Success With Small Fruits

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It should here be premised that these seedlings originated in this
country. Perhaps they are the product solely of our native species, or
they may result from crossing varieties of _R. Idoeus_, in which
case they will exhibit the characteristics of the foreign species; or,
finally, from the foreign and our native species may be produced a
hybrid that will combine traits of each line of its lineage. A
conspicuous example of the second statement may be seen in Brinkle's
Orange, originated by Dr. Brinkle many years ago. It is essentially an
Antwerp in character, and yet it is more vigorous, and adapted to a
wider range of country than the Antwerp. The berry is of a beautiful
buff color, and its delicious flavor is the accepted standard of
excellence. At the same time, it is well known that it will not thrive
under hot suns or upon light land. It can be raised south of New York
only in cool, moist soils, and in half-shady locations; but at the
North, where the conditions of growth are favorable, it produces
strong branching canes, covered with white spines, and is exceedingly
productive of large, light-colored berries that melt on the tongue.
There is the same difference between it and the Brandywine that exists
between Stowell's Evergreen and flint field corn. It invariably
requires winter protection.

The Pride of the Hudson possesses the same general character as the
Orange, and approaches it very nearly in excellence. It certainly is
the largest, most beautiful red raspberry now before the public; but
in its later development it has shown such sensitiveness to both heat
and cold that I cannot recommend it for general cultivation. Give it a
moist soil and a half-shady location, such as may be found on the
northern side of a fence or hedge, and it will become the pride of
any northern garden; but in the South, and on light soils, it can
scarcely live. It should have winter protection.

In contrast with these native berries of foreign parentage, we have
the Herstine; Mr. B. K. Bliss, the well-known seedsman of New York
City, kindly furnishes me the following facts of its history: "About
ten years since I was invited, with several gentlemen (mostly
horticulturists), to visit the late Mr. Herstine, at Philadelphia. We
were to examine a lot of seedling raspberries, and select names for
those that we thought worthy of general cultivation. We found quite a
company there from the vicinity of Philadelphia and from Washington,
while New York was represented by such eminent authorities as Dr.
Thurber and A. S. Fuller. The raspberry bushes were completely loaded
with large fine fruit--the finest I ever saw. Each variety was
carefully examined, and the guests voted as to which, in his opinion,
was the best. The Herstine stood first and the Saunders second. Mr.
Herstine explained that they were raised from the Allen raspberry,
which had been planted in alternate rows with the Philadelphia." This
parentage would make it a hybrid of the _R. Strigosus_ and the purple
cane branch of the _R. Occidentalis_ species; but the plant and fruit
indicate the presence, also, of the _R. Ideous_ element. After several
years' experience on my own place, I regard it as the best early
raspberry in existence. The berry is large, obtusely conical, bright
red, and delicious in flavor. It is scarcely firm enough for market
where it must be sent any great distance, but if picked promptly after
it reddens, and packed in a cool, airy place, it carries well and
brings good prices. The canes are strong, red, stocky, and covered
with spines. They are but half-hardy, and I think it is best to cover
them before the first of December, in our latitude. The canes of the
Saunders, also sent out by Mr. Herstine, are much darker in color, and
not so vigorous, but sufficiently so. The berries are large, ripen
later, are more globular, and are of the same excellent quality. It
deserves greater popularity than it has received. It is, also, only
half-hardy.

In the Clarke, we undoubtedly have a variety containing considerable
of the _R. Idoeus_ element. The berries are often very large, bright
crimson, conical, with large, hairy grains. Occasionally, the fruit on
my vines was very imperfect, and crumbled badly in picking. I found
that by cutting the canes rigorously back--even one-half--I obtained
much larger and more perfect berries, and in increased quantities. The
canes are very strong, upright growers, ending usually in a thick tuft
of foliage, rather than in long, drooping tips. It was originated by
Mr. E. E. Clarke, of New Haven, Conn., and is but half-hardy.

In the New Rochelle, we have a hybrid of the black-cap and red
raspberry, the _R. Occidentalis_ element predominating, and
manifesting itself in the stocky and branching character of the canes,
and in the fact that they propagate themselves by tips, and not
suckers. The New Rochelle, originated by Mr. E. W. Carpenter, of Rye,
N.Y., is perhaps the best of this class. It is very vigorous, hardy,
and enormously productive, and the fruit is of good size. I do not
like its sharp acid, however, and its dun or dusky-brown color will
probably prevent it from becoming a favorite in market, since bright-
hued berries are justly much preferred.

