote's Seedliflg. — New, from Ohio, of the Rubm Oo
cidentalls species.

JVottingham Scarlet. — Rejected by the American Po
jiological Society.

JVew Everbearing, — Noticed in the Proceedings of the
Cincinnati Horticultural Society, Dec, 1861.

Princess Alice. — A new^English vanety, raised by Cut-
bush & Son, Highgate, England.

Richardson. — Noticed in Gardeners' Monthly, 1862,
p. 339.

St. Louis* — Fruit large, bright red, sweet, and of the
best Raspberry flavor; plant hardy. — Coleman^ a Rural
Wiwld.

SurpasseMerveille. — Seedling of the OldMerveille den
Quartre Saisons, yellow, same color and habit, but said to
be superior to its parent ; new. Raised by Simon Louis.
Announced in the French Catalogues, in 186^.

Spriflj? Grove. — Very prolific but poor flavor. An old
foreign variety.

Superb. — A poor flavored, old, foreign variety.

Superb dMnja^leterre. — Large, red. Andre Leroy's
Catalogue, 1862.

Taylor's Parag^on. — Poor flavor, old. Discarded
European variety.

Wilmot's Early Red. — An old English variety, of small
iize, deep red, and poor quality.

Woodward's Red Globe.— Small, red, poor flavor; old.
Cultivated in England about forty years ago.

Woodward. — Small, round, crimson; veryeaily; ppines
red. One of Dr. Brinckle's seedlings.

Selection of Foreign" Varieties. — For family use,
where they will succeed, I would select the following
varieties : Brinckle's Orange, Clarke, Franconia, Fastolff,
and French.

RASPBERKT. 175

Native VAPtiEXiEs. — For a fe'.v liardy native varieties,
likely to succeed in light as well as heavy soils, and over
a wide range of country, I would name among the bright
red sorts : Cuthbert and Turner ; for a yellow, Caroline ;
for purple or dark red. Reliance and Philadelphia ; and
for black, Doolittle and G-regg.

For Market. — Hudson River Antwerp, Franconia, for
particular locations ; and where these do not succeed,
Cuthbert. Turncx, Wilmington, and almost any of the
score of Black-caps in cultivation. The Davison's Thorn-
less, and Doolittle, are the earliest, and McCormick and
Gregg the latest and largest.

CHAPTER IV.

BLACKBERRY.

RUBUS.— Bramble.

The Blackberry belongs to the same family and genua
A8 the Raspberry. The fruit in this case is a collective
maFs of drupes attached to the juicy receptacle — not
separating as in the Raspberry, but falling off whole. In
form, the berries are mostly ovate or oblong, brown or
blackish, occasionally yellowish-white.

There are about one hundred and fifty species of the
Blackberry known to botanists, and, like the Raspberry,
they are distributed over a greater portion of the world.

Few of the species posseso any particular merit worthy
of the attention of fruit growers of the present time, con-
sequently I shall confine myself mainly to the indigenous
species and their varieties. The following six species are
natives of the United States :

Rubus TilloSUS. — Common High Blackberry. — Stems
shrubby, two to eight feet high, furrowed, upright or re-
clining, armed with stout curved j)rickles; lower surface
of the leaves hairy and glaiidnlar; lealiets three or pe-
dately five, ovate, pointed, une<|uullv serrate; plant van*
176

BLACKBERRT.

7177

able in size and in its general appearance. Figure 78
shows a section of the stem of the well known New Ro-
chelle Blackberry, which is a variety of
this species.

R. Canadensis. — Low Blackberry,
Dewberry. — Shrubby, trailing slightly,
prickly ; leaflets three or pedately five to
seven, oval or ovate-lanceolate, mostly
pointed, thin, nearly smooth ; flowers in
racemes Avith leaf-like bracts ; fruit mostly

round, with lar^re

sweet and

l^

pleasant flavor, ripens earlier than R. Vilr
losus. Yery common in dry sandy soils.

R. hispidus. — Running Swamp Black-
berry.— Stems slender, shrubby, mostly
trailing, with numerous, small, reflexed
prickles ; leaflets three, rarely five, smooth,
obovate, coarsely serrate, entire toward
the base ; flower small, borne on a leafless
jieduncle; fruit purple or shining black,
grains large and few; generally very
acid. Common in the Northern States,
=• '^' in low, damp woods.

R, cuneifolius. — Sand Blackberry. — One to three feet

high, shrubby, upright, armed with stout, recurved prickles;

branchlets and lower surface of the leaf, whitish, woolly ;

leaflets three to five, wedge-obovate, thickish, serrate above ;

peduncles two to four flowered ; petals large ; fruit medium

size, of good flavor, black, ripens late. Common in New

Jersey and southward, in sandy soils.

R. trivialis. — Low Bush Blackberry. — Stems shrubby,
trailing, bristly and prickly ; leaves evergreen, coriaceous,
nearly glabrous; leaflets three or j^edately five, ovate-
oblong, or lanceolate, sharply serrate, peduncles one to
tliree flowered. Sandy soils, from Virginia southward,
8

178 SMALL FRUIT CULTUKIST.

R. spectablis. — Flowers solitary, of a beautiful purple
color ; stems without prickles. Native of northwest
coast of America, on the banks of the Columbia River.

R* fruticosuSi — Stems straggling, arched, angular and
rather tomentose; prickles recurved, fruit dark purple

Fig. 79. — EUROPEAN BLACKBKRRT.

with a peculiar mawkish flavor. Common European Black-
berry or Bramble.

There are several species of the Blackberry found in
South America, West Indies, and Mexico, but we have no
cultivated varieties of them, neither do they possess any
qualities superior to those found in the United States.

Yerv little attention is paid to the cultivation of this

BLACKBERRY. ^179

froit except in this country, consequently we have no su*
perior foreign varieties, nor can we find any practical in-
formation in regard to their cultivation, in any European
work on gardening. The Blackberry has no separate his-
tory from that of the Raspberry, as they are both called
brambles in the old works ; and it is evident that it has
never been considered worthy of any special care in any
country except our own.

Cnltivation, Propagation, &c. — The same method of
cultivation recommended for the Raspberry is also appli-
cable to rhe Blackberry. In selecting a soil, a rather dry
one is preferable to one that is very moist or wet ; neither
should the soil be as rich as for the Raspberry, because
the varieties generally cultivated are large, coarse growing
plants, and if the soil is too rich the canes will grow very
/arge and succulent, and will neither be so hardy nor pro-
ductive as those of a moderate growth. It is also a good
plan to pinch off the terminal shoots the last of August or
first of September, to check the growth, and cause the
canes to more fully ripen than if allowed to grow undis-
turbed. The plants should also be given more room than
the Raspberry, as they usually grow more branching and
make larger stools. The rows should be at least six feet
apart, and eight would be still better for the larger grow-
ing kinds. Staking the plants may be dispensed with if
they are severely pruned so as to enable them to sustain
the finiit. Many cultivators, however, always stake and
tie up their plants, or build cheap trellises with posts and
wire to which the canes are fastened in the spring at the
time of pruning. It would be better to take out the old
bearing canes soon after the fruit is gathered, but this
would make it necessary to go over the plants twice, while
If the old canes can be cutout and the young ones pruned
at the same time, considerable labor is saved. One annual
pruning is the usual method, choosing the early spring for
performing this operation. For taking out the old canes ^

180

SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

pair of shears with long handles (Fig. 80) is used, cutting

them as near to the ground as
possible. A simple and equally ef"
cient pruning implement is made
by attaching a hooked knife to a
handle of convenient length, as
shown in fig. 81. The manner of
using it is sufficiently ob-
vious. The young canes
should be headed back to
four or five feet, and the
lateral branches to a foot
or eighteen inches. If too
many suckers have grown,
so that they are likely to
crowd", then remove a por-
tion of them, as directed
for the Kaspberry. All va-
rieties of the Blackberry
produce suckers very free-
ly, and, unless they are
wanted, all should be destroyed
as soon as they appear, except those
reserved for next season's crop.
The Blackberry may be propagated as directed for

the Raspberry, cuttings of the roots usually making the

best plants.

Fig. 80.

Fig. 81.

VARIETIES.

Cut-Leaved. — Fruit roundish, black, grains large, sweet,
with a slightly musky flavor ; borne in loose panicles,
stems nearly round, more or less trailing, fertile ones
erect ; prickles small at the base, but recurved and strong
above, very numerous ; leaves dissected and sharply serrate,
as shown in figure 82 ; flowers white or rose color. A

BLACKBERRY.

181

variety of the European Blackberry, R. frutlcosus, and
is found in the Catalogues as JR. laclniatus^ and also as
the Parsley-leaved Blackberry. It has been sparingly

Fig. 82.— CUT-LEAVED BLACKBERRY.

cultivated in Europe for many years, also in this country
for twenty years or more. It is scarcely worth growing,
except as a curiosity.

o»

183

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Cumberland.— Medium size, black, sweet and good,
quite early, and matures the whole crop in a comparatively

Fio". 83. — LEAF OF DORCHESTER.

Short time; plant quite hardy and productive. This
variety is largely cultivated by J. Cox, of Bridgeton, N. J ,
and but little known elsewhere.

BLAOKBSBBT. 183

Cape May. — Very largw, sweet, but quite soft, black
when first ripe, but soon changes to a dull red. A very
good variety for home use, but too tender for market,

Dorchester* — Fruit larf;t , oblong, oval, slightly pointed,
black, sweet, rich and excellent, with considerable of thi»
wild Blackberry flavor ; leaves broad, oval, with a sharp
point, as shown in figure 83 ; ripens early, and the benies
quite firm. An excellent market variety. The canes are
very vigorous, and usually quite hardy. Not so produc-
tive as some, but sufficiently so to make it worthy of ex-
tensive cultivation. Introduced to public notice by the
late Josiah Lovett, of Beverly, Mass., in 1850; he having
procured the plants of a gentleman in Dorchester, Mass.,
about 1842.

Felton* — Very large, long, slightly conical, sweet and
good; the berries often very defective; ripens early
rather of a spreading growth, and not so upright and com
pact as some. This was at one time supposed to be the
same as the Wilson's Early, but it has lately been decided
by several gentleman of Southern New Jersey, who are
familiar with both varieties, that it is distinct, and not
equal to the Wilson's E.irly in productiveness. Intro-
duced a few years since by Oscar F. Felton, of Camden,
New Jersey.

Ilolcomb. — Large, roundish-oval, black, sweet, rich and
excellent; plant strong, viirorous and productive, similar to
the Dorchester in size and productiveness, commencing
lo ripen about the same time, and continues in fruit for
several weeks. Introduced to public notice by E, A. Hoi-
comb, of Granby, Conn., in 1855.

Kittatinny* — Large to very large, slightly conical, deep
shining black, moderately firm, sweet, rich and excellent ;
figure 84 is a fair representation of a well grown cluster;
leaves ovate, with rather a long point, as shown in figurt

184

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Fig. 84. — KITTATINNY.

BLACKBEKRY.

185

S5, finely and unevenly serrate ; plant a strong and vigor-
ous grower, and very productive. The fruit begins to ripen

Fig. 85.— LEAF OF KITTATINNT.

a few days earlier than the New Rochelle, and continues
for four or five wrecks. This is an old variety, although.
8*

18^

SMALL FEUrf CtlLfjEIST.

new to the public, as it was not extensively disseminated
nntil last year, but, so far as known, it is very hardy, and
promises to be one of the very best varieties known.
Found, about twenty years ago, by a Mr. Wolverton,
growing wild in the woods near the Kittatinny Moun-
tains, in TTarren Countv, Xew Jersev.

New Rochelle. {Seacors JTaminoth^ JLaicton.) — Very
large, iiTegular, roundish-oval, black, very juicy, and mod-
erately sweet when iuUy ripe, but it does not reach this
point until several days after the fruit has become black,
at which time it is very soft. A strong and vigorous
grower, and very productive. The fruit commences ripen-
ing rather late, and continues for a long time,
and unless the soil is naturally moist, or the
ccround covered with a mulch, manv of the
late berries will fail to come to maturity.
The canes are also rather tender, often win-
•ter-killing, even in the vicinity where it origi-
nated. The Xew Rochelle Blackberry has
probably done more to make this class of
fniits popular than any other variety, but some
i\a ^ of the kinds lately introduced are likely to
supersede it. Found by Lewis A. Seacor in
the town of Xew Rochelle, Westchester
County, X. Y.

Newman's Thornless. — Medium, roundish-
oval, black, rather acid, but good when fully
ripe ; canes slender, nearly round, growing
only three or four feet high ; spines small,
short, as shown in figure 86 ; some of the
canes almost smooth. It is usually very un-
productive, but occasionally it will produce
Fig. 86. quite a large crop. Discovered growing wild,
and introduced by Jonas Xewman, Ulster County, Xew
Tork.

BLACKBEREY. 187

A^^awam. — A new variety, of which little is knowD.
Larger than the Snyder, and Ancient Briton, but the
plants are not so hardy.

Ancient Briton. — A very small wild berry from Wis-
consin. Sweet, juicy, and of excellent quality, and the
plants are very productive. Valuable only where larger
and better sorts will not thrive.

Barnard. — A new variety, found in Iowa. Recom-
mended on account of the hardiness of the plants.

Doda^e's Thornless. — From X. E. Dodge, Fredonia, N.
Y. This was tried and found wanting some ten vears
ago. Plants feeble, and nearly destitute of both thorns
and fruit.

Early Burnton. — Very small ; sweet ; scarcely worth

cultivating.

Hoosac Thornless. — This is another wild sort, picked
up in the woods of Xew England. Xot worth describing
or cultivating.

Knox. — Xew, and scarcely known among fruit growers,
except a small number in Central Xew York.

Missouri llaiumoth. — This is a wild variety, or, I might
with truth say, several varieties, dug up from the fields
and woods of Missouri, and disseminated by one who had
good reasons for changing his name occasionally to avoid
unpleasant exposures. It cost me one hundred dollars
to get my first box of plants of these sorts, and to learn
that I had been cheated. If there is any true or genuine
Missouri Mammoth Blackberry in cultivation, it is un-
known to me.

Sable Queen. — Fruit large : oblong : glossy black ;
grains quite large ; firm, sweet, and excellent ; canes very
vigorous ; har^y, and usually quite productive. Found
growing wild about thirty yeai's ago, in Essex Co., Mass.,

188 SMALL FRUIT CtJLTURIST.

and introduced to the public notice by J. W. Manning,
Reading, Mass.

Snyder. — A small yariety, found growing wild near La
Porte, Ind., thirty years ago, but it attracted no attention
until quite recently, when it was discovered that the
plants were exceedingly hardy. If the plants are given
good cultivation, and close pruned, the fruit may be in-
creased m size to a point where it would probably rank
in the medium class, but with ordinary care, it is too
small to command much attention. It ripen« early, and
is of good quality, and is valuable in localities where the
larger sorts are tender. One of the most populpr varieties
in the West on account of its hardiness.

Taylor's Proliflc. — A new Western variety, of medium
size and good flavor. Eecommended mainly on account
of the hardiness of the canes, which are said to withstand
a temperature of thirty degrees below zero without injury.

Wachusett Thornless. — This has been much praised on
account of the scarcity of thorns on its canes. Fruit
medium size and of fair quality, while the plants are
vigorous and hardy, but not very prolific. Found grow-
ing wild in the Monadnock Mountains, in 1864, and in-
troduced to public notice by E. R. Fletcher, Groton Junc-
tion, Mass.

Western Triumph, — A very large, irregular-shaped
berry; very soft, juicy, and s'v\eet ; plants wonderfully
vigorous, productive, and hardy. Owing to the softness
of the berry, it has not attracted much attention from
those who raise fruit for market, although it is a valuable
one for the amateur cultivator. A chance seedling, found
npon the open prairie in Lake Co., 111., in 1858, by Mr.
Biddle, of Waukegan.

Needham's White. — A variety sent out several years
since, but it is unproductive, and not worth cultiv^^ting-

, BLACKBERRY. 189

Wilson's Early. — Very large ; oblong, oval, slightly
pointed ; black ; quite firm, sweet, rich, and good ; canes
strong, roundish, not so deeply corrugated as the ]Js"ew
Rochelle or Dorchester. It is probably a sport of the
trailing Blackberry, or a cross between it and the high-
bush. Although the plant is naturally an erect grower,
still, occasionally, a cane will grow for several feet along
the ground, and the tip take root, as is usual with the
common creeping Blackberry, or Dewberry, as it is gen-
erally called. The fruit ripens very early, and the entire
crop matures in about two weeks. This peculiarity in
ripening gives the grower of it an opportunity of sending
the entire crop to market before other varieties are ripe.
Discovered by John Wilson, of Burlington, N. J. , about
1854.

The following kinds I have not fruited, neither have I
any very reliable information in regard to their merits :

Albioili — Found growing wild at Albion, Edwards Co.,
Illinois. The fruit is large, of a pink color.

Claret. — A new variety, found by D. L. Adair, of
Hawesville, Ky. Fruit large, of a glossy claret color.

Col. Wilder. — Fruit bright cream color. Raised by
John B. Orange, of Albion, Illinois, and named in honor
of the veteran pomologist, M. P. Wilder, of Boston, Mass.

Crystal White. — A variety from the West. Fruit yel-
lowish-white, and of excellent quality. The foliage of this
variety is very peculiar, inasmuch as the leaflets are very
narrow, almost oblong-lanceolate ; plants rather tender.

Dr. Warder. — Color a dark rosy-red. Raised from seed
by Mr. Orange, the originator of the Col. Wilder, and
named in honor of Dr. Warder, of Ohio.

PROFITS OF CULTURE.

The profits derived from the cultivation of the Rasp-
berry and Blackberry are extremely variable. The first

190 SMALL FEUIT CULTUKIST.

thing to be ascertained by those who intend planting
these fruits extensively is, whether there is a good mar-
ket, and one that is not likely to be overstocked. Then
find out what kinds are the best suited to the location.

For instance, if one is located in a section where the
Eed Antwerp and similar foreign varieties succeed, then
it would be safe and perhaps preferable to plant them in-
stead of others, bcH^ause their fruit always commands the
highest price in the market.

In many places at the West, as well as at the East,
these varieties succeed, if protected in winter, and two to
six hundred dollars per acre is no uncommon amount to
be derived for the fruit ; still there are many locations
where no amount of care will make them yield enough to
pay for their culture, consequently other varieties must
be selected, or Easpberry culture be abandoned.

The Blackberry, as a general thing, does not bring
quite so large a price in market as the Easpberry, but the
yield per acre is often greater, so that the returns will be
about equal, although, as a rule, they are not generally
considered as profitable a fruit as the Easpberry. When-
ever Peaches are plentiful, then late varieties of the Black-
berry sell at a very low price. The cost of cultivation,
gathering, and marketing these berries, is usually from
one-fourth to one-third of the gross receipts obtained for
the fruit.

CHAPTER V.

DWARF CHERRY.

NATURAL FAMILY ROSACEA.

PRUNUS. SuB-GENua, CERASUS.— The Chkiiuy,

Tlie Cherries, as a class, do not come within the pro*
posed sco])e of this work. But there is at least one native
species that is wortliy of being placed among the small
fruits^ and I have introduced it here for the purpose of
calling the altentiou of our horlicullurists to it, hoping
that through their efforts a new, distinct, and valuable
class of Cherries will be originated.

All of the varieties of the Cherry commonly cultivat-
ed, are of foreign origin, and the nntive species have so
far resisted all attempts at improvement; as a general
thing, there appears to be no affinity between those
of the eastern and western continent. They will neither
hybridize, nor the wood unite when worked one upon the
other. Thus the door seems to be closed against the in*
termingling of the superior and the inferior, and progress
only possible by raising seedlings of the native kinds
without foreign aid.

There ire, however, two indigenous species which appear
to be nearly related to the foreign, at least sufficiently so, to

SMALL FRUIT CITLTURIST.

admit of being hybridized with it, as the flowers are very
similar and the wood of the two unites very readily. One
of these, J^runvs Pennsylvanica,\s a tall species, and does
not come within the scope of this work; but a dwarf one,
P, pumila, described by Dr. Gray as follows:

" Smooth, depressed and trailing, six to eighteen inche?
high; leaves obovate-lanceolate, tapering to the base
somewhat tootlied near the apex, pale anderneath ; flow
ers two to four together; fruit ovoid, dark red. Rocks oi
sandy banks; Massachusetts northward to Wisconsin, and
south to Virginia along the mountains."

The above is merely a general description of the species,
but it varies considerably in different locations and soils.

It is thirty-five years since I first became acquainted
with this species while examining the wild fruits of North-
ern Michigan, and by referring to my diary of 1846, I
find the folk)wing notes ;

" August 3d, 1846. Thunder Bay Islands, Lake Huron.
— Visited Hat Island, and found Dwarf Cherry, (Cerasus
pumila^) very abundant. The plants gi'owing on the
beach in almost pure sand ; bearing stems depressed with
the weight of fruit ; wonderfully productive.

Fruit one-half inch long, and three-eighths broad; dark
purple, nearly black, sweet, but rather insipid. Suckera
abundant from the undei-ground stems or roots."

At the time referred to above, I supposed this species
was confined to the shores of the lakes, but have since
learned that it is widely distributed over the Northern
States. A few years ago, thi-ough the kindness of Prof
George Thuiber, I received some Cherry seeds from Utah
Territory, and from them raised plants which appear to be
of the same species as the one described by Dr. Gray, as
P. pumila^ and also found by myself at Hat Island.
There is, however, considerable d fference in the growth
of the plants ; the one grown from the seeds obtained
from TTtah Koingj more erect, none of the branches trailing

CHEEEY. 193

Ag in the species. This peculiarity of growth may not he
different from the vnld plants found in some localities.

