Success With Small Fruits

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That the great industry is not falling off is shown by the following
statement, taken from the New York "Tribune" in the summer of 1779:
"The village of Highland, opposite Poughkeepsie, runs a berry boat
daily to New York, and the large night steamers are now taking out
immense loads of raspberries from the river towns every evening,
having at times nearly 2,000 bushels on board."

From as careful a computation as I have been able to make, through the
courtesy of the officers of the large Kingston boats the "Baldwin" and
"Cornell," I am led to believe that these two steamers unitedly
carried to the city over twenty thousand bushels of berries that same
year. The magnitude of this industry on the Hudson will be still
better realized when it is remembered that several other freight boats
divide this traffic with the Kingston steamers.

When we consider what a delicate and perishable fruit this is, it can
be understood that gathering and packing it properly is no bagatelle.
Sometimes you will find the fruit grower's family in the field, from
the matron down to the little ones that cannot reach the highest
berries. But the home force is wholly insufficient, and any one who
will pick--man, woman or child--is employed. Therefore, drifting
through the river towns during June and July, are found specimens
almost as picturesque, if not so highly colored, as those we saw at
Norfolk--poor whites from the back country and mountains; people from
the cities on a humble "lark," who cannot afford to rusticate at a
hotel; semi-tramps, who have not attained to the final stage of
aristocratic idleness, wherein the offer of work is an insult which
they resent by burning a barn. Rude shanties, with bunks, are fitted
up to give all the shelter they require. Here they lead a gypsy life,
quite as much to their taste as camping in the Adirondacks, cooking
and smoking through the June twilight, and as oblivious of the
exquisite scenery about them as the onion-eating peasants of Italy;
but when picking the fruit on a sunny slope, and half-hidden by the
raspberry bushes, Nature blends them with the scene so deftly that
even they become picturesque.

The little round "thirds," as they are termed, into which the berries
are gathered, are carried out of the sunlight to sheds and barns; the
packer receives them, giving tickets in exchange, and then, too often
with the deliberation and ease induced by the summer heat, packs them
in crates. As a result, there is frequently a hurry-scurry later in
the day to get the berries off in time.

The Fastollf, Northumberland Fillbasket, and Knevett's Giant are fine
old English varieties that are found in private gardens, but have
never made their way into general favor.

The Franconia is now the best foreign variety we have. It was
introduced from Paris by Mr. S. G. Perkins, of Boston, about thirty-
seven years ago, and is a large, obtuse, conical berry, firm, thus
carrying well to market, and although a little sour, its acid is of a
rich, sprightly character. It is raised largely in Western New York,
and in northern latitudes is one of the most profitable.

It is almost hardy in the vicinity of Rochester, receiving by some
growers no winter protection. Its lack of hardiness with us, and
further southward, is due to its tendency--common to nearly all
foreign berries--to lose its foliage in August. I am inclined to think
that it would prove one of the most profitable in Canada, and that if
it were simply pinned down to the surface of the ground, and thus kept
under the deep snows, it would rarely suffer from the cold. It should
be distinctly understood that the climate of Canada, if winter
protection is given--indeed, I may say, without protection--is far
better adapted to tender raspberries than that of New Jersey,
Virginia, or even Pennsylvania.

The long continuance of the Franconia in bearing is one of its best
qualities. We usually enjoy its fruit for six weeks together. Its
almost globular shape is in contrast with another excellent French
variety, the Belle de Fontenay, a large, long, conical, but somewhat
irregular-shaped berry of very superior flavor. Mr. Fuller says that
it is entirely hardy. It survives the winter without protection on my
grounds. The canes are very stocky and strong, and unless growing
thickly together are branching. Its most marked characteristic,
however, is a second crop in autumn, produced on the tips of the new
canes. If the canes of the previous year are cut even with the ground
early in spring, the new growth gives a very abundant autumn crop of
berries, which, although much inclined to crumble in picking, and to
be irregular in shape, have still the rare flavor of a delicious fruit
long out of season. It certainly is the best of the fall-bearing
kinds, and deserves a place in every garden. There are more profitable
market varieties, however; but, if the suckers are vigorously
destroyed, and the bearing canes cut well back, the fruit is often
very large, abundant, and attractive, bringing the highest prices. As
a plantation grows older, the tendency to sucker immoderately
decreases, and the fruit improves.