But Mr. Carpenter has sent out another seedling which, I think, is
destined to have a brilliant future--the Caroline, It is thought to be
a cross between the Catawissa and Brinkle's Orange. The canes are
perfectly hardy, very strong, vigorous, branching, light-red, with a
lighter bloom upon them here and there. It suckers freely, and also
propagates itself sparingly from the tips. The fruit is exceedingly
abundant and is a round cap of a beautiful buff color, almost
equalling Brinkle's Orange in flavor. I think it will grow anywhere,
and thus will find a place in innumerable gardens where the Orange
does not thrive. At the same time, it is good enough for any garden.

The Ganargua was said to be a hybrid, but Mr. J. J. Thomas writes to
me: "I have never been able to discover proof that it is one. I think
it all _R. Occidentalis_--a variety."

The Reliance, a seedling of the Philadelphia, but far superior to it,
is doing remarkably well on my place, and I hear favorable accounts
from other localities.

There are many others that are either old and passing into obscurity
or else so new and dubious in character that limited space forbids
their mention. We will close this sketch of varieties with the
Cuthbert, which that experienced and careful horticulturist, Dr.
Hexamer, calls the "best raspberry now in existence."

This is a chance seedling, which the late Thomas Cuthbert found in his
garden, at Riverdale, N.Y. His son has kindly furnished the following
facts:

"The raspberry in question was discovered by my father about eleven
years ago in the garden of our country seat at Riverdale-on-the-
Hudson. It is probably a seedling of the Hudson River Antwerp, as it
was found growing near the edge of a patch of that variety, but its
great vigor of growth and the size and quality of the fruit marked it
at once as a new and distinct kind. Its canes were carefully separated
from the others and a small plantation made of them. The next year,
and from time to time since, plants were given to our friends in
various parts of the State for trial. Without exception, their reports
have been favorable, particular mention having been made of their
unusual vigor of growth, their hardiness, and the firmness and good
keeping qualities of the fruit. The first year or so we gave the canes
winter protection, but finding that it was unnecessary, we have
discontinued it, and I have never heard of the canes being winter-
killed."

From other sources I learn that Mr. Cuthbert made an arrangement with
a nurseryman by the name of Thompson, to propagate and send out the
variety. This gentleman dying soon after, the stock came into the
possession of Mr. H. J. Corson, of Staten Island, N.Y., and by him and
Mr. I. J. Simonson, a florist, the plants have been sent out to
different parts of the country. This dissemination was very limited,
and was characterized by an almost utter absence of heralding and
extravagant praise. The berry has literally made its way on its own
merits. Dr. Hexamer remarked to me that he had had it for years, and
had wondered why its merits were so overlooked. My attention was
called to it in the summer of 1878, and I took pains to see it in
several localities. The large size of the berries, their firmness and
fine flavor, convinced me that it was very valuable, and the fact that
I found it flourishing luxuriantly on New Jersey sand, and maintaining
a perfectly healthful foliage under an August sun, led me to believe
that we had at last found a first-class variety that would thrive on
light soils and under hot suns.

The late W. C. Bryant, the poet, himself well versed in horticulture,
closed a letter to me with the following words:

"It has always seemed to me a scandal to our horticulture that in a
region where the raspberry grows wild, we should not have a sort that
would resist both the winter cold and summer heat, and produce
abundantly."