I have some specimens now four years from seed. They
are about three feet high ; stem stocky, but the branches
quite slender, cylindrical and smooth. The bark brown and
shining on the small twigs, grayish when old. Fruit ovoid
about a half-inch long, dark purple, nearly black, sweet,
with little flavor. I do not consider this Cherry of any
particular value as it is found in its normal condition ; but
if we could obtain an improved variety of a similar growth,
and as hardy and productive, it would certainly be a
great acquisition. There is no reason wliy this should not
be accomplis ed, for, as I have said, it is nearly related to
our cultivated varieties, and a hybrid can, and probably
will be, produced between them.

The IVumis pumila should be selected for the parent
to supply the seed, and the pollen, for fertilizmg its flow-
ers, taken from the other species. It blooms rather later
than the Bigarreau, or Morel lo varieties, but can easily be
hastened by planting in a warm situation or under glass.

To produce a hybrid between tliis Dwarf Cherry and
the larger-growing kinds, requires no greater mechanical
skill than to cross two varieties of the Strawberry ; an
operation which I have already described. The stamens
and pistils in the flowers of the Cherry are large and con-
spicuous, and cross fertilization a very simple operation.

Here is an opportunity for the enterprising and skillful
horticulturist to revolutionize Cherry culture, and he who
first produces a fruit equal to the Great Bigarreau, or
Early Richmond Cherry, and borne upon a shrub no larger
than a Currant bush, Avill not only have liis name handed
down to posterity, but will be very likely to gather golden
harvests for his labor.

9

CHAPTER VI.

THE CURRANT.

NATURAL FAMILY GROSSULACE.&.

RIBES. — The Currant and Gooseberry.

[Fwnch name, OroseiUer commun; German, Gemeine Johanni^teen i DatCA
A^ilbeteebooin ; Italian, Ribes rosso ; Spanish, Orossella.]

GENERAL CHARACTERS.

Low, de-'iduous shrubs, with smooth stems; leaves
variable, more or less lobed, in some species nearly hearts
ihaped ; flowers small, greenish-yellow in the commonly
cultivated varieties, in others yellow, crimson, or white.

SPECIES.

Ribes prostratrum* — Fetid Currant. — Stems reclined
leaves deeply heart-shaped, five to seven-lobed, smooth
fruit pale red. In cold, damp woods in most of ^he North
em States.

Ribes floridum* — Wild Black Currant. — Leaves sprink-
led with resinous dots, slightly heart-shaped, three tc
five-lobed, doubly serrate ; fruit round-ovoid, black,
smooth, with a slight musky flavor ; leaves also scented
Common in low grounds throughout the Northern Statei
and Canadaa.
194

CUEBANT. 195

Ribes rnbrum*. — ^Red Currant. — Stems straggling or
reclined ; leaves somewhat heart-shaped, obtusely three
to five-lobed, downy beneath when young ; racemes from
lateral buds distinct from the leaf buds, drooping ; calyx
flat, greenish or purplish ; fruit globose, smooth, red. In
cold, damp woods and bogs from New England to Oregon.
Native of Europe, and probably the same species as our
common Red and White Currants of the gardens.

Ribes aureum* — Missouri Currant. — Stems very strong,
erect, with light colored bark ; leaves deeply and irregu-
larly lobed, usually more or less toothed flowers yellow
in clusters or short racemes ; fruit large, globular, black,
violet or deep yellow. Native of our Northwestern
States and Territories.

Ribes sanguine urn. — Red Flowering Currant. — Native
of the Rocky Mountains and California. Cultivated for
ornament. Fruit more or less insipid ; not valuable as an
edible fruit.

Ribes nigrniDt — Black Currant. — ^Leaves three to five-
lobed ; racemes loose ; flowers greenish-white ; calyx often
of a rich brownish color ; berries globular, smooth, black ;
leaves and fruit strongly scented. Native of Northern
Europe, even to the sub- Alpine regions of Siberia.

Many other species of Currants are known, but as we
have no varieties of them cultivated for their fruit, I have
not thought it advisable to describe them. Those species
found in Mexico, Chili, Straits of Magellan, and other
Southern countries, would probably not be hardy in the
United States.

raSTORT.

The species ot the Currant, from which our cultivated
varieties originated, are probably native of Northern Eu-
rope, as we do not find them mentioned by any of the old
Greek or Roman writers, who were generally so particO'
iaa to name every fruit known in their day.

196 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

The Englisli name Currant, or Corrans, as they wert
formerly called, was given them, because of their resem-
blance to the little Zante Grape, which is called Corintha
in the English markets, as it was formerly almost en-
tirely imported from Corinth.

The Black, Red and White Currant, filthough known
to the inhabitants of Northern Europe for centuries, at-
tracted very little attention until within the past hundred
years.

Turner, in 1557, does not name them in his list of culti-
rated fruits. Gerard e, in 1597, calls the Currant a smooth-
stemmed Gooseberry. The Black Currant was formerly
known as the Squinancy berry, because used to cure the
qumsie.

The people of Siberia use the leaves of the Black Cur-
rant for making a drink, the same as we use tea. Loudon
says that the leaves, when dried, are an excellent substi-
tute for green tea, and that few persons can detect the
difference. The Red, AVhite nnd Black Currants, one va-
riety of each, were the only kinds known in cultivation
until the beginning of the present century. Since that
time considerable improvement has been made, and nU'
merous varieties introduced.

PROPAGATION.

By Seeds. — This method is seldom employed, exce]iit
for the purpose of producing new varieties. The fruit
should be gathered wlien fully ripe, always selecting the
largest berries, and from the earliest and mildest fla
vored kinds, as the Currant being naturally a very acid
fruit, the aim should be to produce sweeter varieties.

The berries may be dried, and the seeds preserved in
the pulp until wanted, or be crushed ..iid the seeds washed
out, as recommended for Strawberries. They will grow
more readily if not allowed to become diy, although dry
ing is not so injurious to them as it is to many other seedfc

CUKRANT. 197

The following plan is one that I have followed with
■access :

Gather the fruit when ripe and wash out the seeds, then
mix them with pure sand, and put in boxes or pots, and
bury them in a shady place, such as the north side of
some building or fence, where they will remain cool or
frozen until the ground, in which they are to be sown, is
in a condition to receive them. If tliey are placed in a
situation where the sun will reach them, they are very
likely to germinate either during winter or as soon as the
frost leaves them in the spring, often before the ground
will admit of their being planted. If the seeds are frozen
after they have sprouted, it will usually destroy the germ
and -prevent further growth. With many persons the
cause of failure in growing the Currant and Gooseberry
from seed is, that they either place them in a situation
where they sprout and cannot grow, or where too warm
and wet, and when the seeds are taken out to be sown in
spring they appear to be sound, yet their vitality is gone.

The seeds of all the species of Ribes will germinate at
a very low temperature, and if we keep them moist, and
where they do not freeze, they are very liable to start be-
fore the open ground is in a condition to receive them.
The seeds may be sown immediately after being taken
from the fruit, but in sections of the country where the
weather is very changeable, and the ground is frequently
frozen and thawed, there is more or less danger of injury
from causes above stated. If the seeds are kept dry dur-
ing winter, they should be soaked in warm water for two
or three days before sowing.

Sow in single or wide drills, covering the seed one-half
of an inch deep with fine soil. Keep them clear of weeds,
and if the weather is dry, give them occasionally a good
soaking with water.

Transplant, when one year old, into rows three feet
%part, and the plants two feet apart in the rows.

198

SMALL T'RIilT Cli^LTuRlST.

Propagation by Cuttings. — Cuttings of the ripe wood
may be made at any time, from the falling of the leaf in
autumn until tlie plants commence growth in spring.
But when the best possible results are desired, they should
be taken off as soon as the wood is fully ripe.

Select good strong wood of the present season's growth,
and make the cuttings about six inches long, cutting them
off smooth, just at the base of a bud. Figures 87 and 88
show two cuttings (much reduced in size)
as prepared for planting. Figure 81 is a
cutting of the common Black Currant,
and figure 82 a cutting of the Cherry
Currant. The first has much larger and
more prominent buds than the latter.
If all the buds, except two or three of
the upper ones, are cut out before setting,
the plant will not produce as many suck-
ers as though they were allowed to re-
main. The advisability of this plan will
depend entirely upon the manner in which
the plants are to be grown, whether in
tree or stool ; if in the former, disbud, if
not, plant them entire.

When the cuttings are prepared, plant
as directed for other ripe wood cuttings,
in chapter 11. The cuttings should be
covered with straw or some similar ma-
terial, sufficient to keep out the frost, or,
at least, to prevent the ground from
frequently freezing and thawing during winter. Re-
move the covering at the return of warm weather, or
enough of it to allow the young shoots to grow through
without hindrance. Cuttings planted early in fall will
usually become rooted by the time winter sets in, and
this too, without their buds pushing into leaf The next
season they will make a far better growth than if their

Tig. 87.

ctjRRA2irr. 199

planting is deferred until spring. Fall planting of Cur
rant cuttings is practiced by most of our leading nursery
men of the present time, especially by those whose nur
series are upon soils or in sections of the country where
the CuiTant ripens its wood early in autumn. The cut-
tings may be made in the fall ; if it is not convenient to
plant them then, they may be tied in bundles, and buried
in the open ground or cellar until spring- but as the
Currant is one of the earliest plants to sliovv its leaves, the
cuttings should be planted as early as possible.

When a variety is scarce and valuable, the cuttings may
be made very short, — two or three inches in length will
answer the purpose, but they require a little more care in
handling and planting, as well as keeping the ground
moist, until they become rooted.

Another method is to make cuttings of one bud, with
a small portion of wood attached, say half an inch abov«
the bud and the same below, planting in pots or boxes of
sand or sandy loam, laying the cuttings down with the
eye or bud on the upper side, covering them about half an
inch deep. After the cuttings have been placed in the
soil, the pots should be set where the temperature will
not be above fifty, and keep moist for a few weeks, until
the callus is formed. Then put them in a propagating
house or hot-bed, where they will receive a steady heat,
but not above 75 or 80 degrees. As soon as well rooted,
pot them off into small thumb pots, and after these have
become well filled with roots, either shift into larger ones
or plant into the open ground, being careful not to break
the ball of earth which contains the roots.

The single bud cuttings will sometimes grow quite
readily if planted in the open ground, provided the sur
face )f the soil above them is covered with a mulch — saw-
dust or tan-bark are better for mulching the cutting-bed
than straw or leaves.

The Currant may also be grown very readily from greeii

200 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

cuttings taken from the plants as they grow in the open
ground. They sliould be taken off as soon as the plants
have made a growth of two or three inches. Slip off the
young growth close to the old wood, and plant the same
as other green wood cuttings in a frame, propagating
house, or under bell glasses.

These green cuttings require but a moderate degree of
heat, and will often succeed in a half shady situation in
the open ground if covered with glass. It is better, how-
ever, with very rare kinds, to take up the plants in fall,
and put them in a pot and set in a propagating house ;
then take off the young wood, as soon as it is large enough
for cuttings ; in this manner every shoot that appears can
be made a strong plant by spring.

Propagation by Suckers. — This was formerly a more
common method of propagating than at present, but
plants produced in this manner are not usually as good as
those from cuttings. The suckers that spring from the
roots are slipped off close at their base, and then planted
out, as usual with other plants.

Propagation by Layers. — Branches, when bent down
and covered with soil, or even pegged to the surface and
then covered with a mulcl], will readily take root.

llie spring is the best tinie to perform this operation,
because the layer will bicome well rooted by autumn.
Leave the end of the branch uncovered, only burying that
portion on which it is desirable to produce roots.

In the fall, separate the layer from the parent plant, and
heel-in until spring. Cuttings grow so readily, that the
last two named methods of propagation are but seldom
practiced with the Currant.

SOIL AND CULTIVATION.

The Currant is a plant that possesses great vitality, aa^
will grow in almost any kind of soil or situation, but to
bnng it to perfection, and make its culture profitable^ it

CtJBEANT. ^01

requires good culture, and a deep rict soil. It succeeds
better in a heavy loam, approaching a clay, than in a light
sandy soil. But, whatever the character of the soil, two
things are important for producing the best results, — a
deep soil and a rich one. It being what may be called
a gross feeder, manure of almost any kind may be applied
with impunity, and in almost any quantity.

To a few persons this may seem to be a singular recom-
mendation, inasmuch as we usually see, in traveling
through the country, Currant bushes growing in the fence
comers, or in rows where the grass has taken possession
of the soil and formed a tough sod about the plants, and
still they live and bear fruit. Yet, while I admit that the
Currant will live under such treatment, and in quite poor
soils, it never produces as large or as much fruit as when
it has good culture and a rich soil.

For field culture the plants should be set in rows four
or five feet apart, and about four feet in the row.

Clean cultivation is required as with other plants, and
if the whole surface of the soil is covered with mulch dur-
ing summer, it will not only insure the maturing of the
crop, but will materially increase the size of the fruit.

North of the latitude of New York City, there is but
little trouble in obtaining a full crop of Currants almost
every season, but South of this, and particularly on sandy
soils, the dry weather often begins so early that the plants
ripen, and the leaves fall before the fruit comes to maturi-
ty. Deep rich soil and mulching are the best methods for
preventing this..

PRUNING AND TRAINING

The most common modes of training are what is termed
the bush or stool form, and the tree shajje. To grow the
bushes in the stool form, it is only necessary to set out
the plants singly, and allow them to throw up suckers
from the main stem or roots, whi^h all the varieties
0

202 SMALL FRUIT CtJLTURlST.

and species do quite readily. The young shoots may be
Rhorteued or entirely removed, for the purpose of giving
the bnsh a regular shape, and make it open or compact,
as desired.

The varieties of the Ribes ruhrum^ to which species oui
;ommon Red and White kinds belong, are usually grown
n this form, especially when cultivated in large quantities,
ind for market purposes.

The fruit is mainly produced on the wood two or more
years old, and when a branch has borne two or three
crops, it is best to remove it and allow a new one to take
its place, as young wood generally produces larger fruit
than that which is very old.

About all the pruning that is necessary is to cut out, oo»
casionally, the old wood, and shorten the most vigorous
of the young growth.

If too many young shoots or suckers appear, and thej
are likely to become crowded, a portion of them should
be cut out, so that the air and sun may have free access
to those that remain.

All dead or diseased shoots should be annually removed,
and only the best and most luxuriant ones preserved. If
the ends of the growing shoots are pinched off during the
summer, it will cause them to become more stocky and
fully ripe, while at the same time it will increase the size
af the Iruit which may be on the branck below.

The main object should be to properly develop every
portion of the plant, and this cannot be done if it becomes
irowded, either with old or new wood.

A half dozen large, vigorous shoots will give more and
arger fruit than double that number of weak and imma*
ture ones.

When the plants are io be trained with single stems,
the system should be commenced with the cutting, dis«
budding that portion which is placed below ground, and
when those above ground push, rub "ff all but one, v>(|

train that erect ; the next season cut it back to within a
foot or eighteen inches of the ground. Allow three to
BIX shoots to grow the second season, and at equal distances
around the stem, if possible. The third season, shorten
these branches, and allow six to twelve shoots to be pro*
duced, and so on from year to year, pruning out and head-
mg in, keeping the head open and the branches arranged
in a vase form, or as near it as convenient. In some soils
single stem plants will live and produce abundantly for
eight to ten years, and while young, the fruit will be larger
than when grown in thick, compact bushes. For amateurs
the single stem system is a very convenient and pretty
method, and if a plant fails, it may be replaced without
any particular loss, but for field culture I prefer the clump
or bush form, because it is less trouble, and there is dan-
ger of the plants being killed by the Currant Borer, for if
one of these gets into the single stemmed plant it destroys
it, and a new one must be planted or trained up from one
of the many suckers which will usually start from the
roots after the main stem has been removed.

With the Black Currant the case is somewhat different ;
being naturally a much stronger grower, the stems becom-
ing quite large and coarse, they will live for many years,
and there is but little danger of insects injuring them.
Neither do these require so much pruning as other varie-
ties; still, enough should be done to give the bush a regu-
lar, open head, as well as to cut out all small, weak shoots.
The young, one year old shoots should not be shortened so
severely as with other varieties, unless it is necessary for
the purpose of giving the plant some particular form, be-
cause fruit is produced on the one year old wood as well
as upon small spur-like shoots on the old. The varieties
of the Hibes nigrum^ (European Black Currant,) and the
Rlbes floridum^ and R. aureun^ form much larger bushes
than any of the other species ; consequently they should
De allowed more room. If planted in rows^ they should

204 SMALL FRUIT CULtURIST.

be five to six feet apart, if it is desirable to have tliem
grow to full size, althoiigh they are readily kept within
a much less space, but much fruit will be lost by severe
pruning. These coarse-growing species usually produce
better and larger fruit on old j^lants than on the young,
provided they are given good culture, and all little, Aveak
shoots are annually cut out, so that those remaining will
be fully developed.

The tree form is preferable to the bush or clump for
all the varieties of the species last named.

INSECTS AND DISEASES.

It is only within the past twenty or thirty years that
insects injurious to the Currant and Gooseberry have be-
come so numerous as to attract much attention. In 1847,
the late Dr. Asa Fitch, in his Keport as State Entomolo-
gist of New York, mentioned an insect which had become
very destructive to the Currant in the central part of the
State, and as it somewhat resembled the Eurapean Cur-
rant and Gooseberry moth {Ahraxis grossulariata), he re-
ferred this American pest to the same genus, and named
it Abraxis rihearia. In figure 89, at the upper right-
hand side, is shown the male moth, and at the left the
female, while on the leaf above is shown the caterpillar, as
Been when feeding. Another of these caterpillars is seen
suspended from the edge of the leaf, as they appear when
letting themselves down to the ground, while below is its
pupa, in which form this insect passes through the winter.
Recent investigations by other entomologists show that
this insect is a native of North America, and not of
Europe, as at one time supposed. Eurthermore, Dr. A.
S. Packard considers the insect to be sufficiently distinct
to be separated from Abraxis ; and he has placed it in a
genus to which he has given the name of EufitcMa, in
honor of its first discoverer, Dr. Eitch ; consequently its
scientific name becomes Eufitchia ribearia, instead of

CUKRANT.

205

Aoraxis, But tlie clianging of its name has no effect
upon the habit of this pest, and it will probably continue,
as formerly, to strip the leaves from our Currants and
Gooseberries, whenever left to have its own way. The
insect usually apjDears early in spring, feeding upon the
leaves, and is then readily destroyed by dusting powdered

Fig. 89.— CURRANT WORM (EufitcMa ribearia).

White Hellebore over the plant, while wet with dew in the
morning. Tobacco water and lime, and siuiilar applica-
tions are also used with good results, but the hellebore is
considered the most effective and certain.

Imported iiirrant Worm. — This pest is the Nematus
ventricostis, Klug, a large fly, of the order Hymenoptero,
find family Tenthredinidce, There are Ycry few insects

206 SMALL FKUIT CULTURIST,

of this order that injure our garden plants, but the one
under consideration is an exception to the general rule.
It first appearance in this country was about 1857, and in
the vicinity of Eochester, N. Y., and is supposed to have
been introduced with imported plants.

The flies come out of the ground early in spring, and
the females soon commence depositing their eggs on the
underside of the leaves near the veins. The eggs hatch
in about a week, and immediately commence feeding upon
the soft part of the leaves. At each moult they change
color, but when fully grown they are about three-quarters
of an inch long, and of a grass-green color, with minute
black spots scattered along the sides and on the back.
When mature, they drop to the ground and hide under
the leaves, enclosing themselves in thin oval cocoons.
In the course of five or six wrecks a second brood of the
flies appear, and go the same round of devastation as the
first one, unless checked or destroyed by application of
hellebore or similar insecticides. Hellebore is usually
applied while the fruit is green, and any that may remain
upon the fruit is washed off by the rain ; should any ad-
here to the ripe fruit it must be washed off.

The Native Currant Worm. — This is a closely allied in-
sect to the last, belonging to the same order and family,
but to another genus. It is the Pristipliora grossularicB,
Walsh. Its habifcs are also similar to the imported worm,
and it may be destroyed with similar insecticides.

Trochilium tipuliforme. — European Currant Borer. —
This is quite common in the Eastern States, and we seldom
receive Currant bushes from Europe that do not contain
more or less of these pests. It is too well known to re-
quire a description. The moth is probably not so familiar,
and I give the description given it by Dr. Fitch, in the New
York Agricultural Report, 1859: "A small moth, having
some resemblance to a wasp, its wings being clear and

CUERAJO'. 207

glossy, the fore pair opaque, yellowish at the tips, with a
black margin and band near the middle, and the abdomen
black, with three yellow bands situated one upon each
alternate segment ; width 0.65 to 0.85."

Trochilium caudatum. — Harris. — This species infests
our native wild Currant, (Hibes floridum^ and it resem
bles somewhat the European species.

To destroy these borers, the plants should be examined
every fall or during winter, and every shoot that has a
borer in it will usually be of a brown color, or slightly
wilted ; sometimes, when the shoots are very vigorous, no
difference can be observed, but by close inspection the
small hole where the warm entered can be found. All
phoots containing worms should be cut out, and the worm
destroyed. In this way they may be checked, if not en-
jirely eradicated.

In making cuttings, the same care should be given, and
every hollow stem examined for borers, and if found, de-
stroyed.

fARIETIES.

NATIVE SPECIES.

American Black • — Rihes floridum. — ^Fruit medium,
roundish-ovoid, black ; clusters small, tapering. Seldom
cultivated, but worthy of it, if for no other purpose than
to produce new varieties, as it is naturally a better flavored
fruit than the European Black Currant.

