STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 113 



the Kittatinny to be the only blackberry yet sufficiently known, that can be recom- 

 mended for general culture in Central and Northern Illinois. It appears to delight in a 



liilht, loose new soil, and it will do well in a richer soil than any other variety that has 

 come under my observation. 



MISSOURI MAMMOTH. 



In this variety we have the greatest faith, it shows every point of a first-class black- 

 berry ; we know it to be the very hardiest, yet wintered. If it only prove as productive 

 as its good points would lead us to believe, it will be a great acquisition. I can only 

 recommend it for trial ; another season will tell its story. 



WILSON'S EARLY. 



This has shown no good points with us, but it may be a very valuable variety in some 

 localities. Its productiveness this last season compared with that of the Kittatinny, on 

 the same aged plants and same soil, was about one berry of Wilson to one hundred of 

 Kittatinny. They are very hopeful of it at St. Joseph, Michigan. It will probably suc- 



:ed in open field culture wherever the Lawton does. 



LAWTON. 



Wherever the Winters are not too severe and the soil is adapted to it, the Lawton has 

 been grown with profit, but from the center of the state northward it is useless to plant 

 it. without it can be protected by some means during winter. 



CRYSTAL WHITE. 



This is a white variety that shows good promise. It will find a place in the amateur's 

 garden. 



There arc many others, both new and old, varieties, that are seeking admittance to 

 public favor. Among them I would mention, a new thornless variety as yet, I believe, 

 without a name, that shows good promise, it is not merely thornless in name, but is 

 really thornless, having no .opines except a few weak ones on the foot stalks of the leaves. 

 A good hardy productive blackberry without thorns would certainly be a great acquisi- 

 tion. I have been carefully selecting varieties, from the woods and fields, of promise, 

 for years, and have some few out of the many tried that, I think worth preserving. Hut 

 the greatest care should be given to the trial of all new varieties of blackberries before 

 offering them to the public. It is a most capricious fruit, a plant that succeeds perfectly 

 <m the hill top, is almost sure to be of no value in the richer soil of tin: valley. The 

 finest ami most productive variety I have ever seen, could not be made to produce a sin- 

 gle berry in years, when planted on a different soil in the same neighborhood. When 

 selecting varieties for trial, either from the woods, fields or seed bed, the greatest atten- 

 tion should be given to their foliage, a variety that shows perfect foliage through the 

 Beason will, as a general rule, have other good points. The Leaves are the lungs of the 

 plant, and unless they are perfect, the plant will be imperfect; if you see a poor sickly- 

 look in ■:, wheezy man, you say at once his lungs are poor; plants with poor foliage 

 stands the same chance when the "tug of war" comes, as the consumptive man does. 