The Belle de Pallua and Hornet are also French varieties that in some
sections yield fine fruit, but are too uncertain to become favorites
in our country.

I have a few canes of a French variety that Mr. Downing imported a
number of years since, and of which the name has been lost. It
certainly is the finest raspberry I have ever seen, and I am testing
its adaptation to various soils.

Having named the best-known foreign varieties, I will now turn to
_R. Strigosus_, or our native species, which is scattered almost
everywhere throughout the North. In its favorite haunts by roadside
hedge and open glade in the forest, a bush is occasionally found
producing such fine fruit that the delighted discoverer marks it, and
in the autumn transfers it to his garden. As a result, a new variety
is often heralded throughout the land. A few of these wildings have
become widely popular, and among them the Brandywine probably has had
the most noted career.

Mr. William Parry, of New Jersey, who has been largely interested in
this variety, writes to me as follows:

"I have never been able to trace the origin of this berry. It
attracted attention some eight or ten years since in the Wilmington
market, and was for a time called the 'Wilmington.'"

Subsequently Mr. Edward Tatnall, of that city, undertook to introduce it
by the name of Susqueco, the Indian name for the Brandywine. It soon
became the principal raspberry grown along the Brandywine Creek, and as
the market-men would persist in calling it after its chief haunt, it
will probably bear the historical name until it passes wholly out of
favor. Its popularity is already on the wane, because of its dry texture
and insipid flavor, but its bright color, good size, and especially its
firmness and remarkable carrying qualities, will ever lead to its ready
sale in the market. It is not a tall, vigorous grower, except in very
rich land. The young canes are usually small, slender, of a pale red
color, and have but few spines. Like nearly all the _R. Strigosus_
species, it tends to sucker immoderately. If this disposition is
rigorously checked by hoe and cultivator, it is productive; otherwise,
the bearing canes are choked and rendered comparatively unfruitful. This
variety is waning before the Cuthbert--a larger and much better berry.

The Turner is another of this class, and, in Mr. Charles Downing's
opinion, is the best of them. It was introduced by Professor J. B.
Turner, of Illinois, and is a great favorite in many parts of the
West. It has behaved well on my place for several years, and I am
steadily increasing my stock of it. I regard it as the hardiest
raspberry in cultivation, and a winter must be severe, indeed, that
injures it. Like the Crescent Seedling strawberry, it will grow
anywhere, and under almost any conditions. The laziest man on the
continent can have its fruit in abundance, if he can muster sufficient
spirit to put out a few roots, and hoe out all the suckers except five
or six in the hill. It is early, and in flavor surpasses all of its
class; the fruit is only moderately firm. Plant a few in some out-of-
the-way place, and it will give the largest return for the least
amount of labor of any kind with which I am acquainted. The canes are
very vigorous, of a golden reddish-brown, like mahogany, over which
spreads in many places a purple bloom, like that on a grape, and which
rubs off at the touch. It is almost free from spines, and so closely
resembles the Southern Thornless in all respects that I cannot
distinguish between them.

The Turner is a fine example of the result of persistent well-doing.
After having been treated slightingly and written down at the East for
ten years or more, it is now steadily winning its way toward the front
rank. Mr. A. S. Fuller, who has tried most of the older varieties,
says that he keeps a patch of it for his own use, because it gives so
much good fruit with so little trouble.

I shall give its origin in Professor Turner's own words, as far as
possible:

"Soon after I came to Illinois, in 1833, I obtained, through a friend
from the East, some raspberries sold to me as the 'Red Antwerp.' I do
not know or believe that there was at that time any other red
raspberry within one hundred miles of this place. Indeed, I have never
seen a native wild red raspberry in the State, though it may be there
are some. I found the Antwerp would not stand our climate, but by
extreme care I protected it one winter, and it bore some fruit. I
conceived the idea of amusing my leisure hours from college duty by
raising new seedling raspberries, strawberries, etc., that would be
adapted to the climate of the State. I had only a small garden spot,
no particular knowledge of the business, and no interest in it outside
of the public good. I read upon the subject, as far as I then could,
and planted and nursed my seedlings. Out of hundreds or thousands
sown, I got one good early strawberry, which had a local run for a
time; one fair blackberry, but no grapes or raspberries that seemed
worth anything. The seeds of the raspberries were sown in a bed back
of my house, and the shoots reserved were all nurtured on the same
bed. After I supposed them to be a failure, I set out an arbor vitae
hedge directly across the raspberry bed, making some effort to destroy
the canes so that the little cedars might grow. Sometimes, when they
were in the way of the cedars they were hoed out. If any of them bore
berries, the fowls doubtless destroyed them, or the children ate them
before they ripened, until the cedars got so high as to give them
protection. Then the children found the ripe fruit, and reported it to
me. I have not the least doubt but this raspberry came from a seed of
the plants obtained from the East as the Red Antwerp. The original
canes may have been false to name, or a mixture of the true and false.
Whatever they were, they bore good, red berries, which I supposed to
be Antwerps; but the canes were so tender as to be worthless. It is
wholly impossible that the new variety should have come from any other
seed than that sown by me where the vitae hedge now stands."

This letter is very interesting in showing how curiously some of our
best varieties originate. Moreover, it suggests a dilemma. How is it
possible that an Antwerp--one of the most tender varieties--could have
been the parent of the hardiest known raspberry? How could a sort
having every characteristic of our native _R. Strigosus_ spring direct
from _R. Idoeus_?

I have been familiar with the Antwerps all my life, and can see no
trace of them in this hardy berry. Mr. A. S. Fuller writes to me, "The
Turner is a true native--_R. Strigosus_;" and Mr. Charles Downing
holds the same opinion. Hence I am led to believe that there was a
native variety among the plants the professor obtained from the East,
or that a seed of a native was dropped among the cedars by a bird, or
brought thither in the roots of the cedars. Be this as it may,
Professor Turner's good motives have been rewarded and he has given
the public an excellent raspberry.

In connection with this subject, Mr. Fuller added the following fact,
which opens to the amateur a very interesting field for experiment:
"If there is any doubt in regard to such matters, raise a few
seedlings of the variety, and if it is a cross or hybrid, a part of
the seedlings will revert back to each parent, or so near them that
there will be no difficulty in determining that there was a mixture of
blood. If all our so-called hybrid fruits were thus tested, we would
then know more of their true parentage." In the sunny laboratory of
the garden, therefore, Nature's chemistry will resolve these juicy
compounds back into their original constituents.

The Highland Hardy, or Native, also belongs to this species, and is
quite a favorite still in some localities; but it has had its day, I
think. Its extreme earliness has made it profitable in some regions;
but its softness, small size and wretched flavor should banish it from
cultivation as soon as possible.

There are others, like the Thwack, Pearl, and Bristol; they are but
second rate, being inferior in most regions to the Brandywine, which
they resemble.

In my opinion, the chief value of _R. Strigosus_ is to be found in two
facts. In the first place, they endure the severe Northern winters,
and--what is of far more consequence--their best representatives
thrive in light soils, and their tough foliage does not burn under the
hot sun. It thus becomes the one species of _red_ raspberry that can
be raised successfully in the South, and from it, as a hardy stock, we
should seek to develop the raspberries of the future.