Deseret. — Hibes aureum. — Fruit very large, round,
black or dark violet, witli a slight bloom, sub-acid and
agreeable flavor; flowers yellow; a strong and rapid
grower, and very productive when the plant attains its
full growth. A variety of the Missouri Currant {Hibes
itureum). It is highly valued by the Mormons at Salt Lake
City, from whence I received it a few years since. This

208 SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

should become the parent of a new and valuable clas? of

Fig. 90. — LEAP OF DESERET.

Currants, as it possesses many good qualities and few
defects. Figure 90 shows a leaf of this variety.

Golden. — Large, round, deep golden-yellow, very acid,
and slightly bitter ; flowers yellow. Of no value for its
fruit, but might be improved. Native of the Rocky
Mountains, and a variety of M. aureum.

Missouri Black. — Very large, jet black, hard, dry, and

CURRANT.

209

bitter ; of no value, except as an ornamental shrub ;
flowers yellow, fragrant. There is another resembling
this, except that the fruit is edible, but not very good.
All the varieties of the M. aureimi have deeply lobed

fig. 91 — LBAF OF BIBES SANQCriNBUM.

leaves, while the H. sangidneiim, (Red Flowering Cur-
rant,) which is found west of the Rocky Mountains, ha*
leaves of the form shown in figure 91.

Sweet Fruited Missouri. — Large, black, roundish-ovoid ;
bunches small, containing few berries ; sweet, musky fla-
vor. A variety of M. floridum^ and not of the R.
aureum, as its name would indicate. It is a very slight
improvement upon the common wild Black Currant,
which may be found in almost any low, moist woods,
9*

210 0MALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

The Mormons claim to have several valuable varietifs nn
tive of the Salt Lake region, hut whether they will prove
valuable or worthy of being extensively cultivated is very
uncertain. There is one thing quite certain, and that is
that we have native species that possess qualities equal, if
not superior, to those found in any other country, and
equally susceptible of improvement.

FOREIGN VARIETIES.

Before proceeding to describe the different kinds, I wili
give a brief synopsis of the difficulties that I have met in
endeavoring to ascertain which were distinct varieties.

It is well known that plants of similar kinds often be-
come intermingled through the carelessness of workmen.
Sometimes packages will become broken while being
transported from one portion of the country to another,
and several kinds become mixed together. Thus it will
be seen that mixed varieties become very common from
accidental causes.

Twenty-five years ago I commenced collecting the vari-
ous kinds of Currants with the express purpose of ascer-
taining their true merits, and to determine which were
really distinct varieties.

To do this has cost me infinitely more labor and
money tlian I shall be likely to receive from the proceeds
of this volume, and still I fear that the results will be less
satisfactory to the public than any other portion of the
work.

I have not depended upon varieties obtained from anj
one source, either in Europe or America, but have gath-
ered them from the best nurseries of France, Prussia,
Germany, England, Ireland, and the United States.

In the prosecution of my labors and researches, I have
had the good fortune to be able to avail myself of the in-
valuable experience and extensive collection of Mr. ChskS.
Downing. His experience extends over a period ot more

CURRANT.

211

than fifty years, and when, a few years since, I mformed
him of my purpose of writing this book, and requested
his assistance particularly upon the Currant and Rasp-
berry, he cheerfully took hold of the work, and in addi-
tion to his then very complete collection, he sent to the
different growers of Europe and of this country for speci-
mens of all the new, as well as old varieties. Not depend-
ing upon one importation, he has obtained a new set almost
every year, and by keej^ing them separate, we have had
an opportunity of determining which were really distinct
varieties. For a number of years we have met, at the
time the fruit was ripe, and gone over the entire collec-
tion, carefully comparing them, and the following list is
the result :

Fig. 9a,— LEAF OF ATTRACTOR.

Attractor. — Large, yellowish-white ; bunch medium,
loose. A slow grower, but quite productive. Not equal

212

SMALL FKUIT CULTURIST.

to the White Dutch m flavor. The leaves are small and

deeply lobed or toothed, as shown in figure 92. From

France.

Buist's Lonia^-Blinched Red. — Large, deep red, of similar

flavor as the Red Dutch ; leaves large and very thick ;

serratures sharp - pointed ; a
strong and vigorous grower, and
very productive. Originated
with Ti. Buist, Philadelphia, Pa.
Champagne. {Pheasant's Eye ^

Fi"-. 93. — CHERRY CURRANT.

Fic:. 94. — CHERRT CURRANT.

GrosselUer a Fruit coideur de chair.) — Large, j^ale pink
or flesh color, quite acid, and not rich flavored ; bunches
medium, loose, slightly tapering ; vigorous and produc-
tive. Much admired for the pretty appearance of its
fruit. Rijjens late.

Cherry. [Imperial Honge^ or Hed Imperial., large Red
Anger «, la Caitcase^ Fertile d' Angers of Lerog, Irish
Grape^ Macrocarpa^ Napoleon Bed.) — Yery large, dar^

CURRANT. 215

red, acid, not rich, only second rate ; Lunch variable, from
short to quite long, scarcely tapering, figure 87, and figure
88 showing the variations on the same i)lant ; leaves largCj
deep green, bluntly lobed, thick and tough ; very distinct
from the Red Dutch and its varieties. Plant a coarse
grower, the young shoots being very strong and stocky
very productive, but the old branches becoming naked,
often produce two or three crops. The largest Red Cur«
rant in cultivation, and commands the highest price in
market. Some of the varieties placed as synonyms of
the Cherry were probably raised from seed, but as I have
not been able to discover wherein they difier, I think it
folly to call them by different names.

Versailles.— Very large; bunch, long, and slightly
tapering ; dark red, acid, and by many it is considered to
be a better flavored variety than the Cherry, but by others
very similar, if not identical.

The principal points of distinction claimed are, that the
Versailles is not so acid as the Cherry, and that the bunches
are more tapering. But like variations may be observed in
other well known varieties, and upon plants growing in
close proximity. At one time, I thought that there was
a difference in the growth and foliage of the two kinds,
but more experience has not confirmed me in this opinion.

Although I am not ready to say positiv^ely that there is
no distinct variety to which the name of Versailles be-
longs, still I have not as yet been able to obtain one in
which really distinct and permanent variations can be dis.
covered.

Since writing the above, thirteen years ago, I have con-
tinued my investigation in regard to the identity of these
two varieties of the Currant, without making any dis*
coveries which throw light upon the subject. I have
noticed, however, that several European authorities have
declared the Versailles to be identical with the Cherry, a
conclusion which I arrived at some fifteen years ago.

214

SMALL FRUIT OULTURIST.

Dana's White. — After various attempts to procure a

White Currant under this name distinct from the White

Grape, I at last procured a few plants from Mr. Dana,

but with no better success, as all proved to be the same.

Fertile de Palluau. — Large, and of same color as Red

Dutch, but not so juicy or good.
A strong and vigorous grower, and
very productive. The leaves re-
semble the Red Dutch, but are
larger. Figure 95.

Gondouin Red. — Berry and
bunch medium size ; fruit light red,
of rather poor flavor ; fohage large,
coarse, light green ; serratures of
leaf sharp, coarsely veined, upper
surface slightly wavy. A very vig-
orous grower, and may prove to
be the Red Provence.

Gondouin White. — I have been
unable to obtain a distinct variety
under this name. White Grape be-
ing the one usually received.

Gloire des Sablons. — Fruit and

bunch small, white, distinctly strip-
ed with red, acid, poor flavor; of
no value, except as a curiosity;
plant a strong, upright and vigor-
ous grower, not very productive.

Gros Rouge d'Angers. {Large
Red Angers.^ — See Cherry.

Holland Long Grape. — ^The one
received from L. Leroy, of France, is the Victoria, and
one from Andre Leroy, the Red Provence.

Imperial Yellow. {ImperiaUaune, White Imperial.)
' — Identical with the White Grape, with perhaps a sUght

Fij^. 95. — FERTILE DE
PALLUAU.

difference in the growth of the plant It appears to be a
more stocky and upright grower, at least while young
Imperial Rous^e. — See Cherry Currant.

Knight's Lar^e Red. — Yery similar to, if not identical
with, the Red Dutch.

Knight's Early Red. — Same as the last, and no earlier.

Knight's Sweet Red. — Large, very dark red; bunch
long, tapering; similar in quality to the Red Dutch, but
apparently not quite so acid ; growth vigorous, upright
leaves dark green, of medium size, thick and coarsely ser-
rate. The general appearance of the plant distinct from
the Red Dutch. Moderately productive. This may have
been received under the wrong name, and perhaps it is
the Knight's Large Red, which. Rivers says, is a valuable
variety.

La Hative. {JOa JEfative de Bertin^ La Fertile.) — I am
not certain which of the above names should be placed
first, although the varieties received under each have all
proved to be the same. Evidently nearly related to the
Cherry Currant, as the general appearance of the plant
resembles it very much, but of a less vigorous growth.
Color of fruit and form of bunch same as Cherry, but
only about two-thirds the size ; ripens a few days earlier,
and is not quite so acid, yet too much so to be called good ;
productive.

Prince Albert. — Large, light red, sometimes slightly
striped with dark red ; bunch medium, tapering ; rather
acid, firm, of inferior quality, moderately vigorous, up
right ; leaves small ; lobes long, pointed, sharply serrate
very productive.

Red Dutch . {Large Red Dutch^ Isfew RedLutch^ Long
Bunched Red, Morgan's Red, Grossellier Rouge a Grossi
Fruit.) — Large, deep red ; bunches long, tapering, rich,
juicy, good. One of the best. A vigorous, erect grower
and very productive. Well known.

316

SMALL FRUIT CULTtJRIST.

i

»>

Red Grape. — Large, dark red ; bunch compact, long,
slightly tapering ; foliage medium, not shining, as with
Red Dutch ; moderately vigorous, and of a rather stocky
growth.

Red Provence. — Small, dark red ; bunches long; very
acid, liable to rot before rij^ening,
quite late, altogether inferior ; the
young shoots red. A very ram-
pant, coarse grower.

Striped Fruited. ( Grosse Weiss-
und Hothgestreifte Johannisheere.)
■ — An old variety, with fruit same as
Gloire des Sablons, but the plant
a short, stocky grower ; the termi-
nal buds on the young shoots quite
conspicuous. Of no value.

Transparent White. — Claimed
to be a seedling of White Grape,
but, if so, it has assumed all the
characteristics of its parent, and I
am unable to see any difference.

Versailles. — See page 205.

Victoria. — {May's Victoria,
Houghton Castle^ Raby Castle,
Goliath, Wilmofs Red Grape, and
Red Grape of some nurseries.) —
Large, light, bright red ; bunch
(figure 96) very long, often six or
seven inches, tapering ; sprightly
acid, good flavor; leaves medium,
rather thin ; lobes long ; serratures
rounded, or with a short point ;
young branches rather slender, although vigorous, spread-
ing ; very productive. A valuable variety for home use.

Fiff. 96. — VICTORIA.

CURRANT.

21:

^

White Grape. {White Antwerp, White Transparent.)
— ^Large, yellowish-white, transparent ; bunch medium,
slightly tapering (fig. 9T) ; juicy,
sw^eet, rich ; the best White
Currant ; moderately vigorous,
slender, spreading habit ; leaves
medium size, sharply serrate,
with a grayish green color, not
shining ; very productive.

White Dutch. ( White CUn-
ton. New White Dutch, Clarke's
Sv:eet, White Crystal, Reeves'
White, Morgan's White, White
Leghorn, White Transparent,
White Holland, White Pearl.)
— Large, yellowish-white, but
quite transparent ; bunches a
little shorter than the Red Dutch,
and berries larger, sweet, rich
and good ; a vigorous, upright
groAver, and very productive.

White Provence. — Very
large, yellowish-whife ; bunch
rather short, tapering. About
the same in quality as the White Dutch, but not quite
equal to White Grape. The most vigorous of all the
White varieties, evidently of the W^hite Dutch class.
Leaves large, thick, more or less edged with white, as
shown in figure 98 ; productive, but not equally so with
the White Grape.

Fis:. OV. — WHITE GRAPE.

BLACK CURRANTS.

(Hibes nigrum.)

Blacli Eni^lish, {Common Black, Bang-up Blacky
Cassis a Fruit noir.)

Large, black, but few in a cluster.

218

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Well known, and but little cultivated at the present time,
having been superseded by the following :

Black Naples. ( Cassis Royal of Waples.) — Very large,
often three-fourths of an inch in diameter, black, sweet,
but of musky flavor ; clusters are medium, tapering, loose j

Fig. 98. — LEAF OF WHITE PROVENCE.

very vigorous grower, and productive, when the plants
have attained considerable age and size ; leaves, stems and
fruit have a rank and musky scent, which is very disa-
greeable to many, but to others delightful

Black Grape. {Ogden's Black 6?mi)e.)— Fruit sam«

CURRANT. 210

as Black Naples, but the bush is more stocky, and not so
tall a grower. A marked difference may be observed in
the hight of the plants when growing in adjoining rows.

Brown Fruited. {Green Fruited^ Russian Green.) —
A variety of the Black English, with greenish-brown
fruit ; berries hard, dry, and rank flavored. Not worth
^'Cultivating.

Lee's Prolific. — A new sort, of great promise. Berries
large, in compact clusters ; very similar in quality to the
Black Naples, but the plants far more productive.

PROFITS OF CULTURE, USES, &0.

Currants are not, as a general thing, consumed in aa
large quantities as some other kinds of our small fruity.
Still there is scarcely a garden, however small, in city or
country, in which a few Currant bushes are not cultivated.

The extreme acidity of our more common varieties is
probably one reason why larger quantities of them itq, not
used in their natural state. Currant jelly is one of the in-
dispensable conseiwes of which no good housekeeper neg-
lects to lay by a store at the proper time, but it has not
been known as an article of commerce until within a very
recent period.

Our markets, as a general rule, have been very well sup-
plied, and often the price obtained for Currants has been
far below a profitable point. But of late years, since our
great fruit-preserving establishments have been started, the
demand has increased, and the supply is falling behind.
Here let me mention a fact which, I fear, some of our
fruit growers, as well as others, do not fully understand,
and it may also explain why the prices of certain kinds of
fruit appear to Incre&ise in exact ratio to the supply. It
IS thic ; Wheii the proprietors of one of these large es'
tabliMiments can go into market and purchase fifty thous*
ftuti baskets of Strawberries, Raspberries, or other simi'^r

220 SMALL FEUtr CtJLTUEIST.

fruits, lie can afford to make a specialty of that one kind
for one, two or more days, engaging the entire appaiatus
and force of his establishment upon it ; but, if only a few
hundred baskets can be obtained at any one time, then it
will not pay him to attempt to preserve any. Thus it
will be seen that we may supply or glut a market with a
few hundred baskets or pounds of a particular kind;
when, if the supply was thousands of baskets, or tons in-
Ptead, there would soon be a scarcity. Just as soon as it
is known that any good kind of fruit can be had in abun
dance, there will be means found for disposing of it, and
usually at a better price than when there is a compara-
tive scarcity. Capital is usually drawn into channels
where it can be employed continuously as well as profita-
bly. Gail Borden's process for condensing milk has been
successfully applied to the juice of the Currant, and a
similar substance to the common jelly manufactured with-
out sugar, and at less than half the cost. In the con-
densed form, Currant juice may be transported to any por-
tion of the globe, and become an article of commerce.
When water is added, it again becomes a liquid — valuable
for medicinal purposes, as well as a luxury. Vessels start-
ing upon long voyages would do well to lay in a supply
of this article, for there are many diseases which are more
or less prevalent on ship-board, particularly when in tropi-
cal climates, in which a free use of Currant juice would be,
at least, beneficial to the patient, if not a curative.

The red Currants are more generally used for making
jellies than the white, but v/hy, it would be difficult to
telL Perhaps it is like many other anomalies we observe
in market, the cause of which can only be attributed to a
more general acquaintance with the kind, or to an attrac-
tive color. The white Currants, as a class, are of a richer
flavor and less acid than the Red.

The Black Currants are not so acid as the red and
white varieties, but their strong nmsky flavor is not, as t

OCTRRANT, 221

rule, agreeable to the American taste; yet, like many
other fruits of strong flavor, it gradually becomes less ob-
jectionable, until at last, through familiarity, a taste for it
is acquired^ and then it is appreciated and valued as highly
AS any other. Every year there appears to be an increaa-
mg demand for the Black Currants, and the time will soon
come, if it has not already arrived, when they will com-
mand full pric( s and be sold in large quantities. Currant
wine made from the different kinds is a well known article
but whether its manufacture should be encourasfed, or
Otherwise, I will leave to the temperance societies to de-
cide. The price of Currants in our eastern markets varies
from four to fifteen cents per pound ; usually the largest
and best varieties will bring ten cents at wholesale. At
the last named price, fbur to six hundred dollars per acre
can be obtained.

In planting the common red and white kinds, four feet
each way is sufficient, thus giving 2,722 plants per acre.
If we estimate our crop at two pounds per plant, which is
not one-half the amount they should produce when fully
grown, we will get 5,444 pounds per acre, or over two
tons and a half, and at two hundred dollars per ton it
amounts to over five hundred dollars. Then we have the
gathering, shipping, cultivation, and other incidental ex-
penses to deduct therefrom. But even then it can be seen
that it will be a very profitable crop. In case of great
abundance the prices might be somewhat reduced, but by
good cultivation the crop may be double the estimate
given above.

The Currant possesses many good qualities to recom-
mend it ; among which are its perfect hardiness, early cul-
ture, great productiveness, and almost the certainty of a
full crop every year

CHAPTER Vn.

GOOSEBERRY.

NATURAL FAMILY GROSSULACE^ffl.

iBSies Orwgularia., of Botaniste ; Eibes TToa Crispa, of Linnaeus ; GrotsstHtr, ol
&e French ; Stachelbeere-stranch, German ; Uva-spina, Italian ; GrosseBa, Spaniah ;
Kruisbes, of tlie Dutcli.]

GENERAL CHARACTER.

Low, deciduous shrubs ; stems mostly beai'ing thorns
at the base of the leaf-stalks, in some the spines or prickles
scattered, usually more abundant at the base of the
stems than above ; leaves alternate, palmately lobed ;
fruit a one-celled berry, produced in small clusters, smooth
or prickly.

SPECIES.

The following are indigenous to the United States, a<v
oording to Dr. Gray and Chapman.

Ribes Cynosbati. — Wild Gooseberry. — Leaves pubes-
cent; peduncles slender, two to three flowered; spinea
strong ; berry large, armed with long prickles, like a burr,
'•arely smooth.

R* hirtcllnnit — Smooth Gooseberry. — Leaves somewhat
pubescent beneath ; peduncles very short, one to twQ

GOOSEBERRY. 223

flowered ; stems either smooth or prickly, and with verj
short thorns. Common in all the N'orthern States. The
well known Houghton's Seedling, of the nurseries, belongs
to this species.

R. rotundifolium. — ^Leaves nearly smooth, rounded, with
very short and blunt lobes; peduncles slender, one to
three flowered ; fruit smooth, pleasant flavored.

R. lacustre. — Swamp Gooseberry. — Young stems with
bristly prickles and weak thorns ; leaves heart-shaped,
three to five-pointed, wdth lobes deeply cut ; fruit bristly.
Cold woods and swamps from New England to the West
and northward.

R* gracile* — Axillary spine very short ; leaves on a
slender petiole, pubescent on both sides ; the lobes acute,
incised and acutely toothed ; peduncles long, one to two
flowered. Mountains of Tennessee ; (Chapman in Flora
of the Southern States.)

There are several other species, or those described as
such, but as we have no cultivated varieties of them, it is
hardly necessary to give a full description. The following
are but a portion of those known :

R. oxycanthoides. — Native of Canada and Newfound
land, and to the northward.

R. diyaricatum. — Branches divaricate, bristly or naked ;
berries black, smooth. Native of Northwest coast of
America.

R« microphyllum. — Small Leaved Gooseberry. — Native
of the mountains of Mexico. Flowers red.

R. cuneifolium. — Berry pale red, resembles the H, Uva
Grispa. Native of Peru, on the Andes.

FOREIGN SPECIES.

R. Grossularia. ( ZTva Crispa, L.) — Leaves three to
five-lobed, rather villous ; prickles two or three under
eftch bud ; branches otherwise smooth, spreading or erect

224 SMALT. FRurr cultusist.

berries smooth or covered with prickles, red, green or yel
low. Native of the whole of ISTorthern Europe, and in
the woods of Britain. This species is the parent of all
(he noted varieties of the English gardens.

Other species are known, but not possessing merits
superior to the above, no attempt has been made to im-
prove them. The native species of America are really
superior to the R. Grossularia in its normal state. But in
England great attention has been paid to the cultivation
and improvement of this fruit, consequently varieties of
great size, beauty and excellence have been the result.

fflSTORY.

The Gooseberry has no separate history from the Cur-
rant. It was, as we have before stated, not known as a
cultivated fruit until within the last two or three hundred
years. Parkinson, in 1640, mentions eight varieties, but
the varieties increased so rapidly in the next hundred
years, that Miller, in 1731, said that it was needless to un-
dertake to enumerate them.

If this was true in the days of Miller, it is certainly so
at the present time, because varieties have been constantly
increasing ever since, until some of the English nursery-
men enumerate three hundred kinds in tlwr catalogues.

In this country very little attention has been paid to
the Gooseberry, and the list of kinds grown from native
species is very small, which is very much to be regretted,
inasmuch as the European sorts do not, as a general thing
iucceed in America.