After another year of observation and of much correspondence,
extending even to California, I am convinced that the Cuthbert does
"resist both the winter cold and summer heat, and produce abundantly,"
far better than any other raspberry that equals it in size and flavor.
The canes are strong, upright, branching, if space permits, reddish-
brown, spines abundant, but not very long and harsh. It is a rampant
grower on good soil, but the foliage, so far from being rank and
large, is delicate, and the under side of the leaves has a light,
silvery hue. After once getting hold of the soil, it suckers
immoderately, but is no worse in this respect than other vigorous
varieties; and this tendency rapidly declines after the second year.
Is it perfectly hardy? No; and I do not know of a single good
raspberry that is; except, perhaps, the Turner, which, however, is
inferior to the Cuthbert. I have seen the latter badly winter-killed,
but it had stood eight years on the same ground without injury before.
Then, because of a rank growth late in the season, that especial patch
was hit hard, while other fields, but a few miles away, were unharmed.
If planted on well-drained soil, where the wood could ripen well, I
think it would be injured very rarely, if ever; but I have no faith in
talk about "perfectly hardy raspberries." Those who observe closely
will often find our hardy native species killed to the ground, and I
think many varieties suffer more from the mild, variable winters of
the Middle States than from the steady cold and snowy winters of the
North. Moreover, any variety that has not the power of maintaining a
healthy foliage through the hot season will usually be too feeble to
resist the winter following. The question of hardiness can often be
settled better in August than in January. One of the most hopeful
features of the Cuthbert, therefore, is its tough, sun-enduring
foliage, which enables the wood to ripen perfectly. It has never
received winter protection thus far, either in this region or in
Michigan, where it is largely raised, but it may be found necessary to
shield it somewhat in some localities. It is both absurd and dishonest
to claim perfection for a fruit, and the Cuthbert, especially as it
grows older and loses something of its pristine vigor, will, probably,
like all other varieties, develop faults and weaknesses. We cannot too
much deprecate the arrogant spirit often manifested in introducing new
fruits. Interested parties insist on boundless praise, and if their
advice were followed, the fine old standards would be plowed out to
make room for a newcomer that often proves, on trial, little better
than a weed. The Cuthbert is not exactly a novelty. Through the gifts
of the originator, and sales running through several years, it has
become widely scattered, and has proved a success in every instance,
as far as I can learn. I show my faith in it by my works, for I am
setting it out more largely than all other kinds together, even going
so far as to rent land for the purpose. I am satisfied, from frequent
inquiries in Washington Market, that it will take the lead of all
others, and it is so firm that it can be shipped by rail, like a
Wilson strawberry.

In Delaware and Southern New Jersey, a variety named "Queen of the
Market" is being largely set out. I have this variety in my specimen-
bed, side by side with plants that came from Thomas Cuthbert's garden,
and am almost satisfied that they are identical, and that Queen of the
Market is but a synonym of the Cuthbert. I have placed the canes and
spines of each under a powerful microscope and can detect no
differences, and the fruit also appeared so much alike that I could
not see wherein it varied. Plants of this variety were sent to
Delaware some years since as they were to Michigan and California,
and, wherever tested, they seem to win strong and immediate favor. Its
chief fault in this locality is its lateness.

CHAPTER XXIV

BLACKBERRIES--VARIETIES, CULTIVATION, ETC.

The small-fruit branch of the rose family is assuredly entitled to
respect when it is remembered that the blackberry is the blackest
sheep in it. Unlike the raspberry, the drupes cling to the receptacle,
which falls off with them when mature, and forms the hard,
disagreeable core when the berry is black, but often only half ripe.
The bush is, in truth, what the ancients called it--a bramble, and
one of our Highland wildcats could scarcely scratch more viciously
than it, if treated too familiarly; but, with judicious respect and
good management, it will yield large and beautiful berries.

It would seem that Nature had given her mind more to blackberries than
to strawberries, for, instead of merely five, she has scattered about
150 species up and down the globe. To describe all these would be a
thorny experience indeed, robbing the reader of his patience as
completely as he would be bereft of his clothing should he literally
attempt to go through them all. Therefore, I shall give Professor
Gray's description of the two species which have furnished our few
really good varieties, and dismiss with mere mention a few other
species.

"_Rubus Villosus_, High Blackberry. Everywhere along thickets, fence-
rows, etc., and several varieties cultivated; stems one to six feet
high, furrowed; prickles strong and hooked; leaflets three to five,
ovate or lance-ovate, pointed, their lower surface and stalks hairy
and glandular, the middle one long-stalked and sometimes heart-
shaped; flowers racemed, rather large, with short bracts; fruit oblong
or cylindrical.

"_R. Canadensis_, Low Blackberry or Dewberry. Rocky and sandy soil;
long trailing, slightly prickly, smooth or smoothish, and with
three to seven smaller leaflets than in the foregoing, the racemes of
flowers with more leaf-like bracts, the fruit of fewer grains and
ripening earlier."