CHAPTER XXII

RUBUS OCCIDENTALIS--BLACK-CAP AND PURPLE CANE RASPBERRIES

We now turn to the other great American species--_Rubus Occidentalis_
--the well-known black-cap, or thimble berry, that is found along
almost every roadside and fence in the land. There are few little
people who have not stained their lips and fingers, not to mention
their clothes, with this homely favorite. I can recall the days when,
to the horror of the laundress, I filled my pockets with the juicy
caps. It is scarcely necessary to recall its long, rambling, purple
shoots, its light-green foliage, silvery on the under side, its
sharp and abundant spines, from which we have received many a vicious
scratch. Its cultivation is so simple that it may be suggested in a
few sentences. It does not produce suckers, like _R. Strigosus_,
but the tips of the drooping branches root themselves in the soil
during August and September, forming young plants. These, planted,
produce a vigorous bush the first year that bears the second season,
and then dies down to the perennial root, as is the case with all
raspberries. Usually, the tips of the _young_ canes will take root, if
left to themselves, unless whipped about by the wind. If new plants in
abundance are desired, it is best to assist Nature, however, by
placing a little earth on the tip just after it begins to enlarge
slightly, thus showing it is ready to take root. This labor is quickly
performed by throwing a handful or two of earth on the tips with a
trowel. The tips do not all mature for propagation at one time;
therefore, it is well to go over the plantation every two weeks after
the middle of August and cover lightly with earth only such as are
enlarged. If covered before this sign of readiness appears, the tip
merely decays. If a variety is very scarce, we may cover not only the
tips, but also much of the cane, lightly--an inch or two--with earth,
and each bud will eventually make a plant. This should not be done,
however, until the wood is well ripened, say about the first of
October. Throw a few leaves over such layered canes in November, and
divide the buds and roots into separate plants early in spring. They
will probably be so small as to need a year in the nursery row.
Sometimes, after the first tip is rooted, buds a little above it will
push into shoots which also will root themselves with slight
assistance, and thus the number of new plants is greatly increased.
Spring is by far the best time, at the North, for planting these
rooted tips; but it should be done as early as possible, before the
bud has started into its brittle, succulent growth. At the South,
November is probably the best season for planting. It is a species
that adapts itself to most soils, even the lightest, and endures much
neglect. At the same time, it responds generously to good culture and
rigorous pruning, and if moisture is abundant the yield is simply
enormous. It not only thrives far to the north, but can also be grown
further south than any other class of raspberries.

In planting, spread out the roots and let them go down their full
length, but do not put over an inch or two of soil on the bud from
which the new canes are to spring. Press the earth firmly
_around_ this bud, but _not on_ it. Let the rows be six feet apart,
and the plants three feet from each other in the row; at this
distance, 2,400 will be required for an acre. Summer pinching back
will transform these sprawling, drooping canes into compact, stocky
bushes, or ornamental shrubs that in sheltered locations will be self-
supporting. Clean culture, and, as the plantation grows older, higher
stimulation, greatly enhance success. After the plants begin to show
signs of age and feebleness, it is best to set out young plants on new
ground.

The varieties of this species are almost innumerable, since seedlings
come up by the million every year; but the differences between the
majority of them are usually very slight. There are four kinds,
however, that have won honorable distinction and just popularity. The
earliest of these is Davidson's Thornless, said to have originated in
the garden of Mrs. Mercy Davidson, Towanda, Erie Co., N.Y. It is
nothing like so vigorous a grower as the other three varieties; but
the sweetness of the fruit and the freedom from thorns make it
desirable for the home garden. Unless high culture or moist soil is
given, I do not recommend it for market.

Next in order of ripening is the Doolittle, or American Improved,
found growing wild, about thirty-five years since, by Leander Joslyn,
of Phelps, Ontario Co., N.Y., and introduced by Mr. H. H. Doolittle.
This, hitherto, has been the most popular of all the species, and
thousands of bushels are annually raised for market. The plant is
exceedingly vigorous, producing strong, branching canes that literally
cover themselves with fruit. I have seen long rows fairly black with
caps. Perhaps it should be stated that the thorns are vigorous also.

Latest in ripening is the Mammoth Cluster, or McCormick, which, thus
far, has been my favorite. It is even more vigorous than the
preceding, but not so briery or branching. The fruit is produced
usually in a thick cluster or bunch at the end of the branch, and they
ripen more together than the other kinds. The caps, too, are much
larger, more juicy and fine-flavored. One is less conscious of the
seeds. Between the thumb and finger you can often gather a handful
from a single spray, it is so prodigiously productive. Thus far it has
been unsurpassed, either for home use or market; but now it is
encountering a rival in the Gregg, a new variety that is attracting
much attention. Its history, as far as I have been able to learn it,
is as follows:

In the latter part of June, 1866, this black raspberry was found
growing wild in a ravine on the Gregg farm, which is located in Ohio
Co., Indiana. The original bush "was bending under the weight of
colossal-sized clusters. It was then a single clump, surrounded by a
few young plants growing from its tips. Before introducing it to the
public, we gave it a most thorough and complete trial. We have put it
on the tables of some of the most prominent horticultural societies,
and by each it has been voted the highest rank in their fruit lists.
At the Centennial Exposition, at Philadelphia, in competition with all
the prominent varieties in the world, it was ranked highest by the
judges. During eleven years of observation it has survived the coldest
winters, and never failed to yield an abundant crop. It is a vigorous,
rapid grower, producing strong, well-matured canes by fall. The fruit
is beautiful in appearance, delicious, possessing excellent shipping
and keeping qualities."