PROPAGATION.

The same methods recommended for the Currant, with
one or two exceptions, are equally applicable to the
Gooseberry.

GOOSEBEBRY. 225

As a general thing, it does not ripen its wood so early
in the season as the Currant, and the planting of the cut*
tings may be deferred until spring.

They are, however, more certain, if made in the fall after
the leaves have fallen, or when the young wood is fully
mature, than if the operation is deferred until spring.

The cuttings may be buried either in the open ground
or cellar, being careful not to allow them to become dry
and shrivelled or too wet. Growing from seed cannot be
too highly recommended at the present time, because we
are in great want of varieties suited to our climate, and it
is scarcely to be expected that we shall obtain them in
any other way than by growing seedlings from our native
species.

We have plenty of varieties which were produced from
the seeds of foreign kinds, but they are neither superior
in quality or size, nor any better suited to our climate
than the originals^

Native varieties from native species is the field in which
to labor for making permanent progroes, and the general
success of the few vaiieties that have been produced, shows
the truth of this assertion.

PRUNING AND TRAINING.

The single stem system is probably the best one for
training the Gooseberry. The fruit is produced on short
Bpurs on the two and three years old wood, as well as on
that of the preceding year, and the directions given for the
Currant are applicable to the Godseberry. If but little
fruit is desired, and that of large size, then prune close, and
leave but few branches, and the opposite course may be
followed for a large crop. The Gooseberry should be train-
ed with a very open head, more so than the Currant, be-
cause if the air does not have free access to every portion
of the plant, mildew is ahuost certain to destroy not only
the fruit, but the inside branches, if not the whole plant.
10

22Q BMALL FBUIT CULTUGIST.

A proper distribution of the branches should be obserr*
ed, and be so arranged that they shall be at regular di*
tances from each other. Then all little side shoots, that
may appear in summer, should be pruned off. The young
ghoots should be annually shortened, but to what extent
will depend somewhat upon the amount of growth the
plants have made, as well as upon the quantity and quality
of fruit desired. Summer pruning, except to take out
small weak shoots or to check the rampant growth of a
particular branch which is attracting too much of the
strength of the plant, is not beneficial, inasmuch as it of^
ten causes young, weak, lateral shoots to be produced,
which often fail to come to maturity.

The Gooseberry may be trained as espaliers, or with a
single stem and side spurs, or in almost any manner that
one's fancy may suggest.

The regular annual pruning may be performed at any
time after the wood is fully matured in the fall, until the
buds swell in the spring.

SOIL AND CULTURE.

The Gooseberry likes a good, deep, moist soil, but one
that is not really wet. A rich soil is also essential, be-
cause it is only by keeping up a vigorous growth that
large fruit and abundant crops can be secured. An open,
airy situation is better than one that is confined, and in
many sections of the country the north side of a hill
would be far preferable to a southern exposure. The ex-
treme heat of our summer has been the greatest impedi-
ment to the successful cultivation of the English Goose-
berries, and to counteract this, the coolest available situa-
tion should be selected. Also, in enriching the ground,
use no fermenting manure ; apply none but tliat which is
old and well rotted. Cow manure is far belter than horse
manure, particularly on light, warm soils. Mulching the
plants in summer is very beneficial, and if tan bark of

GOOSEBEKET. 227

spent hops from a brewery can be obtained, tbey should
be used in preference to hay or straw. Good culture ia
required to produce good crops, the same as with other
fruits.

Mildew. — This is the one great enemy to the Goose-
berry in the United States. It not only attacks the fruit,
but often extends over the whole plant, effectually check-
ing its growth.

So prevalent has this disease become, that the foreign
varieties are almost universally discarded, as there are few
locations where they will succeed.

There are many remedies which have been from time
to time recommended, and they often appear to be effectual,
while in other instances they are of no use whatever.

The following remedies against mildew are worth try-
ing, although they cannot be called radical cures :

Scatter flour of sulphur over the bushes soon after
the berries have set, and repeat the application occasion-
ally until the fruit is ripe.

Water the plants with strong soap-suds, or dissolve one
pound of potash in a barrel of water, and then sprinkle
the plants once a week with it.

Soak fresh mown or dry hay in brine for twelve hours ;
then cover the entire surface of the soil about the plant8
with this, as a mulch. If hops, tan bark, or other mulch
has previously been applied, then sprinkle it with salt ; a
single handful to each plant will be sufficient.

All of these remedies will often fail, but still they are
worth trying. Old plants are more liable to suffer from
mildew than young ones, therefore it is best to keep a
supply of fresh plants always on hand; in fact, so long as
you can keep the plant growing vigorously, there is but
little danger from mildew.

I have often seen the foreign varieties doing splendidly
)in a half shady situation, such as the north side of a wall
or fence, or in the shade of trees ; but such a situation

228 bAlALL FRUIT OULTFRIRT.

cannot be recommended as the best, because mildew doe«
destroy plants under just such circumstances. No effec-
tual remedy can be given, nor the best location pointed out,
because the experiences of different cultivators are so con-
flicting, that the one which appears to be the best in one
location, would seem to be the very poorest for anotlier,
WTierever the foreign kinds will grow without being at*
tacked by mildew, they are certainly far preferable to any
of our native ones ; but my own remedy against mildew
18, to cultivate none but the native varieties, for with these
I have never experienced the least trouble, nor as yet had
a berry affected by disease of any kind.

INSECTS.

The Gooseberry and Currant are so nearly related, that
Diany of the injurious insects are common to both. The
Currant-moth, (Abraxis^) is equally destructive to the
Gooseberry, while the Currant-borer seldom, if ever, at-
tacks it. Harris, Fitch, and other entomologists, describe
quite a number of insects that are occasionally found upon
the Gooseberry, but thus far their ravages in this country
have not been very extensive. The following are occa-
sionally met, and if they should become numerous, would,
at the same time, become very injurious:

Lecanium Cynosbati. — Gooseberry Bark-louse. —
{Fitch,) — Attacking the stalks of the wild Gooseberry; a
hemispheric, smooth, shining resin-brown reale, commonly
freckled with dull yellow dots, and with a dull yellow
stripe along its middle. Remedy, close pruning, and an
application of potash dissolved in water; one pound to
eight gallons of water.

Paeciloptcra pruinosa — Mealy Flata — (Saij.) — A small
four- winged Ily, of a dark bluish color, covered with a
mealy white powder, which attacks the leaves late in the
season, puncturing the leaves and young shoots, sucking
the juices of the plant.

GOOSEBERET 22 &

Probably, dusting the plants with ashes or lime would
ilestroy them, or at least prevent their attacks.

Cecidomyia Grossulariae — Gooseberry Midge — (Mtch.)
— "The berries turning red prematurely and becoming
putrid, having in them small, bright yellow maggots, of
an oblong-oval form, and slightly divided into segments
by fine impressed transverse lines ; changing to pupae in the
berries, and in the Intter part of July giving out a small
two-winged fly, resembling a musquito, of beeswax yellow
color." The berries should be gathered so soon as they
show signs of premature ripening, and fed to hogs, or
otherwise destroyed.

In addition to the above, and the various insects in-
jurious to the Currant and Gooseberry, there are several
others which occasionally do some harm, either to the
leaves or fruit. There is a minute moth which breeds in
the fruit, the caterpillar eating out the center of the berry.
In wet seasons a species of Plant-Louse (ApJiis ribis)
infests the Ked Currant, but does not attack the black
varieties, or the Gooseberry, but none of these are very
destructive, and the cultivator can usually get rid of
them by the use of the simple insecticides usually at
hand. Those who are familiar with the habits of insects
can do much by removing the eggs, often laid in clus-
ters, and destroying them before they hatch, and the
trood is scattered.

PROFITS OF CULTURE.

There is far less demand for the Gooseberry than almost
any other of our small fruits. It is generally gathered
before it is ripe, and sold for making pies, tarts, etc., con-
sequently, the demand for it is not so great as for other
fruits, which are used for a greater variety of purposes.

In the New York markets, the price varies trom one to
three, or four dollars per bushel But whether the dv

230 sMAix FExnr culturist.

mand would warrant a very extended culture, is uncertain,
at least. Each cultivator will have to be his own judge in
the matter, and if he can be sure of obtaining two dollars
per bushel, he can make Gooseberry culture profitable, at
least with the native varieties. Two to four hundred
bushels per acre can be grown of these kinds, and the
«ost of culture, gathering, marketing, etc., ought not to
be over fifty cents per bushel. I have grown the
Houghton Seedling, (which I do not consider the best or
most profitable,) and sold the fruit for one dollar and fifty
cents per bushel, and believe it was a profitable transac-
tion.

NATIVE VARIETIES.

Cluster. — {American Hed, Dutch Joe, Pale Red, St
Clair, Hoberts^ Sweet Water, etc.) — Small, oval, about
three-fourths of an inch long; reddish purple; sweet,
juicy, and good. Bush, a strong, slender grower ; leaves
light, bright green ; very productive.

Cluster Seedling.— Similar to its parent, but slightly
more upright in growth, and the leaves of a pale grayish-
green.

DoWBlng. — Medium to Inrge, oval, about f of an inch
long ; greenish-white ; excellent flavor. Plant, an upright
grower ; leaves deep shining green ; very productive ;
probably the best native variety.

Originated with Charles Downing, New burgh, N". Y.

Houghton's Seedling. — Fruit small to medium, round-
ish-oval, pale red, sweet, tender, and very good ; leaves
deep shining green. The young plants upright in growth,
but as they become old they assume a spreading, almost
weeping habit. A vigorous and productive variety, and
is seldom affected by mildew. Originated with Abel
Houghton, Lynn, Mass.

Mountain Seedling. — Large, roundish-oval, pale red ;
»kin rather tough and thick, but of fair quality. The

GOOSBBBBBT. 231

largest of the native varieties ; often over an inch in length.
Plant a coarse, spreading grower, with very strong spinea.
Productive and valuable.

Originated with the Shakers, at Lebanon, Pa.

FOREIGN VARIETIES.

To attempt to give a list of the best foreign varieties,
would be the hight of folly on my part, inasmuch as tliere
is no dozen or more sorts upon which any two of the
most experienced English growers would agree.

The number of really first class varieties known in
England is almost innumerable, and a host of new ones
are brought forward every season. To give some idea of
the attention which is paid to the culture of this fruit in
England, I will state that the Annual Gooseberry Grow-
ers' Register, for 1863, is a volume of over 200 pages, and
gives reports of one hundred and fifty-five Gooseberry
shows.

When the horticulturists of the United States will sup-
port as many exhibitions for the purpose of showing any
one or all the small fruits combined, then we shall have
no need of looking to other countries for new varieties.

Among the old varieties which have been known in this
country for twenty to forty years, and are still esteemed
as good as any, I will name the following ;

Red. — ^Ironmonger, Warrington, Red Champagne, Red
Walnut.

GfiEEN. — Green Walnut, Green Globe, Green Gage,
White Smith.

Yellow. — Golden Drop, Sulphur, Conqueror, Yellow
Champagne, Hunt's, Tawny, Royal Sovereign.

Whipe. — Large Crystal, Royal George, White Dutch,
White Walnut

232 8MAJX FRUTT CUXTITRLST.

Among the very newest and !ar2jest varieties which
have taken premiums at the great Gooseberry shows in
England, I give the following twelve a^ the heaviest nam-
ed in this record :

Red. — Leicester's Smoker, Brotherton's Foreman, Pilk-
inton's Farmer.

Green. — Prophet's Diadem, Becket's Bravo, Brother
ton's Birchen Lane.

Yellow. — Wilkinson's Oyster Girl, Eardlay's Hannah.

WerrE. — Shingler's Edna, Mss Soars, Walton's Annie.

The heaviest berry weighed 29 dwt. 12 grs. ; and the
liorhtest 16 dwt. 2 o;rs.

But to produce berries of the weights given requires
extra care, more than probably any of our cultivators
would be likely to give to the Gooseberry, even if our
climate was as suitable to its culture as that of England.

CHAPTER Vm.

CORNELIAN CHEERYMCornub )
Natural Family Cornacele. — (Dogwood or Cornel.)

[Name derived from Comu, a horn, alluding to the hardness of the wood. Il
J'rench, ComouiHer : Dutch, Kornoelje ; German, Komd Kirsche ; Italian, 0(wjf-
mJo; Spanish, Ck/ni^o.]

GENERAL CHARACTERS.

The species constituting this genus are mainly deciduous
shrubs or small trees. Flowers small, inconspicuous, but
in some species they are surrounded by .a large and showy
involucre, which is sometimes called the flower, as in one
of our native species, ( Car?ius jlorida). There is but one
known species which produces fruit worthy of our atten-
tion.

CornilS mascula. — Cornelian Cherry. — Shrubs growing
ten to twenty feet high, with smooth branches; leaves
v)\al, acuminate, of a dull green color; flowers small, yel-
low, in clusters, produced early in spring, before the leaves ;
fruit oblong, about one inch in length and half an inch in
diameter ; color bright reddish-scarlet ; flesh firm, slightly
juicy when ripe, acid, not particularly agreeable in its raw
state ; fruit ripens in September, but remains a long tiiii«
on the bush, which makes it exceedingly ornamental.

2U

SMAT.L FEtJlT CULTUPJST.

A variety of this species produces fruit of a bright yeL
low color. The fruit is a little larger than the red, and not
quite so acid.

HISTOKT.

The Cornel, as it is generally called in our older works
on gardening, is a native of the South of Europe and

Fisr. 99. — COKNELIAN CHERRY.

Eastern Asia. It is mentioned by nearly all of the ancient
writers. Sometimes the fruit is named, while others praise
the quality of the wood, which is very hard. That it was
formerly used for arrows and javelins, we infer from the

CORNELIAN CHEEBY. 2

frequent allusions made to it in connection with imple-
ments of war. Homer, in the Odyssey, Book xiv, says :

" His cornel spear,
Ulysses waved to rouse the savage war."

It is also mentioned in a similar connection in Virgil's
Georgics,

Theophrastus and Pliny are supposed to refer to it when
speaking of some of the hard kinds of wood growing wild
in Italy. But these writers are generally so vague in their
descriptions, that it is difficult to determine what particular
trees or plants they were endeavoring to describe.

Nearly every English author, from Tusser, who, in his
work written in 1557, called them Cornel Plums, down
to the present time, have mentioned the Cornel. Some
eulogize the beauty as well as quality of the fruit, while
others refer to it as merely an ornamental plant. The
name Mascula or Mas was given it from the fact that
plants grown from seed produce only staminate or male
flowers for the first ten to fifteen years ; afterwards flowers
of both sexes appear, loUowed by fruit. It appears to
have derived the name of Dogwood from a wild species
found in Britain, which bears a small fruit, not edible.
Parkinson says this wild species was called hounds-tree,
(dog-berry tree,) because the fruit was not fit for the dogs ;
hence the name Dogwood, which has become the common
name of the whole genus. The Cornelian Cherry is not
very plentiful in the United States, although nearly every
nurseryman keeps the plants for sale. The long time
which it requires to bring seedling plants into bearing, has
been one reason why we see so few in private gardens.

In the older nurseries and gardens near our eastern
cities, bearing plants are frequently seen, but they are not
so common as their merits deserve.

The plants live to a great age, and there are specimens
in Europe, which are known to have been planted mor€
than two hundi*ed years.

236 SMALL FRUIT CtJLTUBlST.

PROPAGATION.

By Seeds. — ^Plants are more generally grown from seed
than otherwise ; consequently, for reasons previously stated,
ihey are a long time coming into bearing. The fruit
should be gathered in the fall, and the seeds separated
from the pulp ; then mixed with earth, and buried where
they will keep moist, and not be disturbed until the ensu-
ing autumn. They will seldom, if ever, germinate the
first season ; consequently there is no use of sowing them
where it is desirable to have them grow, and be obliged to
cultivate the ground where there are no plants. When
the seeds have remained one season in the rot-heap, (to use
a gardener's phrase,) take them out and sow in drills, plac-
ing the seeds two or three inches apart, and cover two
inches deep. The seedlings produce a mass of small
fibrous roots, and can be raj^idly transplanted in spring or
autumn. If bearing plants are at hand, from which buds
or grafts can be obtained, then it is better to une the seed-
lings as stock. In this case, they should be transplanted
from the seed-beds into rows four feet apart, } 'lacing the
plants about a foot apart in the rows. The seefJhngs will
usually be large enough to work the third year.

Cuttings. — These should be made of the one year old
wood, and in the same manner as described in the preceding
chapter for the Barberry. The cuttings do not root very
freely, and to insure even moderate success, tho ground
should be kept very moist during the early part of the
season, or until roots are produced. A deep, moist soil is
requisite, and if covered with mulch, so much the better.

Layers. — This is the most common mode of propaga^
ing from bearing plants. Put down the layers in early
spring, cutting them as usual with woody plants, an'l they
will generally be sufficiently rooted to be removed from
the parent plant in autumn.

Layers do not usually make as handsome plaot* w b*^

COBNELIAN CHEEET. 237

lings ; still they are preferable, because they will produce
fruit when quite young.

Budding. — This operation should be performed, in the
usual manner, so soon as good, well dev^eloped buds are to
be obtained from the young wood of the present season's
growth.

Grafting. — This should be done in the spring, just be-
fore the leaves start, and upon young stocks, such as seed-
lings of two to four years old ; the whip or splice graft is
preferable to the wedge.

CULTIVATION.

There is no particular skill required in cultivating the
Cornelian Cherry, as the plant is far from being a delicate
one. It will grow in almost any good, garden soiL In
England, it is said to prefer a calcareous one, but the larg-
est and best plants, with which I am acquainted, are in a
compact loam, approaching a clay. An open, but some-
what sheltered situation is preferable on account of the
plant blooming so very early ; the flowers are often de-
stroyed by spring frosts, unless protected, or where there
is just sufficient circulation of air to prevent freezing. A
strong, direct current of air will often blast the flowers,
when the same degree of cold would not injure them if
the air was still, or only moved by a gentle breeze.

VARIETIES.

There are, it is said, other edible varieties besides the
two which I have named, but I have no personal knowl-
edge of their merits. There is a variegated leaved variety
which I have cultivated for several years, but up to the
present time it has produced no fruit.

Uses. — In former times, when better fruit was scarce,
Cornels were used for various conserves and to mix with

238 SMALL FRUIT CULTUBIST.

apples and pears for making cider. It is doubtful if it
will ever become a popular fruit with us, unless better
varieties that those we now possess are produced. Its
beauty, however, commends it to the attention of every
one who possesses a garden.

Diseases and Insects. — None, or so few as not to ht
wortb namuigi

CRANBERRY. J141

of Cranberry culture, we infer that there were very few
who attempted its cultivation previous to 1835 or 1840.
Since that time there has been a steady increase, until, at
the present time, thousands of acres are devoted to the
culture of this fruit. ISTot only have individuals turned
their attention to it, but companies have been formed
with abundant means to cultivate the Cranberry upon an
extensive scale.

In addition to the benefit derived from having our mar-
kets supplied with the fruit, its culture is a source of na-
tional wealtk, inasmuch as the land devoted to it was
previously uncultivated, neither enriching individiials by
its productions, nor yielding taxes to the State.

Many of our low, boggy wastes, which formerly were
sources of miasmatic diseases, have been changed into
healthful locations and fruitful fields.

PROPAGATION.

To propagate some of our cultivated fruits successfully^
requires more or less skill, but the Cranberry may be said
to propagate itself The plant, as it creeps along over the
ground, throws out innumerable roots, fixing every por-
tion of the prostrate stems to the soil. If these branches
do not root as soon as desired, a little earth thrown over
them will hasten the process.

The plants may be taken up ?*nd planted whole, or be

"vided into small pieces, each of which will soon become

l»^Tong plant. Even the upright stems may be used for

. ings, and when planted in the spring, they will become

. .ted by the next fall,
berr"

rhe small green tijis of the growing branches may be

aken off in summer, and rooted under a bell-glass, or in

ordinary glazed frames.

Cultivators seldom have recourse to seeds for extending

'eir plantations, but they may be planted for the purpose <

producing new varieties as well as multiplying old

U

242 SMALL FBXriT CULTUBI8T.

ones. The seeds should be prepared and kept througl
the winter in the same manner as recommended for the
Huckleberry in a suceeeding chapter.

Sow them in drills and keep free of weeds, eitlier by
hoeing or mulching with saw-dust, or tan-bark, if grown
on dry soils, but if on low grounds, use sand instead.
Transplant into fruiting-beds when one or two years old.

PREPARATION OF SOIL.

Naturally, the common Cranberry is a semi-aquatio
plant, requiring a constant supply of water to ensure its
highest state of perfection. It is usually found in low peat
bogs, where it is often entirely submerged in the winter
months, and the roots are in contact with water during a
greater portion of the year.

While this is the condition in which we usually find the
wild plants, yet, occasionally, they are found upon high and
dry soils. Judging, however, from the position in which
we find the greatest quantities, we conclude that a wet
soil is the most natural one. If we leave the normal con-
dition of the plant out of the question, and base our con-
clusions entirely upon the results of the many experiments
which have been made in the last thirty years, we find
that their cultivation in wet soils has been attended with
the best success and the most remunerative results. It is
not to be assumed that they cannot be grown upon soili?
that are naturally dry, for we have many instances of sue
cess under such circumstances, but, as a whole, the upland
cultivation has not been equally profitable with the low
land. It is not altogether for the purpose of supplying
the plants with moisture that abundance of water is re-
quired, but for other purposes, among which are the fol-
lowing :

First. — Covering the plants in winter, thereby affordiDg
a protection from severe cole}.

