Macatawa everbearing blackberry

Historic, Archive Document

Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

I

KDEXES.

BERRY SPECIALIST

Specializing on the Wonderful
Macatawa Everbearing Blackberry

ALFRED MITTING

Holland, Michigan ^

Macatawa

* «=»

Everbearing

Blackberry

Our Great Macatawa Challenge
Offer

I will pay $1000 for two dozen plants of a better Black-
berry than the Macatawa, judged on the following points :4
i, size of berries; 2, hardiness of plants; 3, habit of growth
of plant and fruit; 4, yield or average cropping; 5, flavor of
berries; 6, freedom of berries from core or seeds; 7, ease in
picking; 8, shipping quality of berries.

The Macatawa Berry is 3% inches one way
by 3% inches the other.

Wonderful

Vitality

Four out of the six “Mac-
atawa” have started growth,
which is satisfactory con-
sidering the roots were only
packed in paper and sent
this long distance.

Yours faithfully

Tercy Fowler.
Shanghai, China,

July 6, 1913.

We Ship to All Parts of the World

Moji, Shimonoseki Straits, Japan, May 5th, 1913.
Alfred Mitting, Esq., Berry Specialist, Holland, Michigan, U. S. A.

Dear Sir: — I thank you very much for the kind care you have taken with my
small order. All the plants arrived in excellent condition with nice new sprouts.

They are mostly doing well, but owing to the fault of my old Japanese man ex-
posing them too soon on a sunny day some of them got a set back but I still
hope to save them all.

The hand pruner and your book have not yet arrived but the monthly paper
comes regularly.

As you know we are not allowed to own land in this country, so all foreigners
in this country are watching with deep interest the result of the California Land
Bill, as it will cause our friends the Japanese to look at the question from a
another point of view. I have a lease on some land and if I am not removed to
another office, intend to ask you to send me Macatawas and Gooseberries.

Please send me your yearly circular e\ery year as it is most interesting.

Tours faithfully, L. BERNIE.

New Macatawa Everbearing
Blackberry

THE MACATAWA originated by Alfred Mitting, in 1909, at
Holland, Michigan, a cross between the true Giant Himalaya
and the Eldorado, and offered to the trade in the fall of 1912.
I have named it the Macatawa as that term carries to me the, idea of
our cold Michigan winters and our occasional dry summers, which
this berry stands without the slightest damage. It went through the
extreme cold winter of 1911-12 in an exposed condition without
freezing. The Macatawla has characteristics of both its parents.
The fruit is very large and sweet, in fact it is the sweetest blackberry
grown. It is coreless and almost seedless ; very solid, jet black when
ripe, and can be shipped 1000 miles without bruising. The shape is
oblong, very uniform, averaging three and one-half inches around one
way, by three and one-fourth inches the other way.

It begins blooming in the southern and coast states about Febru-
ary 15. In the eastern states about April 1st. One month later you
can begin to pick. It is a continual cropper from Spring until the
frosts, in fact it is the only berry in my 46 year’s experience that is
an everbearing variety.

Its habit is similar to that of the Eldorado, but self branching,
and the bloom is almost semi-double, about the size of a silver dollar.
So far, all who have tried the berry, say that it is the sweetest and
best flavored berry they have ever tried. When it was in fruit
at Berrydale, it was admired by everyone that saw it, and three thou-
sand plants were sold to said visitors, in the fall of 1912. The young
plants come from suckers and not from tips, but it is a shy sucker
maker, so we propagate by digging up the roots between the rows
and cutting same into one, and one and one-half inch pieces. The.se
piece roots are sown in rows four inches deep, and the rows two feet
apart. They should be sown in the southern and coast states from
December 1st to March 1st, in the center states from March 1st to
May 1 st. By the next fall you will have nice plants full of fiber
roots, and the plants will be 18 inches high and ready to plant in the
field for fruit. Our price of these piece roots is $10 per thousand,
one year old plants, $2 per dozen, $12 per hundred, $100 per 1000.
50 plants go at 100 rates, 500 at thousand rates.

Address all orders to

ALFRED MITTING

HOLLAND, .... MICHIGAN