214: Agricultfral Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



species because some of the j^lants bear only pistillate blossoms with 

 abortive or rudimentary stamens, others bear starainate flowers, while 

 still others are perfect flowered. This fact, together with the varia- 

 bility in other characters of the species, led to much confusion among 

 the earlier botanical writers, the two sexual forms having been 

 described as different species. In 182V Chamisso and Schlechtendal 

 described one form of the species as Mubus vitifolius.^ At the same 

 time, on a later page, another form was described by the same authors 

 as Ruhus tirsinus. In 1833 it was again described, this time by 

 Douglas as Rxibus ■)nacropetahis. 



All the blossoms of the Skagit Chief observed this year appeared to 

 be purely pistillate. The plants were in blossom June 2d, considerably 

 in advance of the other dewberries and blackberries, and as a matter 

 of course set no fruit. If all plants of the variety are pistillate, like 

 ours, it is useless to plant it alone, and no doubt equally useless to 

 plant it with our common varieties, for not only is the blossoming 

 period different, but it is doubtful whether pollen from so different a 

 species would prove effective in fertilizing it, if present. The Belle of 

 Washington dewberry belongs to the sanie species as the Skagit Chief. 

 This did not blossom here this year, so that we were, unable to learn 

 the character of its flowers. If this should prove to be a perfect or 

 staminate form the two may be planted together with some hope of 

 success. 



RECAPITULATION. 



1. Black raspberries can be made a profitable farm crop when grown 

 for evaporating purposes, and gathered by the aid of the berry har- 

 vester, regardless of proximity to markets. An average yield with 

 good culture is about 75 or 80 bushels per acre. 



2. An average yield of red raspberries is about 10 bushels per acre. 

 An average yield of blackberries is about 100 bushels per acre. 



3. A majorit}'- of growers find low summer pinching of blackberries 

 best for most varieties. 



4. Growers are about equally divided in opinion as to whether red 

 raspberries should be pinched back at all in summer. If pinched, it 

 should be done low and early. The canes should be made to branch 

 low. 



5. Evaporating red raspberries has not yet proved profitable. 



* RUBUS viTiFOLius, Cham. & Schlecht. Linnaea, ii. 10 (1827). 

 R. ursinus Ch&va . & Schlecht, I.e. 11. 

 R. macropetalns, Douglas, Hook, Fl. Bor.-Am. i. 178(1833). 