CBAJ^BEEEY. 2.1:3

Second— Preventing tbe frost in spring from injuring
the flowers.

Third. — Destroying the Cranberry- worms, which somo
times attack the plants and fruit.

Assuming that these precautionary measures are neces-
Bary to the best results, it follows that a situatir^n should
be selected where the conditions named can be secured.

Another important material, used in preparing Cran-
berry beds, is sand, which is spread over the surface of the
soil.

This not only in a great measure prevents the weeds
from growing until the plants have entirely covered the
beds, but keeps the fruit clean, besides makiug the surface
always open and friable. Sometimes the low peat beds
%Te so rich in nutritive matter, unless sand is used, that the
vines would grow so luxuriant that they would be unpro-
ductive.

In fact, very little alluvial soU is needed, and when the
deposit is a foot in depth, it will be fully equal, if not supe-
rior, to a situation where it is more abundant. In some
sections, they are grown in what appears to be almost
pure sand, there being scarcely a trace of nutritive matter
to be found, the water and the materials held in solution
therein, furnishing the principal portions of food to the
plants.

The first step in preparing a Cranberry bed is usually
that of digging a broad, deep ditch entirely around the
plot, for the purpose of draining off the surface water, so
that the ground may be cleaned. If the soil thrown out
of the ditches is sufficiently compact, it may form the em-
bankments ; if not, then other soil must be added. When
the water has been removed, then clear off all trees, logs,
brush, and other incumbrances; these may be burned on
the ground, and the ashes scattered over the surface, pro-
vided it can be done without endanscerinsj the soil. Some-
(imes, when the soil is very dry, there is danger of its burP'

244 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

ing to Considerable depth. Some cultivators remove all of
the surface soil to the depth of six inches or a foot, and, in
Bome cases, it may be beneficial for the purpose of bringing
the whole bed to a lower grade, but where this is not re»
quisite, and sand is abundant, it is cheaper to spread on a
greater depth of sand and leave the whole depth of nat-
ural soil.

Again, if the peat is deej:) enough so that a portion can
be spared, it should be carted off fur manuring the adja-
cent land, especially if it is of a sandy nature, for there is
no more valuable manure, (barn-yard excepted,) than the
top layer of these peat or muck swarapa. It is always
better to prepare the ground at least one season before
planting, so that all weeds, brush, and. roots, may be thor-
oughly destroyed; because if it is not done at the start, it
will be a difficult operation after the ground is covered
with plants.

Where the soil is sufficiently firm to admit of being
plowed and harrowed, it is best to do so, as by this means
a more thorough preparation can be obtained, and at less
expense than when wholly performed by hand. When
the soil has been made level, and otherwise prepared, it
should be covered with pure sand to the depth of from
four to eight inches, tlie depth being regulated by the
nature of the soil ; if it is very loose, then apply more
than when comparatively compact, as more or- less will
sink into the soil below.

A uniform depth is quite important, and can easily be
obtained, provided the surface is made level before its
application.

The position and texture,of the soil'will suggest the best
mode of application, w^hether by teams or otherwise.

There are many locations where these peat-beds are un-
derlaid with sand, and if the soil is not over one or two
feet deep, and can be sufficiently drained to allow of their
being conveniently worked, they may be tienched, bring

CRANBERRY. 245

mg the required amount of sand to the surface, instead of
hauling it from a distance. The sand should be pure, and
not mixed with clay, loam, or other soil. All of these cir-
cumstances should be taken into consideration when select-
ing a location for Cranberry plantations.

Often one set of embankments, flood-gates, etc., will an-
Bwer for several parties, if they can agree and join together
in the undertaking. The size of the bed is immaterial; it
may be one acre or one hundred, provided it can be mad
level, so that one portion shall not be covered deeper than
another, when flooded. The embankments should be at
least four feet high when first made, for they will settle
some ; besides, it is best to have them a foot or more above
high water mark, to guard against breaks.

If one is in no hurry about planting, and is disposed to
wait, the embankments may be formed and the ground
flooded, and kept in this condition until the weeds, bushes,
etc., upon it, are killed, after which the water may be
withdrawn, and the preparation of the bed continued as be-
fore directed.

COST OF PREPARING THE BEDS.

There can be no reliable estimates given as regards cost
of preparing Cranberry beds, inasmuch as no two will be
situated exactly alike. It will cost as much to remove the
brush, trees, and logs, etc., from one piece of land, as to
fully prepare another for the reception of the plants.

The estimates vary from one hundred to six bundled
dollars per acre.

A thorough preparation will always be found to be the
cheapest in the end.

PLANTING.

The usual time of setting the plants is in the spring, but
where the beds can be kept moist, the operation may be
continued durinoj the entire summer. Sometimes the planta

'o

346 SMA.LL FKurr cuLirnsisT.

aie put out late in the fall, and covered with a snfficicni
depth of water to prevent the ground from freezing and
throwing out the plants. The spring and early summei
are, however, considered the best time for planting. The
plants should be set in rows, from eighteen inches to four
feet apart, according to the quantity and quality of plants
obtained. The object is to cover the entire surface of the
soil with vines, so soon as possible ; consequently, the bet-
ter the plants and the nearer together they are placed, the
sooner will this be accomplished. When large plants are
to be had, and in sufficient quantities, it is better to place
them about two feet apart, each way, than farther, and if
the plants do well, they will entirely cover the beds the
second season. Most of our larger plantations are made
with plants taken directly from the wild beds, and they
are removed in large clumps or sods. If there are any
weeds or grass among the plants, they should be removed
before planting, as they are more readily separated from
them at this time than after they are planted.

Small holes are made in which the plants are set, an^
the soil is then pressed firmly about them. If small plantft
or cuttings are used, they may be planted nearer together
than larger ones.

SELECTION OF PLANTS.

It is important that plants should be obtained jfrom
fruitfiil beds, as well as those which produce the largest
and best fruit. There are occasional wild beds that pro-
duce little or no fruit; these should be avoided. When
plants cannot be obtained near by, from wild or cultivated
beds, then they may be bought from those whose business
is growing plants for sale. But the purchaser should en-
deavor to inform himself in regard to the reliability of
plant growers before ordering ; besides he should give im-
perative directions that the plants should be carefully taken
ap and not be allowed to become dry before packing, ai

CRLsvEnnr, 247

well as that the latter operation should be performed ifc
♦he best manner. A very little extra expense in packing,
or in procuring plants of the best quality, will often be re
paid a hundred fold in the first crop. Cranberry planta
tions are expected to be a permanent investment which
shall give annual returns for a lifetime ; it therefore be-
comes very important that every precaution should be
taken to make it as perfect as possible.

CULTIVATION.

For the first two or three seasons the beds should be
carefully cultivated, and no weeds or sprouts from brush-
roots be permitted to grow. The amount of labor requir-
ed is usually far less than with ordinary farm crops, still
a constant attention is necessary, so that the plants shall
have the full benefit of the entire soil, and not be obliged
to combat with weeds, grass, or other impediments. When
the plants have gained possession of the whole surface,
there will be very little cultivation required. An occa-
sional sprout or clump of grass may appear, which it will
be necessary to remove.

APPLYING WATER.

Tlie water should be let on to the beds at the approach
of cold weather, not until the ground begins to freeze, but
before it has become frozen hard. The time will vary in
difierent locations, and the cultivator must apply it ac-
cording to circumstances, and not be guided by set rules
as to time. The beds should be covered, so that the water
will be deep enough to prevent freezing the plants. At the
North, it should be at least two feet deep, while south of tlw
latitude of New York, one foot will ordinarily answer. It
should remain upon the beds until the cold weather is past
in the spring, when it should be drawn oflT, leaving it about
two inches deep over the surface, until all danger of firoil
bpait.

248 SMALL FRurr cuxTtriiisT.

Where late spring frosts are known to be frequent and
severe, it is best to keep on the full depth of water until
there is no longer any risk. The longer the water is kept
on, the later will the plants bloom.

In some locations the plants are covered for about fouf
or five months in winter, while in others, two or three will
be sufiicient.

There is no danger of the plants being injured by the
water so long as it remains cool, and the later it is kept
on, the less the danger of springfrosts injuring the flowers.
Sometimes it is beneficial to flow the beds in summer at
time of drouth, but in such cases it is only necessary to
apply sufficient to give the soil a good soaking. If the
water is admitted into the ditches which surround the
beds, (if they are not too large,) it will be sufiicient to
prevent injury from drouth.

GATHERING.

Formerly the berries were gathered with an instrument
called a Cranberry rake, but of late years this method has
been almost entirely abandoned, and hand picking has
taken its place. When gathered by hand, the fruit is not apt
to be crushed, besides a far less amount of dirt and leaves
are mixed with them ; consequently hand-picked fruit will
bring a much higher price than any other. Various kinds
of baskets, cr.ites, hurdles, <&c., are used in gathering the
fruit ; the main object being to allow all foi-eign materials,
gathered with it, to fall through when being carried in the
field, or when spread out to dry. All unsound berries
should be carefully picked out before the fruit is packed
for market.

VARIETIES.

Like other fruits, the Cranberry varies considerably in
Us wild state ; besides, when cultivated, new variations are
constantly occurring. All the varieties in cultivation al

CRANBERRY.

249

Fig. 100.— CHERRY
CRANBERRY.

the present time in this country, belong to one species, the

y. macrocarpon. These vary in size, from a half inch up

to an inch or over in diameter. Fig. 100 shows a variety

usually called the Cherry Cranberry, and

fig. 101, one of the largest of the Bell

variety. Fig. 102 illustrates the Bell

form, and in fig. 103 we give an exact

representation of some remarkably fine

specimens, raised by Mr. Orrin C. Cook,

of South Milford, Mass. There are many

other shapes intermediate between these.

but we have given the principal ones.

In color, the varieties vary from a greenish-yellow or
white to dark, rich purple. New varieties are being pro-
duced, and, doubtless, in a few years, great improvements
will be made in the size, if not in the quality, of the Cran-
berry.

INSECTS.

There appear to be two kinds of worms which infest
the Cranberry. One of these attacks the young fruit,
and the other the plants. The first is described as a small

Fig. 101. — BUGLE CRANBERRY.

worm about half an inch in length, with a black head;
the other is about the same length, Avith a red hccid.
Although it is said that these worms are very destruo*
11

250

SMALL PRtriT CTJLTURIST.

live in some sections of the country, there appears to be
no definite information as to their origin, period of life, or
what kind of insect produces the eggs
from which they are hatched. These
worms are more destructive in beds that
are not flooded than elsewhere. When-
ever the plants and fruit are attacked, the
water should be let on to the beds and
allowed to remain for six to twenty-four
hours ; this would doubtless destroy the
worms without materially injuring the
plants.

The ravages of the Cranberry worms have not been very
extensive, nor very wide spread, and, although I have visit-
ed many hundreds of acres of Cranberry beds, I have not
as yet seen one of these worms ; neither have I been able
to find a description of them, or their scientific names, in
any work on entomology. It is to be hoped that for the

Fig. 102— BELL
CRANBERRY.

Fig. 103.— LARGE CRANBERRY.

sake of science, some one who has an opportunity will
investigate this subject, and give us the results.

UPLAND CULTURE.

Although the cultivation of the Cranberry upon dry up
land cannot be recommended as equal to lowland cultiva*

CEAXBERBT. 251

tion, still it possesses so much that is interesting and ad van*
tageous that it desen^es the attention of those who have
no other means of growing them. Even a partial success
will very often be highly remunerative, besides affording
much pleasure to the cultivator.

There are but few gardens or soils where the experiment
is not worth trying on a small scale, even if it is not suc-
cessful, because the expense is so slight that a total failure
would be no great loss of capital.

A light sandy or loamy soil, one that is naturally moist,
should b3 selected, if convenient, and prepared as thor-
oughly as for a vegetable garden. If swamp-mud or peat
can be had, it is well to give a liberal dressing, mixing
it with the soil ; rake all level, and then plant in rows
about two feet apart, and one foot apart in the rows.
Hoe the plants as long as it can be conveniently done
without disturbing them, after w^hich no cultivation is re-
quired, except to pull out large weeds or grass that may
occasionally appear.

If saw-dust can be had, it should be applied as a mulcl^
scattering a light dressing in among the plants; tliis will
keep the soil moist and assist in keeping the weeds dowa.
A small plot of three or four rods square will, if they suc-
ceed, be sufficient to supply an ordinary family.

In addition to the value of the fruit, the Cranberry is
an exceedingly ornamental plant at all times of the season,
whether in fruit or flower. The variety known as the Bel]
Cranberry is generally planted on upland, but it is proba-
ble that others, with proper care, will succeed equally as
welL There are a few cultivators in the vicinity of New
York who grow all of the improved varieties on upland,
and claim that thoy are very successful with them.
Judging from the fruit that has been shown by thsse gen-
tlemen at our horticultural fairs, the berries grow to as large
a size, if not in such large quantities, on upland as upon
the low. By obtaining seeds from these ujiland beds, and

252 SMALL FKUIT CULTURLST.

by producing new varieties therefrom, plants may be ob
iained that will be better adapted to dry soils than any
previously known. It is certainly worthy of trial, and I
would advise all who have leisure and inclination to try
the experiment fully and. thoroughly.

PROFITS OF CULTURE

The profits of Cranberry culture, like those from other
fruits, depend somewhat upon the amount of care given
the beds as well as upon the markets. There is also a lia-
bility of failure from unforeseen causes ; still the Cranberry
may be considered as certain as any other fruit. To make
anything like a fair estimate in regard to profits, we are
obliged to select from the reports of the various growers
throughout the coimtry, and draw our conclusions there-
from. But in many instances these are so vague that we can
only approximate to the truth. I have inserted a few of
Buch as I deem reliable, omitting those which appear to be
too far above the average :

Mr. Edmund Bagley, of Massachusetts, reports in the
Journal of Commerce : cost of land, $12 per acre ; clean-
ing, $100 ; vines and setting, $50 ; cultivation, $10 per
year. The fourth year, average crop, 300 bushels per
acre ; Avorth $2.50 per bushel.

F. Trowbridge, New Haven, Conn., considers the usual
average about 175 to 200 bushels per acre.

Mr. Sullivan Bates says, that on beds that have been
carefully pre[)nred, the yield will be from 150 to 400 bush-
els per acre.

J. H. Baker, of Westport, Mass., reports the average
crop about 175 bushels.

Trowbridge and Davis, of Ocean County, N. J., report
10 acres in bearing ; crop 1,100 bushels ; although the
beds were new, and have not arrived at an age at which
A full crop could be expected.

CBAXBEBRY. 253

At Shamong, N. J., a small bed is reported to have
yielded 220 bushels per acre.

W. R. Braddock, of Bedford, N. J., has 100 acres; 20
acres of which yielded, last season, 1866, an average of
100 bushels per acre. The fruit sold for a price which leA
llim $6,000 over and above all expenses.

The above sUiienients are about a fair average of the
Various reports received from the propnetors of Cranberry
beds in the Eastern States. The price of tlie fruit varies
from $2.00 to $6.00 per bushel It is probable that when
the immense beds, which are now being planted, have ar-
rived at full maturity, our markets will be fully supplied,
unless some new way of disposing of the fruit is duh
oovered, waich it is very likely will be tlie cattu

CHAPTER X.

HUCKLEBERRY.— (Family Ericacea)

H ackleberries were formerly all included under th^
genus Vaccinivm, but botanists now separate them into
the genera, Gaylussacia and Vdccmium. In general
appearance they resemble one nnother, being branching
shrubs, with bell-shaped or urn-shaped corollas and 2-
parted anthers. The fruit is a 10 to many seeded berry.
The Gaylussacias differ from the Yacciniums in having
only one seed in each cell of the fruit, and their foliage is
often sprinkled with resinous dots. For our purposes it
is convenient to consider them all under one head.

The species best known in the United States as produc-
ing edible fruit, are chiefly deciduous shrubs of medium
size, blooming in May and June, and ripening their fruit
from July to September.

SPECIES.

The number of species of Huckleberry is quite large,
and I shall only name a few of the best.

Gaylussacia frondosa. — Blue Dangleberry. — Leaves
obovate, oblong, pale glaucous beneath ; branches slender
•mooth. Fruit dark blue, covered with white bloom, sweej

HUCKIiBBEEET. 255

and edible. Bush grows three to six feet high. Found
from New England to Virginia in low grounds.

G« resinosa. — Black Huckleberry. — Leaves oval or ob-
long, clammy when young ; plants quite branching, the
young shoots pubescent; fruit black without bloom, with
an agreeable flavor; bush, two to three feet high. Com
mon in swamps and low grounds at the North.

Vaccinium Pennsylyanicum. — Dwarf Blueberry. —
Leaves oblong, sometimes lanceolate, smooth and shining ;
branches green, somewhat angled, occasionally warty;
bush one to three feet, very prolific ; berries blue, ripening
early. The fruit of this species is highly prized on account
of its earliness, but it is not so agreeable in flavor as son:
others. Abundant in dry, sandy seasons, from Maryland
northward.

V. CanadensCt — Canada Blueberry. — Leaves more or
less downy, common in low grounds ; otherwise similar to
the preceding species.

V. COrymbOSUm. — Swamp Blueberry, or •High-bush
Huckleberry. — Leaves oval or oblong, variable in size and
color. Shrubs four to ten feet high, common in low, wet
places. Fruit black, covered with bloom, sweet but
sprightly ; the best Huckleberry ; ripens late in the season,
August and September.

Fig. 104 shows a small branch, with bunch of fruit of natu-
ral size. This species assumes various forms and colors; some-
times the fruit is oval, approaching an oblong, while others
are globular or slightly compressed. The Black High-bish
Huckleberry, as it is generally called, is quite distinct, the
fruit being destitute of bloom and of inferior flavor. It is
distinguished by the name of Fi corymbosum^ var. atrocoo
ctun, by Dr. Gray. There are many other species and varie-
ties growing wild all over the country. There are also
foreign species, but none of them superior to those named.
I do not think it necessary to enter into any minute details

256

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Fig. 104.— SWAMP nUCKLEBERRT.

HUCKLEBERRY, 257

of the history or cultivation of this fruit, from the fact that
there is nothing connected therewith which would make
the subject interesting. The Huckleberry is one of those
fruits which have always been neglected ; none of our horti-
cultural writers have deemed it worthy of any particular
description, and but very few have thought it worthy of
mention.

Why this neglect, I am at loss to understand, for the
Huckleberry possesses naturally better qualities than even
the Currant and Gooseberry.

All of our northern species are perfectly hardy, produc-
ing no thorns, (whicli is such a disagreeable feature with
many of our small fruits,) and the plants are generally
quite productive.

The berries are more firm than the Raspberry, Black-
berry, or Strawberry, consequently, will bear carriage
well, and are suitable for market.

Thousands of bushels are annually gathered from the
woods and fields, but these sources of supply will not al-
ways be available ; besides, we should not be content with
depending wholly upon nature for either the necessaries
or the luxuries of life, while a helping hand would not
only increase the quantity, but improve the quality.

Those species, which naturally grow upon high, dry
«oils, will probably be the best for garden culture ; still, be-
cause a plant is found in its wild state in any particular
soil or situation, it does not follow that similar circum-
stances are always necessary for its best development when
under cultivation. If nature invariably located plants un-
der the most favorable conditions for growth, then improve-
ments would be less certain and far more diflScult than
now. The history of horticulture affords abund.int testi-
mony to the fact that many plants succeed far better in
soils and locations differing very materially from the one
in which nature has placed them, than otherwise.

The Swamp Huckleberry, ( Fi corymbosum^ is som^
11*

258 SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

times foim(^ upon high, dry soils, although it grows chiefly
in locations where the roots are immersed in water for the
greater portion of the year. That it will grow and pro-
duce fruit upon high and dry soils, I have proved by ex-
periment.

There is no great difficulty in removing the plants from
their native locality to the garden, but our main depend-
ence for improvement should be upon seedlings, because
they wdll always vary more or less from the parent, and by
carefully selecting the best improvements, are certain. The
seeds are quite small, and require considerable care in sow-
ing.

A good plan is, to crush the berries, and mix them with
fine sand ; then put them in a box or flower-pot, and bury
in the open ground until spring. Prepare a seed-bed, the
soil of which should be, at least, half leaf-mould, or peat,
from a swamp ; the remainder may be any good garden
soil. Surround the bed with boards, a foot or more in
width, mix the soU thoroughly and rake level, then sow on
the sand containing the seeds ; then sift over this soil suf-
ficient to cover the seeds, about a quarter of an inch deep,
give a good soaking of water and place a screen over the
frame. It may be made of lath, coarse cloth, or anything
that will partially shade the plants w^hen they come up,
but not wholly exclude the light. Keep the soil well wa-
tered, applying the water with a watering-pot, or in such a
manner that the seeds or plants ^rill not be disturbed. The
seedlings may be transplanted when one year old, if they
have made a good growth, or remain in the seedbed for
two years. They will usually come into bearing in three
to six years, at which time the best should be marked, so
that they may be propagated. The inferior kinds may be
throwTi away, or be reserved for stocks, on which to work
the others. Budding and grafting may be employed in
propagation, as well as layers, the operation being pei>
formed in the usual manner.

CHAPTER XL

SHEPHERDIA.

FAMILY EL^AGNACE^.

[Named In honor of John Shepherd, formerly curator of the Liverpool Botanid
Garden.]

GENERAL CHARACTERS.

Deciduous shrubs, or small trees, with silvery leaves ;
flowers dioecious, the sterile
ones, (fig. 105) liaving a four-
parted calyx, and eight sta-
mens; the fertile flowers, (fig.
106,) have an urn-shaped ca-
lyx, enclosing the ovary which
becomes a berry-like fruit.
Leaves opposite, entire, de-
ciduous ; the flowers very
small, yellow, borne in the
axils of the small branches.