The _R. Cuneifolius_, or Sand Blackberry, is common in the sandy
ground and barrens from New Jersey southward; the _R. Trivialis_,
Southern Low Blackberry, is found in light soils from Virginia
southward; the _R. Hispidus_ is a Running Swamp Blackberry whose
long, slender stems creep through low, damp woods and marshes; the
_R. Spectabilis_ produces purple solitary flowers, and grows on
the banks of the Columbia River in the far Northwest. Whatever
improvements may originate from these species in the future, they have
not as yet, to my knowledge, given us any fine cultivated variety.

_R, fruticosus_ is the best-known European species, but neither has
it, as far as I can discover, been the source of any varieties worthy
of favor. It is said to have a peculiar flavor, that produces satiety
at once. The blackberry, therefore, is exceptional, in that we have no
fine foreign varieties, and Mr. Fuller writes that he cannot find "any
practical information in regard to their culture in any European work
on gardening."

The "bramble" is quite fully treated in Mr. R. Thompson's valuable
English work, but I find little to interest the American reader. He
suggests that the several native species that he describes are capable
of great improvement, but I cannot learn that such effort has ever
been made successfully. I do not know of any reason why our fine
varieties will not thrive abroad, under conditions that accord with
their nature.

In America there are innumerable varieties, since Nature produces wild
seedlings on every hillside, and not a few seeds have been planted by
horticulturists in the hope of originating a prize berry. Nature
appears to have had the better fortune, thus far, for our best
varieties are chance seedlings, found growing wild.

It is not so many years since the blackberry was regarded as merely a
bramble in this country, as it now is abroad, and people were content
with such fruit as the woods and fields furnished. Even still, in some
localities, this supply is so abundant as to make the culture of the
blackberry unprofitable. But, a number of years since, Mr. Lewis A.
Seacor led to better things, by observing on the roadside, in the town
of New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York, a bush flourishing
where Nature had planted it. This variety took kindly to civilization,
and has done more to introduce this fruit to the garden than all other
kinds together. Mr. Donald GK Mitchell, in his breezy out-of-door
book, "My Farm at Edgewood," gives its characteristics so admirably
that I am tempted to quote him:

"The New Rochelle or Lawton Blackberry has been despitefully spoken of
by many; first, because the market fruit is generally bad, being
plucked before it is fully ripened; and next, because, in rich, clayey
grounds, the briers, unless severely cut back, grow into a tangled,
unapproachable forest, with all the juices exhausted in wood. But upon
a soil moderately rich, a little gravelly and warm, protected from
winds, served with occasional top-dressings and good hoeings, the
Lawton bears magnificent burdens. Even then, if you wish to enjoy the
richness of the fruit, you must not be hasty to pluck it. When the
children say, with a shout, 'The blackberries are ripe!' I know they
are black only, and I can wait. When the children report, 'The birds
are eating the berries!' I know I can wait. But when they say, 'The
bees are on the berries!' I know they are at their ripest. Then, with
baskets, we sally out; I taking the middle rank, and the children the
outer spray of boughs. Even now we gather those only which drop at the
touch; these, in a brimming saucer, with golden Alderney cream and a
_soupcon_ of powdered sugar, are Olympian nectar; they melt before the
tongue can measure their full soundness, and seem to be mere bloated
bubbles of forest honey."

Notwithstanding this eloquent plea and truthful statement, the Lawton
is decidedly on the wane. It is so liable to be winter-killed, even
with best of care, and its fruit is go unpalatable, in its half-ripe
condition, that it has given place to a more successful rival, the
Kittatinny--discovered in Warren County, K. J., growing in a forest
near the mountains, whose Indian name has become a household word from
association with this most delicious fruit. Mr. Wolverton, in finding
it, has done more for the world than if he had opened a gold mine.
Under good culture, the fruit is very large; sweet, rich, and melting,
when fully ripe, but rather sour and hard when immature. It reaches
its best condition if allowed to ripen fully on the vines; but the
majority of pickers use their hands only, and no more think of making
nice discriminations than of questioning nature according to the
Baconian method. They gather all that are black, or nearly so; but if
this half-ripe fruit is allowed to stand in some cool, dry place for
about twelve hours, Kittatinny berries may be had possessing nearly
all their luscious qualities. The plant is an upright and very
vigorous grower, exceedingly productive if soil and culture are
suitable. Its leaves are long-pointed, "finely and unevenly serrate."
The season of fruiting is medium, continuing from four to six weeks,
if moisture is maintained. Both of these varieties are derived from
the _Rubus villosus_ species.

