Blackberries. 



515 



start a wholly new top. This would sacrifice one year's crop, but 

 the results would no doubt pay. Thejcane-knot (Fig. 97) is a disease 

 of which the cause is unknown. In fact, I do not know that it 

 has been described. The figure is an excellent picture of it. The 

 knot reminds one strongly of the plum-knot, but there are numerous 

 small whitish eruptions of the disease surrounding the parent knot. 

 It may be of fungous origin, although we have not been able to 

 discover constant deep-seated fungi on the knots which have been 

 sent us. It probably attacks the growing shoots, although it is not 

 apparent until the following year, when the grower, noticing that 

 the leaves are yellow and the fruit not filling, examines the canes 

 and finds these knots upon them. We have never had the disease 

 in our own patches, and therefore can not give advice for its treat- 

 ment, although I should advise the same sanitary treatment as I 

 have for anthracnose. It is apparently not common, but it must be 

 widespread, for I have had specimens from as far west as Wisconsin. 

 Mr. D. r. Harris, Adams, l^ew York, gives me this experience with 

 the knot: "I came into possession of my patch 

 three years ago. Variety said to be Snyder. 

 The first year, a few canes were diseased ; 

 second year, about half of them were dis- 

 eased; third year, nearly all diseased. I 

 think that the disease begins to show in 

 early spring on the old canes. I have never 

 found it on the present year's canes. It pro- 

 gresses rapidly, as the fruit grows, and when 

 the fruit is about two-thirds grown the leaves 

 begin to wither, the cane dries up and the berries 

 ripen. On very badly diseased canes, the berries 

 wither and dry up." 



Tj/j)es and varieties. — What a silent evolution 

 the blackberry has undergone! It is not yet 

 fifty years since the first named blackberry, the 

 Dorchester, was introduced to general notice. 

 In 1857, the New Rochelle, or Lawton, was 

 exhibited before the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, and thereupon blackberry culture began ^■"^^°^^"'" ^^""'"'^^ 

 to attract wide attention in the counti-y. The Lawton held undis- 

 puted sway until it was superseded by the Kittatinny some ten or 

 fifteen years later. Tlie Kittatinny, in turn, gave way to the 