A very small family of
plants, and there is but one
species of this genus that is
worthy of being cultivated
for its fruit.

8hepherdia argentea. — Bufialo Berry; Rabbit Berry;
Grosse de JSuffle, of the French ; Hippophce argentea, of
Pursh. — Leaves oblong, silvery-white on both sides;
259

Fig. 105.

T\g. 106.

2 GO SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

branches nisty dull white, with many small thorn-lika
branchlets ; fruit round, dull red, sprightly acid, agreea
ble, borne in very compact clusters in the axils of the smal,
branches, as shown in figure 107. Ripens its fruit in early
autumn, or late in summer.

Found on the banks of the upper Missouri, and other
large rivers of the Northwest. It is seldom seen in cul-
tivation, but it is really deserving of a place in every gar-
den. The plant is quite ornamental, in addition to its edi-
ble fruit, which is produced abundantly. The i)lant is very
hardy, and grows quite readily in almost any good soiL
The Shepherdia, being dioecious, it is therefore necessary
to plant one of each sex to obtain fruit; consequently,
those who may have occasion to send to the nurseries for
plants, should be careful to order at least one of each kind,
although if several arc to be planted in a group, one sta-
minate plant will be sufficient to fertilize a half dozen or
more pistillate plants.

At the present time, the Shepherdia is not grown as a
market fruit, but the time may come when we shall see it
m our markets, and it is more than probable that new and
improved varieties will be produced by some of our enter-
prising fruit growers. The thorn-like character of its
email branchlets makes it a suitable plant for ornamental
hedges, and very probably it would be equally serviceable
as the Buck-thorn and other similar plants, for turning
cattle. It is well worthy of trial, and up to the present
time I am not aware that it has been subject to disease, or
attacked by any insect.

PROPAGATION.

Gather the berries when ripe, crush the pulp, and
wash out the seeds; then sow them, or preserve in sand,
until the ensuing spring. The best method is, to sow the
seeds in drills soon after they are gathered, covering an
inch or two deep. Transplant when Qvie, year old into

SHEPIIEEDTA.

'2G\

Fig. 107. — TORUIT OF SHEPHERDIA.

263 SMALL FEUIT CFLTTTRIST.

nursery rows, placing the plants a foot apart in the row
and the rows four feet apart. They will usually bloom the
third year from seed, at which time every plant should be
examined, and a label attached to each with the word
staminate or pistillate, as the case may be, written upon
each ; common wooden labels, such as used by nurserymen,
freshly painted at the time, will remain legible for two or
three years. If it is more convenient to have the plants
separated than to keep each one labeled, then they may be
taken up after the sexes are determined, and each kind
placed in a row by itself.

The Shepherdias produce very few suckers, but whet
any appear, they may be taken off and planted separately
Layers root very readily, and plants noay be produced in
this manner quite rapidly.

It is quite probable that ripe wood cuttings will grow
the same as the Currant, but I have never had occasion to
try this mode of propagation, because they grow so readily
from seed that I have practiced this method in preference
to others. Besides, there is always a chance, when grow-
ing any kind of fruit from seed, of producing something
better than the original, consequently, the very uncertainty
becomes fascinating to the true lover of horticulture, and
the hope of the thing lightens the otherwise irksomeness
of the task.

There is another species of Shepherdia found in the
Northern States, the fruit of which is very insipid. I
copy the description from Gray's Manual of Botany :

Shepherdia Canadensis. — Canadian Shepherdia. —
"Leaves elliptical or ovate, nearly naked and green
above, silvery-downy, and scurfy with rusty scales under-
neath ; fruit yellowish-red ; rocky or gravelly banks ; Ver-
mont to Wisconsin, and northward. A straggling shrub,
three to six feet high ; the branchlets, young leaves, yel«
lowish flowers etc., covered with the rusty scales. Fruit
insipid."

CHAPTER XIL

PREPARATION FOR GATHERING FRUIT.

To grow a crop of fruit is but the initial step towardi
the successful termination of the enterprise.

If the fruit is to be sent to market, then crates, baskets,
etc., are necessary for gathering and transporting, all of
which should be provided in advance of the ripening of
the crop. The number of baskets required per acre can-
not be given, inasmuch as the product will not be the
same in any two seasons, but it is always best to provide
enough, for if the supply should fall short in the busy part
of the season, it might cause considerable loss.

We will suppose that a grower expects to send a thous-
and baskets per day to market, during the season, of any
particular kind of small fruit, and if he sends them by
railroad or steamboat, to a distance of twenty miles or
more, he must not expect to have any baskets or crates
returned in less time than six to ten days after the time
of the first shipment, unless he has better success than
nsual with fruit growers in this vicinity ; consequently
he will have to provide six to ten thousand baskets to en-
able Lira contiime gathering.

Sometimes, owinor to the neffli2:ence of the commission
merchant, no baskets will be returned for two or three
263

S64 SVAU. FRUIT CTILTUEIST,

weeks, and a very large extra supply of baskets will b«
necessary to prevent a corresponding loss.

Ton thousand baskets, with a corresponding number of
crates, should be provided, if a thousand baskets are to be
picked per day.

To the inexperienced in these matters, this may seem
to be an unnecessary outlay, but fruit growers in the East-
em States, at least, have learned that a little, or consider-
able, extra capital invested in baskets will quite often
insure them against great losses.

Any one who has ever looked through the New York
markets, soon after the close of the Strawberry season,
must have noticed thousands of baskets and crates lying
around loose, or being piled up in the streets, where the
boys make bonfires of them at night, and thus the prop-
erty of the fruit grower is often destroyed through the
willful neglect of those to whom the fruit was consigned.

Many remedies have been tried to prevent this waste,
but none have been entirely successful, unless it be that
of sending very cheap baskets and crates, which it is not
expected will be returned. Many fruit growers are adopt-
mg this give away system, and under some circumstances
it is probably the best, but under others it is doubtful if
it is the most profitable in the end.

An attractive exterior is a good passport, even in the
fruit line, and I kno\v of many instances where fruit put
up in handsome baskets, and enclosed in extra finished
crates, has sold for almost double the price of that sent
to market in an inferior style of crate and basket.

Many instances might be given in which neat, clean
packages and carefully selected fruit, have well paid the
grower for all his extra trouble and expense in sending it
to market. If a man desires to secure a good reputation
for the products of his garden and farm, he will see to it
that they leave his premises in the best possible order,
and be sure to put his name on each crate or other pack-

PKEPARATIOiq- FOE GATHERING FRUIT. 265

age. Competition has become so great within the past
ten years, that the cultivators of berries are compelled to
exercise more care than formerly in selecting both fruit
and packages, as buyers are now more critical and par-
ticular as they gain experience. The old trays, each hold-
ing several quarts of berries, and from which the fruit
was measured out to customers, are no longer seen in
our markets, exce23t for some hard kinds like the Huckle-
berry, and even for these this dishing-out system is very
objectionable, to say the least. Of late years large quan-
tities of the small fruits come to our northern markets
from the South. This is especially the case with Straw-
berries, for increased facilities in the way of rapid transit
by steamboats and railroads, with refrigerators on both,
have now made the shipping of perishable fruits possible
when it would not have been thought of a score of years
ago. The trade in such articles will no doubt increase in
years to come, and growers will need new styles of baskets
and crates, or those better adapted to the purpose than
any now in common use. But whatever kind of pack-
age is used, the grower will ever need to exercise great
care in gathering and assorting his fruit. If his pickers
are not instructed in regard to picking the berries in the
best condition to stand the journey, the good may be in-
jured by the poor, for half a dozen over-ripe berries in a
basket are very likely to damage the entire lot. Green
berries should also be avoided, but a few of these can
be better tolerated than those that have become soft and
commenced to decay. The topping out of the baskets
with a few of the choicest and largest berries is an almost
universal practice, and while in the abstract it might be
called dishonest, still it is such a universal custom that>
no one is deceived. It's merely putting the best side out
to attract the buyer.

Orates and baskets are in some cases returned free by
the railroad and steamboat companies, unless the distance
12

26Q

SMALL PRUIT CULTURIST.

to market is too great ; under sucli circumstances it is
best not to expect it, but rather to ship the fruit in cheap
baskets, unless it will bring enough more to pay for pack-
ing in a better style.

The tendency of late years is to let the basket or box
go with the fruit to the purchaser, and it is really the
better plan, because after a box or basket has been once
used for berries, it is usually badly stained, and really
unfit for further use. There are thousands of men in our
cities who will stop at the market or fruit stands, and
purchase a few quarts of berries on their way home in
the evening, if sold boxes and all, but if required to re-
turn the packages, or compelled to furnish some con-
venient vessel for carrying the fruit, they would pass by
without purchasing. For these and other reasons which
might be given, the grower will find it for his own inter

est to use what are termed the
gift box or basket wheneve
possible. The grape growers
have, of late years, adopted
the free box, and their sales,
as a result, have greatly in-
creased, and without lessen-
ing their profits.

The most common basket
used for the New York mar-
ket is what is called the Jer-
sey Strawberry basket, figure
108 ; it requires from five to
seven to hold a quart. Of
late years this basket is less
used than formerly, except
for the smaller varieties of the Strawberry. They are
usually made by the fruit growers themselves in winter,
but sometimes they are made for sale, and the price varies
from ten dollars to fifteen dollars per thousand. A half

Fig. 108. — JERSEY BA.SKET.

PKEPARATIOK FOR GATHERi:^-^ PRUIT, 26?

dozen of the larger varieties of Strawberries will fill one
of these Jersey baskets.

The Kaspberry baskets formerly used in New York
State, were mainly of this style, but a little larger ; other
kinds of baskets are now rapidly coming into use, and it
is to be hoped that our small fruits will soon all be sold
by measure, and not by the hasket, regardless of its size,
whether it be the size of a thimble, or will hold a half
pint or pint, as formerly.

Baskets or boxes holding a pint or quart, full measure,
are most in vogue at the present time, and new patterns
are constantly being brouglit forward, each claiming to be
an improvement upon its immediate predecessor.

With most of the small fruits ventilation is requisite to
preservation for even a very short time, and this very
essential point has not been lost sight of by the manufac-
turers of most of the new boxes or baskets now before
the public.

When fruit is only to be transported a short distance,
and will reach the consumer within twelve or fifteen hours
after being gathered, ventilation, farther than that which
it will receive through an open crate, is not very import-
ant, or scarcely necessary.

The idea of ventilation applied to baskets or boxes is a
good one, particularly for some kinds of fruit, but there
is no necessity of carrying it to extremes, so that the ves-
sels made for holding fruit are scarcely more thar fragile
wooden nets.

The following are some of the most popular baskets
now in use at the East ;

American Basket.

This basket is made of two sizes, quarts and pints, and
of the form shown in figure 109. They are very strong,
of neat appearance, and one of the best baskets with

;^G8

SMALL SPRUIT CtJLTURIST.

whicli I am acquainted. Their peculiar form admits of
their being very compactly
nested for transportation, as
9hown in fignre 110.

The manufacturers also fur-
nish crates to those who desire
them. A thirty-two quart crate
is shown in figure 111, each
one being furnished with lock

I'ig. 109. —AMERICAN BASKET.

Fig. 110.— STACK OF BASKETS.

attached w:*th a small chain. The fruit grower keeps a
key ^'C ^ock the crate, and the one to whom the fr^iit is

Fig. 111. — CRATE OF AMERICAN BASKETS.

consigned, has a duplicate, with which to open it when
received.

Ilallock Fruit Box.

A square box, figure 112, made of thin, light wood,

PREPARATIOiq^ FOR GATHBRIISTG FRUIT.

269

with holes bored in the sides for ventilation, as shown.
The bottom is set within the sides, and about three-fourths
of an inch above the lower
edge, so that when one box is
set in the crate above the
other, there will be a small
space between the fruit of the
lower one and the bottom of
the one above. This also ad-
mits of each box being filled
a little more than even full, ^'S- 112.-hai.lock fruit box.

and still the fruit will not be crushed by the one above it.
These boxes are used in large quantities at the West,
also considerably in some portions of the East. Some
fruit growers object to any box or basket with perpen-
icular sides, because the fruit will settle more in carrying
than when the sides slope, as in the American basket.
Theie are advantages in both forms, also disadvantages.
A. square box, with perpendicular sides, packs and remain?
more firmly in its j^lace than any other, but ventilation
through the sides cannot be obtained, and the fruit will
crush more readily than in boxes with sloping sides.

Free Friiit Itox«

Figure 113. As its name implies, this box is intended

Fig. 113. — FREE FRUIT BOX.

to be given away with the fruit. This will be quite con-
venient for those who forget to take a basket with them

270

SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

in the morning when going to business, and thereby have
a very plausible excuse for not bringing
/ >>^ home some fruit for tea. This box was

rJ invented for the purpose of relieving
fruit growers of one of the most annoy-
ing incidents of sending their fruit a long
distance to market — the necessity of hav-
ing their crates and boxes returned to
them. It supplies a want which has
always existed in the berry trade, and
will be sold so cheap that it can be given
away with the fruit. In appearance, it
is remarkably neat, light, but substantial,
while the fruit will always go to market
in a perfectly clean box. Though given
away, it will save the grower money,
enablo him to get a better price for his
fruit, and i)ut an end to the annual loss
of boxes, besides saving him the neces-
sity of keeping a vast quantity of the
boxes and crates on hand to provide for
the delay of returning them.

The box is composed of two pieces of
veneer. Figure 114 represents a piece
which is folded up into four sides of the
box. It is scored or cut at the dotted
lines, so that it can be folded up into
a shell as readily as a piece of paste-
board. The tongue, at the left-hand
end, buckles into the two slots at the
right-hand end, just like closing a pocket
book. A notch on the end of the tongue
catches so eifectually, after being buckled
in, as to hold the shell firmly together.

The bottom is shown in figure 115.
The two tongues at the end are also

Fig. 114. — SIDE OF
FRUIT BOX,

PREPARATION FOR GATHERING FRUIT. 271

scored or cut at the dotted lines, and being readily turned
up, are buckled into the two sets of slots shown on the
left-hand edge of figure 114. When thus buckled to-
gether, the two
-^ pieces form a
\ perfect box, as
I seen in figure
/ 113, neither
-^ nails nor glue
being required.
Fig. 115.— BOTTOM OF BOX. aud thc wholo

constituting a strong and beautiful box. The bottom
cannot fall out, as it is firmly held in its place by the
spring of the wood. The prominent advantages secured
by the use of this box are as follows :

1. The great desideratum of a box always nice and
cleanly is, for the first time, secured.

2. The commission agent being relieved from the great
annoyance of hunting up and returning crates and boxes,
as well as escaping the loss of them, will sell the fruit for
much less than the usual commission.

3. The return freight of empty boxes is saved, and this,
added to the saving in commission, will more than pay
for the cost of crates and boxes.

4. Another saving is secured in sending to market, as
one hundred of the Free boxes, quart measures, weigh
only nine and one-third pounds, while one hundred of the
old square quarts weigh fifty pounds. As fruit in crates
goes to market by weight, the new box saves eighty per
cent of the weight. Any one can readily satisfy himself
by a calculation of what is tlius saved in freight to market,
commission, and return of empty crate, that he will really
save money by using a box that he can give away. It will
be found cheaper to use a box only once than to continue
using it many times.

5. As these boxes are put together without nails or

273

SMALL FKUIT CULTTJKIST.

glue, they can be sent to distant growers, in the shape of
flats, to be made up by children at odd times during the
winter. The flats are scored ready for folding up, and as
ib^ wood bends at the joint without breaking, a small

girl will learn in five min-
utes how to put them to-
gether. Many hundred box-
es thus packed as flats can
be got into a small com-*
pass, and at trifling cost of

freight."

S#niare Chip Itasket.

Figure 116. Here we have
an improvement on the
Fig. 116.-SQUARE CHIP BASKET, commou Jcrscy baskct. The
slats are reversed, the wide one passing around the basket,
and the small ones forming the uprights, thereby giving
a comparatively smooth surface, allowing the baskets to
be lifted out or put back into place in the crates, without
catching upon those adjoining, and upsetting them, as is
often the case with the common one. These baskets are
made square, consequently packed very closely together,
leaving no vacant spaces between them. An excellent
basket for Easpberries.

Ootliic I-Vee Fruit Box.

This box is intended to be given
away with the fruit. They are of
an octagon shape, as shown in
figure 117, made of veneer, and
can be sent in flats and put to-
gether by the fruit grower, thus
saving much expense in trans-
portation. The material, all ready to be put together,
costs ten dollars per thousand.

Fig. 117.— GOTHIC FREE
FRUIT BOX.

PKEPARATI02^" FOR GATHERIiq"G FEUIT.

This is a very neat and pretty basket, very strong an(^
durable. Some of our fruit grow-
ers object to it on account of the
small strij)s of which it is made, be-
cause, as the berries settle, the}^ are
injured, by being cut by the sharp
edges. It is, however, an excellent
basket, but probal^ly on account of
its cost is seldom, of late years,
seen in our markets. Fig. lis. -cook's basket.

Xhe Parag^oii Basket.

Figure 119. Another neat, light box, of more recent
introduction than the above, and much liked by the com-
mission men. Three strips of thin whitewood form the
bottom and sides of the basket ; the bottom hoop is dis*

Fig. 119.— PARAGON BASKET.

pensed with, as well as the extra bottom piece. There is
ample provision for ventilation, and the shape of the top
is round, thus enabling the fruit to show at its best.

Belgiaii Strawberry ISasket.

This basket, figure 120, would probably not suit our
Amencan way of doing thinfrs, and is merely introduced
to show *Miow they do it in Belgium." A correspondent
of the ^^ American Agriculturist," from which the ac-

274 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

companying illustration is taken, writes : " In travelling
through Belgium, in June, Strawberries are brought to
the car windows at every station — luscious, great berries,
some red, some white, often as large as a pullet's egg, and
temptingly displayed in shallow baskets, made of split
willow, in the form given in the engraving. The con-
struction is simple, strong, and inexpensive. A single
willow withe forms the handle and middle support of the

Fig. 120.— BELGIAN STBAWBEKRT BASKET.

bottom ; a second withe, bent to a circle, forms the rim ;
and four others, t. e., two on either side, between the
middle piece and rim, complete the foundation into which
thin strips are braided. The depth is only a quarter inch,
diameter three inches. On the bottom are a few fresh
grape leaves, on which are placed the berries, nearly all
exposed to view."

Oiiernsey Fruit Box.

This is a round box, figure 121, made of thin veneer
and reverdible, as either end may be used as the cover,

PREPAEATIOif FOR GATHERING FRUIT.

275

there being a tliin band within which holds both ends to-
gether. This box would answer better for Currants and
Gooseberries, than for Raspberries and similar fruit, as it

Fig. 121.— GUERNSEY BOX.

Fig. 122.— JOHNSTON'S CASE,

is not ventilated ; but ventilation might be given by
boring holes througli one end.

•Iohii<»toii's Prciniiim Fruit Case

Is made up of four trays seventeen inches wide, twenty-
three inches long, and three inches deep, holding a little
over one half bushel ; side pieces, 1, in figure 122, half
inch thick, three inches wide, twenty-three inches long ;
ends, 2, three-eighths of an inch thick, three inches
wide, and nineteen and a half inches long ; bottoms of
three upper trays half inch thick ; standards, 5, two
inches by three-quarters by fifteen ; cover cleats, 6, two
inches by three-quarters by eighteen ; tops, 4, twenty-
four inches by six by three-eighths ; handles, 2, twenty-
three inches by two by five-eighths ; bot-
toms of case twenty-four inches by six by
half ; the bottom tray is made of heavier
stuff, sides, 4, in figure 123, five-eighths of
an inch thick, end one and a half inch thick
and sides are let into the ends, as seen in
I ; this tends to strengthen the standard, 2, ^^" ^^'
which is firmly nailed to both side and end pieces.
The trays are separated by slats three-eighths of au

276

SMALL FKUIT CULTURIST.

inch by two inches, with the ends projecting about
half an inch, as seen in figure 122. The cover has also a
narrow slat at each end. The cover is fastened bj bend-
ing a piece of hoop iron around the standard, and fasten-
ing it to both sides of the cover cleats with screws, and a
spring made of the same is attached to the inside edge
of the standard, runs up through, and hooks over the
band of hooj:) iron, the standard being sawed out to admit
of working the spring, as seen in figure 122.

Care should be taken to make the trays all square, and
the covers all alike, so that each will fit in any case. In
order to have the standards all alike, the handles should
not be put on until after the covers are. In getting out
a bill of material, have it sawed in planks at the saw mill,
as thick as you want the pieces wide, and have it worked
up by circular saw.

I am not aware that this style of case is in use at the
East, but it is a western invention, and used by growers
in that section.

Smith's Girape Box.

Though made with reference to packing grapes, this

box will answer

for Currants,

Gooseberries, aud

those fruits that

do not especially

need ventilation.

The sides of this

box are made of

veneer, cut partly

through at the

edges where it
Fiff. ISi.— smith's grape box. i j xi.

^ bends over the

end pieces, which are thick enough to allow the sides to

be nailed to them. The cover fastens down by tacking

PREPARATIOK FOR OATHEniKG PRTJIT. 277

the flap to the ends. They are made with the sides, top,
and bottom, all in one piece, as shown in figure 124, or
with tliese in two pieces, so that it is reversible and may
be opened at either top or bottom.

New styles of baskets are being brought out every sea-
son, but they can scarcely be called improvements upon
the old ones.

GATHERING FRtriT.