In contrast is the next-best known sort, Wilson's Early--having many
of the characteristics of the Dewberry, or running blackberry, and,
therefore, representing the second species described, _R. Canadensis_.
Whether it is merely a sport from this species, or a hybrid between it
and the first-named or high blackberry, cannot be accurately known, I
imagine; for it also was found growing wild by Mr. John Wilson, of
Burlington, N. J. Under high culture, and with increasing age, the
plants become quite erect and stocky growers, but the ends of the cane
are drooping. Frequently, they trail along the ground, and root at the
tips, like the common Dewberry; and they rarely grow so stocky but
that they can be bent over and covered with earth or litter, as is the
case with the tender raspberries. It is well that this is possible,
for it has so little power of resisting frost that a winter of
ordinary severity kills the canes in the latitude of New York. I have
always covered mine, and thus secured, at slight expense, a sure and
abundant crop. The fruit is earlier than the Kittatinny, and tends to
ripen altogether in about ten days. These advantages, with its large
size and firmness, make it a valuable market berry in New Jersey,
where hundreds of acres of it have been planted, and where it is still
very popular. Throughout the North and West, it has been found too
tender for cultivation, unless protected. In flavor, it is inferior to
the Kittatinny or Snyder.

For many years, the great desideratum has been a perfectly hardy
blackberry, and this want has at last been met in part by the Snyder,
a Western variety that seems able to endure, without the slightest
injury, the extremes of temperature common in the Northwestern States.
From Nebraska eastward, I have followed its history, and have never
heard of its being injured by frost. It originated on, or in the
vicinity of, Mr. Snyder's farm, near La Porte, Ind., about 1851, and
is an upright, exceedingly vigorous, and stocky grower, a true child
of the _R. vittosus_. Its one fault is that it is not quite large
enough to compete with those already described. On moist land, with
judicious pruning, it could be made to approach them very nearly,
however, while its earliness, hardiness, fine flavor, and ability to
grow and yield abundantly almost anywhere, will lead to an increasing
popularity. For home use, size is not so important as flavor and
certainty of a crop. It is also more nearly ripe when first black than
any other kind that I have seen; its thorns are straight, and
therefore less vicious. I find that it is growing steadily in favor;
and where the Kittatinny is winter-killed, this hardy new variety
leaves little cause for repining.

There are several kinds that are passing out of cultivation, and not a
few new candidates for favor; but the claims of superiority are as yet
too doubtful to be recognized. Mr. James Wilson, of West Point, N. Y.,
found some magnificent wild berries growing on Crow Nest Mountain. The
bush that bore them is now in my garden, and if it should produce
fruit having a flavor equal to Rodman Drake's poem, Mr. Wilson has,
then, found something more real than a "Culprit Fay." Occasionally, a
thornless blackberry is heralded, and not a few have reason to recall
the "Hoosac," which was generally found, I think, about as free from
fruit as thorns. We have, also, the horticultural paradox of white
blackberries, in the "Crystal," introduced by Mr. John B. Orange, of
Albion, Illinois, and some others. They have little value, save as
curiosities.

PROPAGATION, CULTURE, ETC.

In most instances I think more difficulty would be found in making a
blackberry die than live. A plant set out in fall or early spring will
thrive if given the ghost of a chance. Late spring planting, however,
often fails if subjected to heat and drought while in the green,
succulent condition of early growth. Like the raspberry, the
blackberry should be set, if possible, while in a dormant condition.
If planted late, shade should be given and moisture maintained until
danger of wilting and shrivelling is past. I advise decidedly against
late spring plantings on a large scale, but in early spring planting I
have rarely lost a plant. Almost all that has been said concerning the
planting and propagation of raspberries applies to this fruit. Set the
plants two or three inches deeper than they were before. With the
exception of the early Wilson, all speedily propagate themselves by
suckers, and this variety can be increased readily by root cuttings.
Indeed, better plants are usually obtained from all varieties by
sowing slips of the root, as has already been explained in the paper
on raspberries.

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