Blackberries. 525 



needs protection; and both varieties are easily laid down, because of 

 their dwarf habit. Their particular merit is earliness, although 

 Wilson is also very large. These varieties are exclusively grown by 

 Eoland Morrill, Benton Harbor, Michigan, who is president of the 

 Michigan Horticultural Society, and one of the most successful fruit 

 growers in the state (see Fig. 92.) "Wilson Early is an old variety, 

 having been planted extensively in New Jersey thirty years ago. 

 The Wilson Junior, which is practically indistinguishable from it, 

 was grown from seeds of it, supposed to have been crossed with 

 Dorchester, which were selected in 1875, by William Parry.* 



Brief. 



Blackberries deserve greater attention from western New Tork 

 fruit-growers. 



The tame berries are, as a rule, superior to the wild ones if they 

 are allowed to hang on the bushes until fully ripe. 



No bush fruit deteriorates so rapidly after being picked. 



Winter-killing of the plants, which is a serious menace to black- 

 berry growing, is avoided by selecting hardy varieties, planting upon 

 thoroughly well drained land, and stopping cultivation as soon as 

 the fruit is off. Or the bushes may be laid down, as described on 

 pages 510, 511. 



Drought often cuts the crop short. This difficulty is to be avoided 

 by selecting lands which are not droughty, by thin planting, and by 

 beginning tillage early in the spring and continuing it at frequent 

 intervals until the fruit is nearly ripe. The method of cultivation 

 which this bulletin advises is found on pages 511, 512. 



Blackberries are generally planted in the spring. Eight or nine 

 feet should be allowed between the rows, and two to three feet 

 between the plants in the row. Potatoes or other crops may be 

 grown between the rows the first year. 



Training and pruning are described on pages 507 to 510. 



Blackberries yield all the way from nothing to 300 bushels per 

 acre. The variations in the yields measure the alertness and intelli- 

 gence of the grower. One hundred bushels to the acre may be con- 

 sidered to be a good average yield. A fair crop should be obtained 

 a year after the plants are set, and a good one the second year. A 

 blackberry plantation may continue to be profitable for twenty years 

 or more. 



*William Parry, " Fifty Years among Blackberries," 4. 