The above is a mild and condensed statement of its claims, as set
forth by Messrs. R. & P. Gregg, proprietors of the Gregg farm, and I
believe these gentlemen have given a correct account of their
experience. As the result of much inquiry, it would appear that this
variety is also doing well throughout the country at large.

Mr. N. Ohmer, who has been most prominent in introducing the Gregg,
gives the following account of his first acquaintance with it: "At a
meeting of the Indiana State Horticultural Society, held at
Indianapolis, a gentleman asked for the privilege of making some
remarks about a new black raspberry that he was cultivating. Being
pretty long-winded, as most lawyers are, he spoke so long, and said so
much in favor of his berry, that no one believed him, and were glad
when he got through. The summer following, I chanced to call on the
Secretary of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture, in the Capitol
building, and was surprised to see on his table about half a peck of
berries and an armful of canes loaded with the largest, handsomest,
and best black raspberries I had ever seen. Mr. Herron, the Secretary,
informed me that they were grown by Messrs. R. & P. Gregg. I obtained
two hundred plants, a few of which bore fruit so fine, the following
season, that all who saw it wanted plants." It was learned that Mr.
Gregg was the lawyer who was thought "long-winded," and many who then
yawned have since thought, no doubt, that they might have listened
with much profit, for the demand for the plants has become greater
than the supply. Only time can show whether the Gregg is to supersede
the Mammoth Cluster. I observe that veteran fruit growers are very
conservative, and by no means hasty to give a newcomer the place that
a fine old variety has won by years of excellence in nearly all
diversities of soil and climate. The Gregg certainly promises
remarkably well, and Mr. Thomas Meehan, editor of the "Gardener's
Monthly," who is well known to be exceedingly careful and
conscientious in indorsing new fruits, writes: "We believe this
variety is generally larger than any other of its kind yet known."

There are many other candidates for favor, but thus far they are
untried, or have not proved themselves equal to the kinds I have
named.

Quite a distinct branch of _R. Occidentalis_ is the Purple Cane
family--so named, I think, from the purple cane raspberry that was so
well known in old gardens a few years ago, but since it has been
superseded by better kinds is now fast passing out of cultivation. It
almost took care of itself in our home garden for forty years or more,
and its soft, small berries would melt in one's mouth. Its canes were
smooth and its fruit of a dusky-red color. In other respects, it
resembles the black-cap tribe.

The Catawissa, found growing in a Pennsylvania graveyard, is another
berry of this class, which produces a second crop in autumn. It is
tender in the Northern States, and has never become popular.

The Philadelphia is the best known of the class, and at one time was
immensely popular. Its canes are smooth, stout, erect in growth, and
enormously productive of medium-sized, round, dusky-red berries of
very poor flavor. It throve so well on the light soils about
Philadelphia, that it was heralded to the skies, and the plants sold
at one time as high as $40 per 100, but the inferior flavor and
unattractive appearance of the fruit caused it to decline steadily in
favor, and now it has but few friends. Unlike others of its class, it
does not root from the tips, but propagates itself by suckers,
producing them sparingly, however. When it was in such great demand,
the nurserymen increased it by root cuttings, forced under glass.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE RASPBERRIES OF THE FUTURE

We now come to a class that are destined, I think, to be the
raspberries of the future, or, at least, a type of them. I refer to
the seedlings of the three original species that have been described.
As a rule (having exceptions of course), these native seedling
varieties are comparatively hardy, and adapted to the climate of
America. This adaptation applies to the South in the proportion that
they possess the qualities of the _Rubus Strigosus_ or _Occidentalis_.
To the degree that the foreign element of _R. Idoeus_ exists, they
will, with a few exceptions, require winter protection, and will be
unable to thrive in light soils and under hot suns. Forgetfulness of
this principle is often the cause of much misapprehension and
undiscriminating censure. I have known certain New Jersey fruit
growers to condemn a variety unsparingly. Would it not be more
sensible to say it belongs to the _R. Idoeus_ class, and, therefore,
is not adapted to our climate and light soil, but in higher latitudes
and on heavy land it may prove one of the best?

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