In sections where the small fruits are grown extensive-
ly, women and children are chiefly employed to gather
them, being paid so much per basket.

The small Jersey Strawberries are generally pulled, as
it is called, or separated from the calyx, or hull, when
picked; with the larger kinds it is left on. The price
paid for picking varies from seventy-five cents to one dol-
lar twenty-five cents per hundred for the small baskets,
and three to five cents per quart for the larger Strawber-
ries, Raspberries, and Blackberries. At these prices, an.
expert hand will make two to three dollars per day where
the fruit is abundant.

The fruit should always be gathered in dry weather,
and none should be picked in the morning while the dew
is on.

The usual method practised in the larger plantations
is something like the following :

A tent or temporary shed is erected in or near the field
in which the fruit is grown, aud the superintendent re-
mains in this and takes charge of the fruit as it is brought
m, giving each picker a ticket, stating the number of
baskets brought in. When one or two hundred baskets are
gathered, then the small tickets are taken up and a large
one given, on which is printed good for one, two, or more
dollars, as the case may be. These tickets are redeemed at
the end of the week, provided the holder retains them
until that time; but with some a week is a very long

278

SMALL FKUIT CULTURIST.

time to keep a promise to pay, and they sell them. In
some portions of IS^ew Jersey, and perhaps elsewhere,
these tickets pass current at the stores in the vicinity,
and the merchants take them in exchange for goods,
and when the season is over, present them to the proper
persons for redemption.

At the time of gathering, each picker is furnishod
with a stand (figure 125), holding ten to twenty-five

baskets. When
all are filled, they
are carried to the
tent and put into
the crates, ready
for sending to
market. The small

Fig. 125.-BASKET STAND. j^^.g^^, ^^gj^^^g ^^^

put into crates holding from one hundred and fifty to
two hundred each, but when pint and quart baskets are
used, from thirty to sixty go in a crate.

The pickers have to conform to certain rules promul-
gated by the nabob of the tent, for there must be disci-
pline and system observed in fruit gathering, as in every
other business, to produce the best result. No picker
must be allowed to encroach upon his neighbor, and when
a row or bed is selected at the start, it must be retained
until all the fruit for that time is gathered. The next
bed or row must be taken by lot — and no dodging because
it happens to be a poor one.

The time of the vintage is one of rejoicing in the Tine
countries of Europe, and equally so is the time of gather-
ing the small fruits in America. Good feelings prevail
on all sides, and particularly if the crop is abundant, for
both employer and the employed are abundantly rewarded
for their labor.

APPENDIX.

ADDITIONAL VARITIES.

Tho varieties of the different species and families oi
berries described and noticed in the following pages, have
mostly been introduced since the revision of this work in
1881, and while it is scarceiy ] robable that they are all
superior, or even equal in value, to the best of the older
and better known varieties, still, there are no doubt a
few among them which will prove to be very acceptable
acquisitions of their kind. I have not had an opportunity
of testing all of these new varieties ; in fact, some of
them have not as yet been fruited outside of the gardens
of their originators ; consequently in referring to their
merits, I am compelled, in some instances, to accept what
others say of them, instead of giving the results of my
own personal investigations and observations.

STRAWBERRIES.

Atlantic* — Berry medium, conical, of a rich, glossy,
crimson color ; flesh very firm. A poor grower, only
moderately productive, and ripening late in the season.

nclmont. — A new and very promising variety with
oblong berries, of a dark crimson color, very firm and
high flavor. Plants very productive and of vigorous
growth.

Bubach, Xo. 5i (Pistillate.) — A remarkable, vigorous
growing variety with imperfect or pistillate flowers. Fruit
large and handsome, but too soft for market ; not wort a
cultivating, as we hav^ many far better varieties with
perfect flowers.
(279)

280 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

f ofaanzick* — A chance seedling fonnd in a flower bed
in Bridgeton, N.J. It is described by its introducer as
a dark crimson berry, very glossy, medium to large, with
firm flesh ; very productive.

Cornelia. {Pistillate.) — A very large late variety,
usually unproductive, probably in consequence of im-
perfect fertilization of the flowers, these appearing after
the more vigorous of the pollen-bearing varieties have
gone out of bloom.

Connecticut Queen. — A new variety, highly praised
by some growers, and co Vdemned by others. It is said
to be of excellent qualit}-, ripening late, but the berries
are very unattractive in appearance.

Crimson Cluster. {Pistillate.)— One of Mr. E. W.
Durand's many seedlings, and only disseminated last
season, 1886. It is described by its originator as being
" wonderfully productive," and the fruit of the richest
crimson color, in immense clusters, hence its name. Fruit
of excellent quality, very large, commencing to ripen
early and continuing very late.

Daisy. — This is said to succeed well in the West, but
the foliage burns badly in the East. Scarcely worth
cultivating.

Daniel Boon. {Pistillate.) — Large, elongated-conical
with slight neck, sometimes broadly-conical ; bright red,
firm and good quality. Succeeds well in some soils, and
the plants are prolific, but in others the leaves burn
badly, and it is worthless.

Dollar. — Large, roundish-conical, of a bright, glossy,
light crimson color. Flesh firm, and quality excellent.
Plants are not very productive, but usually bear a mode-
rate second crop late in summer. The foliage is said to
burn in some localities and soils, but in my grounds it
has not suffered during hot, dry weather to any greater
extent than any of the old, standard sorts.

APPEKDIX. 281

Early Canada. — Said to resemble the '* Old Iron
Clad," but in no respects superior. Plants only mode-
rately productive.

Emily's White.— Recommended only as a novelty.
The first berries to ripen are light red, but later they are
almost pure Avhite. I have not seen this variety, but
from description it would seem to be very similar to
Lennig's White, when grown in exposed positions, and
when the fruit is not shaded by the leaves.

Gaudy's Prize.— A new variety, of which little is
known. It is supposed to be a cross between the Jersey
Queen and Glendale. It is claimed by the originator to
be the latest in ripening, and the hardest fleshed variety
known. Berries large, nearly globular, bright crimson,
with a rich and sprightly flavor. Plants very stocky in
growth, and said to be productive.

Garretson. {Pistillate.) — This is not a new variety, but
only recently disseminated by its originator, the well
known seedsman of Flushing, N. Y., after whom it ia
named. Fruit large globular, bright crimson, very
firm, and of good flavor. Recommended as an excellent
market berry, owing to its uniform size and firm flesh.

Henderson. — Very large, early, and immensely pro-
ductive ; but its great merit is in its exquisite flavor. It
is also claimed by its disseminator to be adapted to all, or
at least to a great variety of soils. It has net as yet been
very widely distributed, or extensively cultivated, and it
may not prove as good or valuable as represented.

Hoffman's Seedling. — A chance seedling, found in a
garden at Charleston, S. C, and it promises to be a valu-
able variety for the South. The introducer says that it
is extra early, of large size, and so firm that it may be
readily and safely shipped to Northern markets.

James Vick. — Medium, obtuse-conical, bright scarlet ;
flesh pink, firm, but only second rate in quality. A

282 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

vigorous and productive variety, very much like Capt.
Jack, described on page 92.

Jersey Queen* {Pistillate.) — Very large, regular oval,
sometimes a little flattened at the point. Very handsome
rich scarlet, and of high flavor. One of Mr. Durand's
seedlings. It must be grown in hills, or single rows, and
given extra high cultivation, to insure success.

Jewell. {Pistillate.) — A new and highly extolled
variety from Connecticut, and supposed to be a seedling
of the Jersey Queen. The plants are said to be very
robust and prolific, provided, of course, that some good
perfect flo^vering variety is grown near-by for supplying its
flowers with pollen. It is described as very large, obtuse-
conical ; color bright red, changing to crimson when fully
ripe. Flesh solid and firm. It is certainly a very promis-
ing variety.

Jumbo. — This is but another name for the Cumberland
Triumph, described on page 94.

Legal Tender. {Pistillate.) — Medium size, roundish-
conical, quite uniform in shape, bright crimson, good
quality, and the plants moderately productive. It is,
however, of no special value, there being many better
varieties in cultivation.

Lida. {Pistillate.) — Large, and of a uniform broad-
conical or heart-shape ; bright red ; flesh firm and of
excellent quality ; plants hardy and prolific ; season
medium.

> Longfellow. — Medium to large, oblong, point rather
broad or blunt ; color, dark mohagany, but very glossy ;
flesh, firm, sweet and excellent. Not valuable for
market, but a good variety for amateurs, who prefer
quality to fine appearance.

Mammoth. — A new variety raised in New Jersey, and
it is claimed to be the largest known. It is also reported

APPEKDtX. 283

that single berries have been exhibited, weighing one and
a quarter ounces each.

Itlanchester. {Pistillate,) — This variety has been
very widely distributed, and somewhat extensively cul-
tivated for market, as well as for home use by
amateurs. The plant is very healthy, vigorous and
productive, and succeeds on a great variety of soils.
Fruit large, uniform in size ; light scarlet ; flesh firm
with a sprightly sub-acid flavor. The Sharpless is re-
commended as an excellent staminate for planting with
the Manchester for supplying j)ollen to its flowers.

Manchester Junior. — A seedling of the Manchester,
and claimed to be a larger variety, than its parent. Not
yet disseminated.

May King. — Described as very similar to the Crescent,
but with perfect flowers, bearing a heavy crop with ordi-
nary field culture.

Monmouth. — Another variety, said to be an improve-
ment on the Crescent, being much larger and of firmer
flesh, but with the same bright and attractive colors.
The disseminator claims that this variety possesses *' un-
usual merit."

Mrs. Garfield. — A seedling of the Crescent, raised in
Ohio. Medium to large, irregular-conical, with short
neck ; bright glossy scarlet, and of a very sprightly rich
flavor. Plants hardy and very productive.

Old Iron Clad. {Phelps.) — Medium to large, obtuse-
conical, bright crimson, glossy ; flesh firm, rather acid,
but rich. Plants hardy and exceedingly productive.
An excellent early market variety, somewhat resembling
the Wilson's Albany.

Parry. — A seedling of the Jersey Queen, raised in 1880,
but only recently disseminated. It has been awarded
several premiums at local fairs, and is highly recommended

284 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

by those who have had an opportunity of seeing and
testing it. It is described by the originator as '^ uniformly
large, obtuse-conical, briglit glossy scarlet ; flesh firm,
and of the best quality. Plant vigorous."

Sunapee. — A chance seedling found at Vineland, N. J.,
described as of uniform good size, bright crimson color ;
flesh very firm, and exceedingly sweet for a strawberry.

Wonderful. {Pistillate). — A new variety, or an old
one with a new name, the plants resemble the Champion
(see page 107), a variety also known as Windsor Chief
(as all have imperfect flowers, they are probably one and
the same variety).

RASPBERRY.

Of the Ruhus Occidentalism or Black-cap group, new
varieties are introduced almost every season, but it is very
doubtful, if any of the new are better than the best of
the old, in common cultivation a quarter of a century
ago. Among the more recent varieties of this group I
give the following in addition to those named in preceed-
ing pages :

Canada* — Very similar to the Mammoth Cluster, and
after cultivating it a few seasons, I discarded it, for it
possessed no merits or qualities not found in several of
the old and standard sorts.

Centennial. — Very large, jet black, with very little
or slight bloom on the berries, very sweet and high
flavored. Plants -vigorous and exceedingly productive.
Owing to the bright color and absence of bloom, this is
one of the best market varieties, as the fruit does not
have a stale appearance in a few hours after gathering, as
is usual with those with heavy bloom.

Chapman. — A new variety from Ohio, resembling the
Centennial in the absence of bloom on the fruit, but

APPEI^AIX. 285

ripening about one week earlier. Highly recommended
by the introducer for market.

Earhart. {Everheariyig.) — From the few specimens of
fruit and plants, that I have seen of this variety I think
it does not differ very greatly from the old Ohio Ever-
bearing, described on page 152. It is said to have been
found in Illinois about sixteen years ago. Berries large,
jet black, and excellent in quality. The old canes bear a
crop at the usual season, and the tips of the young shoots
are loaded with berries in autumn. If the Earhart
proves to be as hardy and prolific as the Ohio Everbear-
ing it will be well worth cultivating by persons who are
so fond of black raspberries, as to want them in season
and out of season.

Ililborn. — A new variety from Ohio, of which little is
known, except what is said of it by the introducer, who
claims that it is one of the best as yet introduced.

Hopkin's. — Very much like the Mammoth Cluster, but
as early as the Doolittle, and not quite so prolific as the
Souhegan.

Nemaha. — One of our most extensive cultivators of
the Raspberry says that this new variety is ^' almost
identical with the Gregg," but he thinks the plants are
more hardy. This may be an advantage in extreme
northern localities, but scarcely worth attention else-
where.

Ohio, or Alden. — A variety closely resembling, if not
identical with the Seneca, described ofi page 152. It has
long been a favorite with cultivators in Central New
York.

Souhc^an or Tyler. — Fruit very large, black, with
light bloom, good flavor, one of the very earliest of the
very large varieties. Plant vigorous, hardy, and exceed-
ingly productive.

286 SMALL FKUIT CULTURIST.

PURPLE CANE GROUP.

Caroline. — A very handsome variety, apparently a
hybrid between the purple cane and some yellow variety
of the Ruhus Occidentalis. Fruit pale salmon or buff
color, medium size, sweet and good, but too soft for
transporting to market, and in this respect very much
like the old Purple Cane.

Reliance. — Seedling of the Philadelphia, and by some
persons considered an improvement upon its parent. The
color is too dull and dark for market, and there are many
other varieties preferable for home use.

Shaffer's Colossal. — Probably the largest Kasj^berry in
cultivation of American origin, and only excelled in size
by some of the Japanese species. Berries of a dull purple
color, of fair quality. Plants vigorous and productive.
Recommended only for preserving, and for this purpose
it has no superior.

NATIVE RED AND YELLOW VARIETIES.

Golden Queen. — This is without doubt a "sport" or
bud variation of the Cuthbert, and not a seedling. My
reason for thinking so, is, that I have obtained a similar
or the same variety as the Golden Queen, from a^ sprout
on an old plant of the Cuthbert. Fruit very large, con-
ical, pale amber or yellow, and in quality not excelled by
any native or foreign variety. Canes very strong and
vigorous ; foliage pale green or yellowish green, as usual
in the light colored varieties. Hardy and exceedingly
productive. It is the best hardy yellow variety of Rasp-
berry in cultivation.

Hansen. — Very large, nearly round; light bright
crimson ; firm, but not hard ; juicy and good, one of the
earliest of the very large varieties, and a splendid berry
for market or home use. The canes are very hardy, but

APPENDIX. 287

in my grounds the growth is slender, and not half as
strong as that of either the Cuthbert or Turner. This
variety may succeed better in heavy soils than in a light
one.

Marlboro. — Very large, bright dark scarlet, a hand-
some variety ripening about mid-season, but of second-
rate quality. Plants extremely vigorous and productive.
A valuable variety for market, as the fruit is firm enough
to bear transportation, and they hold their color well.

Rancocas. — A new variety, said to be very early, the
entire crop ripening within a few days. It has not as
yet been very widely distributed, nor fully tested, and the
most that can be said in its praise is that it promises
well.

BLACKBERRIES.

Early Cluster. — Small oblong, grains medium, sweet
and good, but neither early nor superior to many wild
varieties to be found almost anywhere in the fields and
woods.

Early Harrest. — Very early, medium oval, grains
small, quality excellent, plants hardy, and in some locali-
ties and soils said to be wonderfully prolific. But it has
proved to be such a poor grower in my grounds that I
have discarded it.

Erie. — A chance seedling found near Lake Erie in
Ohio. The introducer claims that the berries are of the
largest size, exceeding the Wilson, Kittatinny or Lawton,
of excellent quality, even superior to the Kittatinny,
ripening before either the AYilson, Jr., or Wilson's Early.

Liicretia Dewberry, — The trailing Blackberries are
rarely cultivated, owing to tlieir prostrate canes and the
difficulty of working among them for the purpose of sub-
duing the weeds. Excellent varieties may usually be

288 SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

found in almost every old and neglected field and hedge*
row, but there are very few persons, who want to intro-
duce them into their gardens. Recently it has been sug-
gested that these trailing varieties might be valuable for
cultivating in very cold northern regions, where the up-
right growing varieties are killed down in winter, and
there may be something in the idea, and it is worth try-
ing. The Lucretia Dewberry is one of the wild varieties
ot this type. Berries very large and of excellent qual-
ity, and the plants hardy and exceedingly productive.

Wilson, Jr, — A seedling of the Wilson's Early, and
the originator claims that it is far superior Lo its parent,
at least in size and productiveness. The old AVilson's
Early, as it is now called, was by far tlie largest Black-
berry known at the time of its introduction, but in qual-
ity it is inferior to many of the old as well as newer
varieties, and the plants are far too tender for cultivation
in our more Northern States, and even here in Northern
New Jersey and in a light, warm soil, the plants winter-
kill about five years oat of six, and for this reason it is
worthless ; but further South, or in the vicinity of Phila-
delphia, where it originated, it is a valuable and profit-
able variety. Wilson Jr. is said to be more hardy than
its parent, consequently more productive, because the
fruit-buds are not injured by cold.

Ihere are several others, supposed to be new varieties
of the Blackberry, announced in dealers' catalogues, of
which I have not been able to obtain any trustworthy in-
formation. Among these I may mention Bonanza, Early
King, Nevada, Stone's Hardy, and Wallace.

CURRANTS.

Fay's Prolific. — This is uncpiestionably a valuable
acquisition, and one of the best, if not fhe best, red variety
in cultivation. Fruit large, deep red, bunt-hes very long.

APPENDIX. 289

moderately compact, and in quality as good as the old
Bed Dutch, and superior to the Cherry Currant. Plants
very vigorous, hardy, and productive.

GOOSEBERRIES.

No new varieties of the Gooseberry belonging to our
native species have been introduced since the revision of
this work in 1881. But a European variety, called the
*' Industry," has recently been extensively advertised as
very superior, and succeeding admirably in the Northern
States. It is a, very large, reiJ^berry of excellent qualitjo
Plant very hardy and productive.

DO SMALL FRUIT CULTUEIST.

TABLE OF DISTANCEa

ft thow at a glanee the number qf hilh or plants contained in an acre qf land, at
any given distance from each other, from 40 feel 6y 40, to 1 foot by 1, omiitino
fractions. Divide the amount by 160, wiU show the No. for 1 rod.

feet feet

■per acre

feet

feet per acre

feet feet

per acre

feet feet

per acre

40 by 40

27

11 by 5

792

5 6byl 6

5280

8 8by8 0

4818

89 .. 89

28

10.

10

435

-..10

7920

— ..2 9

4882

88 .. 88

80

—

8

544

5 0.. 5 0

1742

— ..2 6

5361

87 .. 87

81

— ,

6

726

— ..46

1936

-..2 3

5956

86 .. 86

33

—

5

871

— ..4 0

2178

— ..2 0

6701

86 .. 85

85

— .

4

1089

— ..8 0

2904

— ..19

7658

84 .. 84

87

— .

8

1452

— ..2 6

8484

— ..16

8935

83 .. 83

40

^

2

2178

— .2 0

4.356

— ..18

10722

82 .. 82

42

—

1

4356

— ..16

5808

— ..10

18403

81 .. 81

45

9 '.

9

537

— ..10

8712

80.. 8 0

4&40

80 .. 80

48

—

8

605

4 6 .. 4 6

2151

— ..29

5289

89 .. 29

61

—

6

806

— ..4 0

2420

— ..26

5808

28 .. 28

65

— ,

6

968

— ..36

2765

— ..2 8

6453

27 .. 27

59

— .

4

1210

— ..80

8226

— .2 0

7260

2| .. 26

64

—

8

1613

— ..26

3872

-..19

8297

f 25 . 25
24 .. 24

69

— ,

2

2420

-..20

4840

— ..38

9680

75

-_

1

4840

— ..16

6453

— ..18

11616

28 . 23

82

8 '.

8

680

— ..10

9680

— ..10

14520

92 .. 22

90

—

6

905

4 0 .. 4 U

2722

2 9 .. 2 9

5760

21 . . 21

98

—

6

1089

— ..3 9

2904

— ..26

6336

90 .. 20

108

—

4

1361

— ..8 6

3111

— .28

7040

— .. 15

145

— ,

3

1815

— ..3 3

3.350

— ..2 0

7920

— .. 1(V

217

. 2

1722

— .. 3 0

3630

— .19

9051 1

— .. 5

436

. —

1

5445

— ..26

4356

— .16

10560

19 .. 19

120

7 '.

.7 0

888

— ..23

4M)

— .18

12672 1

— .. 15

152

—

6 6

957

— ..20

5445

-.10

15840

— .. 10

229

_

. 6 0

1037

— ..19

6222

2 6 . . 2 ,6

6969

— .. 6

458

. 5 0

1244

— ..16

7260

-.28

7740

18 .. 18

134

. 4 6

1382

— ..18

8712

— ..3 0

8712

— .. 15

161

—

. 4 0

1555

— ..10

10890

— ..19

9950

— .. 10

912

—

. 8 6

1777

8 9 .. 3 9

8097

— ..16

11616

— .. 5

4M

. .3 0

2074

— ..8 6

3318

— ..18

139.39

17 .. 17

150

. 2 0

2489

— ..3 3

3574

— ..10

17424

— .. 15

170

—

. 2 0

8111

— ..8 0

3872

98.. 2 8

8604

— .. 10

2.56

—

. 1 <i

4148

89 .. 2 9

4224

— ..20

9680

— .. 6

612

. 1 0

6222

— ..2 6

4&46

— ..19

11062

16 . . 16

170

6 '.

