STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Ill 



shade or partially shaded, aa a genera] rule would not be likely to give crops if entirely 

 deprived of shade, even ii: the same soil. 



Fourth. One that has been known to give regular and good crops without any 

 Shade, would not lie likely to give good crops if shaded. 



Fifth. Some varieties will do well with a deep mulch, others will not endure mulch 

 at all. 



Sixth. Like all other varieties of fruits, some varieties of blackberries are unproduc- 

 tive or have poor fruit under all circumstances ; some have pistillate flowers, that need 

 fertilizing to produce fruit ; others have their flowers entirely staminate. 



Seventh. I have never seen a variety that would produce good fruit, if entirely 

 shaded throughout the day, but many do well if they have the full morning sun ; some 

 do well perhaps best, if partially shaded during the entire day ; some will apparently 

 do well, only, where they can grow up through and among other brush. 



The above we think are facts and should give any one some insight into the manage- 

 ment of a blackberry plantation to make it a success. When all summed up it 

 amounts to this : If you wish to make the culture of the blackberry for its fruit pay, 

 you mii-t first, find a variety suited to the soil you wish to use ; or what would be 

 easier, And a soil adapted to the variety ; second, it yon wish them to grow without 

 shade, you must find a variety that your own experience or that of others has taught 

 you, that it will do well without it ; third, the pruning and cultivation must be adapted 

 to the variety ; if you wish to mulch instead of cultivating, you should ascertain 

 whether the variety will stand it or not. Experience has taught me. that but few, if 

 any varieties of blackberries, strawberries or raspberries will do as well if manured 

 with animal manures as they will without it, in this hot , dry, western climate ; and also 

 that nearly all varieties do best on light siliceous clays, oak timber land, and what 

 Geologists term loess soil. 



PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. 



The blackberry should be planted on the highest, dryest land, without any manures 

 or fertilizers of any kind, except the soil be exceedingly poor: if that be the case a half 

 bushel of unleached ashes mixed with a bushel of leaf mold, or the remains of rotted 

 logs mixed thoroughly together and applied at the rate of a bushel to each two rods of 

 row, and thoroughly mixed with the soil will be an improvement: any thorougly rotted 

 manure mixed a- above, with the addition of a peek of time to each two bushels, will be 

 found a most excellent fertilizer for the blackberry or ol her small fruits ; unless the soil 

 be very poor, one half the above amount would be sufficient. The soil should be thor- 

 oughly and deeply stirred, harrowed down level and tine, and laid oil' in rows six feet 

 apart, running north and south, with a deep running double plow ; the plants should be 

 planted in the bottom of these furrow-, IS to '24 inches apart ; the plants used to Mart a 

 plantation should be those started from root cuttings, not natural sucker- by anj means ; 



it will be more profitable to pay $5 per 100 for good rool cutting plants, than to have the 



natural Buckets a- a gift. When planting, cut the plant back to the highest crown bud, 

 not allowing the wood of the year before to put forth any branches at all; this win 

 throw all the -t rengt b of your plant into t he present year's growth, and make a b1 ronger 

 plant for fruit tin' next year ; a growth on the old w ood would I"- of no use, only a draft 

 on the plant for nothing; give tin' plant- thorough cultivation throughout the season; 

 they will need no pruning the first season until about the middle of July, then they 



