48 State Horticultural Society. 



A BRIEF ARTICLE 01\ THE LUCRETIA DEWBERRY. 



By Frank H. Wild, Sarcoxie, Mo. 



The dewberry is one of the fruits that has come to stay and will in 

 time supersede all extra early varieties of blackberries, such as Early 

 Harvest, Early King, Maxwell and others, from the fact that it ripens 

 part of its crop before any of the early kinds of blackberries commence 

 and continues through the season of early blackberries. It also has the 

 advantage of larger size and can be picked for the same price as straw- 

 berries, which fruit they follow. 



They should be allowed to trail on the ground, as is their nature, 

 or on rocks, as we have found in our experience that when tied to a 

 stake they do not set fruit as well as when left trailing on the ground or 

 over straw or hay mulch. 



While the past season was not favorable, plants suffered severely 

 from the February freeze with a result of only about one-tenth crop, 

 while our Early Harvest blackberry failed entirely, this short crop 

 should not discourage the planting of dewberries any more than that of 

 a failure of a crop of wheat, oats or corn. 



There is in this section about 125 acres of Lucre tia dewberry com- 

 ing on for the following year's crop and should we have a favorable 

 season there should be a sufficient number of crates picked every other 

 day to load a refrigerator car if the railroad companies do not insist on 

 too large an amount of minimum weight. 



Planting should be done in the fall and a light covering of mulch 

 to prevent their being thrown out by frost. If planted in spring it should 

 be done as early as possible as the root growth starts very early. Plant 

 in rows four feet apart and six feet from plant to plant in row, or 1815 

 plants per acre. This distance should bring the plants to meet if kept in 

 line of row if good cultivation is given and season favorable, and a full 

 crop may be expected the following season. A mulch of straw or other 

 like substance should be given by lifting the vines lightly and placing 

 mulch beneath so that the berries will be kept clean. 



A good crop of 75 to 100 crates can be expected if season is favor- 

 able, and if season is early $3 to $3.50 per crate of twenty-four quarts 