. 6 0

1210

— ..2 8

5162

— ..16

12906

— .. 15

176

. 5 H

1320

— ..20

5808

— ..13

15488

— .. 10

272

—

. 5 0

1452

— ..19

6637

— ..JO

19360

— .. 6

544

. 4 «

1613

— ..16

7744

2 0 .. 2 0

loaw

16 ..16

\m

. 4 0

1815

— ..18

9272

1 —..19

12445

— .. 10

290

. 3 6

2074

— ..10

11616

— ..16

14520

— .. 6

580

. 3 0

^420

3 6 .. 8 6

3535

— ..18

17424

14 ..14

2'22

. 2 6

2904

— .8 8

3829

— ..10

21780

— .. 10

:ill

. 2 0

3630

— ..30

4148

1 9 ..1 9

14223

622

. 1 6

4&iO

— .2 9

4525

1 —..16

16594

13 '.'. 13

257

—

. 1 0

7260

— ..26

4978

i — .. 1 8

19913

— .. 10

836

66!

. 6 6

1417

— .2 8

5531

1 —..10

24464

— .. 6

670

. 6 0

lf)S4

— ..2 0

6222

1 6 ..1 6

19360

19 . . 12

802

. 4 6

1760

— ..19

7111

— ..18

23232

— .. 10

863

. 4 0

1980

— ..16

8297

— ..10

29O40

— .. 6

790

. 8 6

2262

— ..18

9956

1 8 .. 1 8

27878

11 .. 11

860

. 8 0

2640

— ..10

12445

— ..1 0

84848

- .. 10

896

— .

. 9 0

8960

8 8.88

4124

10.10

43560

GENERAL INDEX.

^cldinm Bcrberidis 29

Argema obtusatum 83

Barberry 20

" Cultureof 25

" History of 21

*' Diseases of 29

" Mildew 29

'* Propagation 21

" American 20

" Black-fruited . 28

" Chinese 28

»' Common 20-25

" Cretan". 28

" Fremont's 20

" Iberian 28

•' Magellan Sweet 20

" Nepaul.. 20

" Purple-fruited 28

" Purple-leaved 27

*' Siberian 28

" Sweet-fruited 27

" Three-leaved 21

" Violet-fruited 28

White-fruited 27

" Yellow-fruited 28

Basket, American 268

" Belgian 274

" Cook's 273

'• Jersey 266

' ' Paragon 273

" Square Chip 272

Basket Stand 278

Berberis 20

" aristata 20

" Asiattca 20

" biixifoha 20

" Canadensis 20

" Chttra 20

" Cretica 28

♦* Fremontii 20

BerberiB Iberica 18

" rotundifdia 20

" Sibirica 28

" Sinensis 28

" trifoliata 21

" vulgaris 20-25

" " alba 27

" *' asperma 27

" " dulcis 27

" " glauca 27

♦' " longifolia 27

" " lutea 28

" " mitis 28

" " nigra 28

" " purpurea 28

" " violacea 28

Blackberrt 176

" Agawam ...187

A.lbion ....It9

" Ancient Briton 187

" Baraard 187

" Cape May 183

Claret 189

Col. Wilder 189

" Common High 178

" Crystal White 189

" Cumberland 182

Cut-leaved 180

" Dr. Warder 189

" Dodge's Thornless 187

" Dorchester 183

" Early Bumton 187

" European 178

" Felton 183

" Holcomb 183

" Hoosac Thornless 187

" Kittatinny .183

" Knox 187

" Laivton 186

" Low ITZ

Synonyms are put in Italics.

(?9l)

292

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Blackberry, Low Bush 177

" Missouri Mammoth 187

" Needhara's White 188

" Newman's Thornless 186

" New Rochelle 186

" Parsley-Leaved 181

" Propagation of 179

*' Pruning Shears 180

*' Pruning Hook 180

" Running Swamp 177

♦' Sable Queen 187

" Sand 177

" Seacor's Mam7noth 186

" Snyder 188

*' Taylor's Prolific 188

" Wacliusett Thornless 188

" Western Triumph 188

" Wilson's Early 189

Blueberry, Canada 255

" Dwarf 255

" Swamp 255

Blue Dangleberry 254

Bnflfalo Berry 259

Cherry, Cornelian .233

Cherry, Dwarf ..191

Cloud Berry 120

Cornel 233

Cornelian Cherry 233

Coruus mascula 233

Cranberry 239

" Applying water to 247

" Bush 240

" Common 239

" Gathering ..242

" History of 240

•' Lisects ..249

" Planting 245

" Preparation of Soil for. . . .242

" Profits of Culture 252

" Propagation 241

Upland Cuhure 250

" Varieties of 248

Crows and Fruit Culture c 85

Currant 194

" Foreign Varieties 210

" History of 195

" Insects and Diseases 204

" Native Varieties. 207

" Propagation 196

" Pruning and training 201

" Soil and Cultivation 200

♦* Attractor 211

Currant, American Black 207

" Black English 217

" Black Grape 218

" Black Naples 218

" Brown-fruited 219

" Buist's Long-Bunched Red.212

" Cassis Royal of Naples 218

" Champagne 212

Cherry 212

" Clarice's Sweet 217

" Dana's White 214

" Deseret 207

" Fertile cf Angers of Leroy . .211

" Fertile de Palluau 214

" Fetid 194

" Gloire de Sablons 214

" Golden 208

Goliath 216

" GoudouinRed 214

" Gondouin White ..214

" Greenfruited 219

" Gros Rouge d' Angers 214

" Holland Long Grape 214

" Houghton Castle , . 216

" Impenal Javne 214

" linx)eriai Rouge 215

" Imperial Yellow 214

" Irish Grape 212

" Knight's Early Red 215

" Knight's Large Red 215

" Knight's Sweet Red....... 215

" La Caucase 212

" LaFertUe 215

" LaHative 215

" La Hative de Berlin 215

" Large Red Angers 212-214

" Large Red Dutch 215

" Lee's Prolific 219

" Long Bunched Red 215

" Mac70carpa 212

" May's Victoria 215

" Missouri 195

Missouri Black. . 208

" Missouri Sweet-fruited 209

" Morgan's Red 215

" Napoleon Red 212

" Neio Red Dutch 215

" New White Dutch 217

' ' Ogden's Black Grape 218

" Pheasant's Eye 212

" Prince Albert 215

Profits of Culture 219

GENERAL IXDEX.

293

Cnrrant, Hdby Castle 216

Red 195

Red Dutch 215

Red Flowering 195

Red Grape 216

Red Grape 216

Bed Imperial 212

Red Provence 216

Reeves' White 217

Rouge a Grosse Fruit 215

Russian Green 219

Striped-fruited 216

Transparent White 217

Versailles 213

Victoria 216

White Antwerp 217

White Clinton 217

White Crystal 217

White Dutch 217

White Grape 217

White Holland 217

White Imperial 217

White Leglimn 217

White Pearl 217

White Provence 217

White Transparent 217

WilmoCs Red Grape 216

Wild Black 194

Dangleherry, Blue, 254

Dewberry 177

Dwarf Cherry 191

Forcing Houses . * 74

Fragaria 31

collina ........ 32

" ^ elatior 32

" grandiflora 32

*" Indica 33

" monophylla ll'T

" vesca 31

" Virginiana , 32

Fruit Box, Free .269

Gothic, Free 272

" Guernsey 275

" Hallock's 268

Smith's 276

Fruit Case, Johnson's Premium 275

Gathering Fruit... 277

Gaylussacia frondosa 254

" resinosa 255

Gooseberry 232

American Red 230

*' CluBter Seedling 230

Gooseberry, Downing..,. 250

Dutch Joe 230

" Foreign Species 223

" Foreign Varieties 231

"■ History.. 224

" Houghton's Seedling.. 230

" Insects Injurious to 228

" Mountain Seedling 2^30

" Native Species 222

" Native Varieties 230

" PaleRed ....2.30

" Prize English Varieties232

" Profits of Culture 229

" Propagation of 224

" Pruning and Training. .225
" Roberts' Sweet Water. . . 230

" St. Clair 230

" Small Leaved 223

" Smooth... 222

" Soil and Culture 226

" Swamp .,..223

Grosse de Buffle 259

Hippophee argentea 259

Huckleberry 254

" Black 255

" Dwarf 255

" High-bush 255

Insects.

"■ Abraxis Grossulariata 204

" '•' ribearia /....20i

" Aphis ribis 229

" Blackberry Bush Borer... 149

" Cecidomya Grossulariae 229

" Currant Borer, American.. 207
" " Borer, European.. 206

" Worm 204

" Eufitchia ribearia 204

"■ Gooseberry Bark-louse 228

" " Midge 229

" Lecanium Cynosbati 228

" May Beetle 84

" Mealy Flata 228

" Paeciloptera pruinosa 223

" Plant-Louse 88

" Pristiphora gro6sulariata..206

" Trochiliumcandatum 207

" " tipuliforme... 206

" White Grub 84

Introduction 6

Microsphaeria Berberidis 30

Number of Plants to the Acre 279

Preparation for Gathering Fruit. . ..263

204

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST.

Propagation, by Cuttings 22

" Ck-een-wood Cuttings. 24

" Root Cuttings 124

Prunus pumila 192

Rabbit Berry 259

Raspberry 119

" American Black 150

" Black 122

" Black Cap, Propagation

of 128

•♦ Brand 146

" Rust 146

" Disease and Insects. ... 146

»' Duration of Plants 145

" Dwarf 121

'* European 122

" Garden Culture of 143

" History of 122

" Planting and Culture ... 137

'* Propagation of 123

♦* Pruning of 140

** Purple Flowering 119

♦• Selection of Plants 137

*• Training of 141

** Varieties for Family Use 174

•* Varieties for Market. ... 175

*» White Flowering 120

«» WildRed 120

" Winter Protection of. ... 142

** Allen's Antwerp 159

" Allen's Red Prolific 159

" Amazon 164

** American Improved 150

** American Red Cane 155

" American White Cap ... 150

" Antwerp 163

*• Antwerp Red 163

. " Antwerp Yellow 163

" Bamet 164

** BameVs Antwerp 164

•> " Beehive 173

/ *' Belle de Fontenay 164

t ♦* Belle de Palluau 165

" Brandy wine 162

" Brentford Cane 194

** Brinckle's Orange 171

•* Bromley Hill 173

•• Burley's Antwerp 163

•• Burlington 165

** Caroline 151

** Catawissa 153

•♦ ChiUMonthly 173

Raspberry, Clarke 165

Col. Wilder 166

" Cope 166

" Cornish 173

" CormvaWsPrdiflc 164

" Cornwall's Seedling 164

" Cretan Red 166

" Cushing 166

" Cutbush's Prince of

Wales 166

'* Cuthbert 162

" Cox's Honey 173

" Davison's Thornless 151

* » Doolittle's Black Cap .... 150

" Downing 166

" Double Bearing 166

" Double Bearing Yellow . . 163

" Duhring 167

" Early Prolific 173

" Elizabeth 169

" EUisdale 155

" Emily 167

' ' English Antwerp 163

" Fastolflr 167

" Fillbasket 167

" Foreign Varieties 163

" Franconia 167

'* French 168

" Fulton , 168

" Ganarqua 155

" Gardiner 155

" Genial Patterson 168

" Golden Cap 160

Gregg 151

" Herstine 169

" Herstine's Seedlings .... 168

" Hornet 170

" Sowland's Antwerp 163

*' Hudson River Antiverp . . 163

" Huntsman's Giant 170

" Imperial 170

" Improved Black Cap 150

" Jillard's Seedling 173

" Joslyn's Impr&ced 150

" Jouet 176

" Keystone 173

" Kirtland 162

" Knevet's Giant 170

" KnevetVs Antwerp 163

" Large-fruited Monthly. . .170

" Large Miami 161

" Large Bed... 164

Gi5KERAL INDEX

295

Raspberry, Longworth 173

" Lord Exmouth 164

" McCormick 151

" Magnum Bo nil m 170

** Mammoth Cluster 151

" Marxd of the Four Sea-
sons 171

*' Merveil le Quatre Saisonsl71

" Miami Black Cap 152

" Montclair 171

" Monthly Black Cap 152

•' Mote's Seedling 174

" Mrs. Ingersoll 173

" Mrs. Wilder 174

" Naomi 167

" New Everbearing 174

" New Red Antwerp 163

** Northumberland FiUbas-

ket 167

" Nottingham Scarlet 174

" Ohio Everbearing 152

" Old Red Antwerp W3

" Orange 163

" Philadelphia 156

" Pilate 171

" Princess Alice 174

*' Purple Cane 155

" Purple Cane Family ... 153

" (^een of the Market 162

" Reliance 157

" Richardson 174

" divers'' New Monthly 170

" Rivers' Seedlings 171

" Ruby 169

" Russell's Red 172

»' St. Louis 174

*' Samiders 169

" Semper Fidelis 172

" Seneca 152

" Souchetti 172

" Spring Grove I'M

" Summit Yellow Cap 152

'• Superb 174

" Superb d'Angleterre 174

" Surpasse Merveille 174

" Surprise 152

" Susqueco 162

" Taylor's Paragon 174

" ThorriLess Black Cap. . . 151

" True Red Antwerp. ... 163

" Vice-President French. . . 168

** Walker 172

Raspberry, White Antwerp 163

" White Transparent 172

" Wild Red 121

" Wilmington 162

" Wilmot's Early Red 174

" Woodward 174

" Woodward's Red Globe.174

" Yellow Cap 150

Yellow Chili 173

Ribes 194

" aureum 195

" cuneifolium 223

" Cyiiosbati 222

" divaricatum 223

" floridum 194

" gracile 223

" Grossularia 223

" hirtellum 222

" lacustre 223

" microphyllum 223

" nigrum 195

" oxycanthoides 223

" prostratum 194

" rotundifolium 223

" rubrum 195

" sanguineum 195

" Uva cy-ispa 223

Root Cuttings 123

Rubus 119

" Canadensis 177

" Chamaemorus 120

" cuneifolius 177

" fruticosus 178

" hispidus 177

" Idaeus 122

" Japonicus 122

" laciniatus igl

" leucodermis 121

" Nutkauus 120

" occidentalis 122

" odoratus 119

" pedatus 120

" spectabilis 120

" strigosus 121

" triflorus 121

" trivialie 177

" viUosus 176

Shepherdia 259

" argentea 259

" Canadensis 259

Slugs 88

!96

SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST,

Stbawberrt SI

" Brand 83

" Culture^ Annual. 63

♦' " Bieuuial 62

" " Garden 64

" " Eowsand Hills 63

" Diseases and Insects. . . 83

" Forcing 70

•' Historyof 32

*' Houses for — . 74

" Hybridizing and Cross-
ing 76

" Manures for 54

•' Plan tingand Cultivation 60

" PotPlants 52

" Preparation of Plants.. 57

" Propagation of 48

" " by Division of Roots 53

" " byKunners 52

« " by Seeds , 50

♦' Sexuality of 39

" Soil and Situation 53

" Structure of Plants. ... 46

" Thinning the Fruit 76

«' Tiles 67

" Time to Plant 56

" Varieties for Forcing. . 75

Vase 67

•* Winter Protection 80

List of Vakietibs.

Admiral Dundas 110

Agriculturist 90

Albion White 90

Alpine 31

Alpine Blanc 116

Alpine Red , 116

Alpine Red Monthly 116

Alpine Rouge 116

Alpine White 116

Alpine White Monthly 116

Alpine Varieties 116

Ambrosia 110

Anrn-ican Alpine 116

Austin 90

Autumnal Galande 116

Baltimore Scarlet 92

Baron Beman de Linnick 110

Bartlett 91

Belle 80

Belle Artesieuus Ill

Belle Bordelaise 117

Belle de Vibert Ill

Berancon 116

Bicolor Ill

Bidwell 81

Bijou Ill

Black Defiance 81

Black Hautbois 118

Bont6 de St. Julien 110

Boston Pine 91

Boule d'Or 110

Boyden's iVo. 30 104

Brighton Pine 91

Brooklyn Scarlet 91

Buffalo,... 91

Burr's New Pine 91

Bush Alpine, Red 117

Bush Alpine, White 117

Caperon Eoyale 118

Captain Jack 92

Carnolia Magna Ill

Caroline 29

Caucasian 117

Centennial Favorite 92

Cetewayo 107

Champion 92

Champion of Richmond 107

Charles Downing 92

Chorlton's Prolific 107

Cinderella 92

Col. Cheney 93

Col. Ellsworth 93

Continental 93

Crescent Seedling 93

Crimson Cone 93

Crimson Favorite 107

Crystal City 94

Cumberland Triumph 94

Cutter's Seedling 107

Damask Beauty 94

Dent de Cheval 116

De Montreuil a Fruit Blanc 116

De Montreuil a Fruit Rouge 116

De Montreuil a Marteau 116

Deptford Pine Ill

Des Alpes a Fruit Rouge 116

Diadem 107

Dioecious Hautbois 117

Double Bearing 118

Downer's Prolific 94

Duchess 94

Duke de Malakoff Ill

GEKERAL IKDEX.

^9^

Duncan 94

Durand's Beauty 107

Durand's Seedling 95

Early Adela 107

Early Scarlet 95

Eclipse 107

Elton Improved Ill

Emily , 107

Emma Ill

Empress Eugenie Ill

Endicott 107

Fillmore 95

Finch's Prolific 107

Foreign Varieties 109

Forest Rose 96

Fragaria lucida 108

French's Seedling 107

Fressant IIG

Frogmore Late Pine Ill

Georgia Mammoth 108

Germantown 98

Gilbert's Large Brown ... 117

Glendale 96

Globe Hautbois US

Glory de Nancy Alpine 116

Golden Defiance 96

Golden Queen 108

Golden Seeded 97

Goliath 112

Great American 97

Green 32

Green Alpine 117

Green Pine Apple 117

Green Prolific 97

Green Wood .117

Gwentver 112

Haquin 112

Hart's Minnesota 108

Hautbois 32

Hautbois Varieties 117

Hermaphrodite 118

Hero 112

Hervey Davis 97

Hillman 112

Hooker 98

Hovey 98

Huddleston's Favorite . 98

Ida 108

India 32

Iowa. 108

Jucunda.. 112

Kate 112

Kentucky 98

Kerr's Prolific 108

Kimberiy Pine 113

Kirkwood iQg

Knox's 700 112

Kramer's Seedling 108

La Constante 113

Ladies' Pine 93

Lady Finger 98

Lady of the Lake '. 99

LaMendonaise 116

Large-flowering 32

La Sultanne 113

Laurel Leaf 99

Le Baron 108

Lennig's White loO

Leon de St. Laumer 113

Longfellow 99

Long-fruited Muscatell 118

Longworth's Prolifie 100

Loreuz Booth 113

Lucas 113

Lucida Perfecta 113

Mammoth Bush 108

Marguerite 113

Marvin .101

McAvoy's Superior 106

Mead's Seedling 108

Metcalfs Early 108

Miner's Great Prolific 101

Monarch of the West 101

Monitor 108

Monstrous Hautbois 118

Mount Vernon 108

Musky Hautbois 117

Napoleon HI , 113

Native Varieties 90

Neunan's Prolific , 101

Newark Prolific 97

New Dominion 101

New Jersey Scarlet 102

Nicanor , 101

Old John Brown , 102

One-Leaved Alpine.... 117

Orient 102

Oscar 114

Paine 108

Perry's Seedling 102

Philadelphia 109

I^ne Apple 93

Pioneer 103

Piper's Seedling 109

298

SMALL FiiriT CULTURIST.

Poitou Alpine Monthly 116

Powdered Pine 117

President Wilder 103

Prince's Frederick William 114

Prolific Alpine 116

Prolific Hautbois 118

Reed's Kansas Mammoth 109

Begent's Dwarf 118

Russell's Advance 109

Russell's Prolific 103

Sabreur 114

Sacomke 118

Satin Gloss 103

Scarlet Alpine 116

Scarlet Runner 104

Scotch Runner 104

Scotch Runner 93

Scott's Seedling 104

Seth Boyden ... 104

Shaker 107

Sharpless 104

Sir Joseph Banks 118

Souvenir de Kieflf 114

Sucker State 109

TremUy's Union c 116

Triomphe de Gand 114

Topsy 114

Versailles Alpine Monthly 116

Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury 115

Victoria 115

Ville de Bois lie

Vineuse de Nantes 115

Virginian 33

Walden 109

Warren 109

White Pineapple 100

White Wood Strawberry 117

Wieland 109

Wilding 109

Williams^ Green Pine 117

Wilson's Albany 105

Windsor Chief 92

Wood 31-117

Table of Distances 279

Thimble Berry 120-150

Vaccinium 254

"■ Canadense 255

" corymbosum ....255

" erythrocarpon 240

" macrocarpon 239

" Oxycoccus 239

*" PdnnsylraBicum 3S5

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First Principles of Soil Fertility

By Alfred Vivian. There is no subject of more vital
importance to the farmer than that of the best method
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The Study of Corn

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First Lessons in Dairying

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<2)

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The Business of Dairying

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Questions and Answers on Buttermaking

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Soils

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Weeds of the Farm Garden

By L. H. Pammel. The enormous losses, amounting
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Farm Machinery and Farm Motors

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(4)

The Cereals in America

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History, Cultivation and Merits. Its Uses as a Forage
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Clean Milk

By S. D. Belcher, M.D. In this book the author sets forth
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(5)

Bean Culture

By Glenn C. Sevey, B.S. A practical treatise on the pro-
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Celery Culture

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Tomato Culture

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The Potato

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Dwarf Fruit Trees

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<6)

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