NEW YORK EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 381 



unknown, but there is reason to suppose that more careful training, prun- 

 ing, and heading-in will overcome soaae of the difficulty. Dewberries 

 propagate naturally by means of " tips," after the manner of the black 

 raspberry, and they grow readily from root cuttings handled in the same 

 way as those of raspberries and blackberries. It has been thought by some 

 that the low and early varieties of blackberry, like Wilson's Early and 

 Early Harvest, may be hybrids between the blackberry and dewberry. 

 This idea was probably first expressed by the Gardener's Monthly. There 

 is no good reason, however, for supposing that these varieties are hybrids, 

 while there are several reasons for believing that they are not. The two 

 species do not cross with readiness, and there is no direct proof that hyb- 

 ridization can occur between them. We have made many apparently suc- 

 cessful cross-pollinations, but have not yet been able to make the crossed 

 seeds grow. 



Wild dewberries are common on poor, sandy lands throughout the ter- 

 ritory east of the Mississippi, at least, and it is well known that they are 

 variable in appearance and in character of fruit. Large-fruited and very 

 productive varieties are occasionally found. In many parts of the coun- 

 try the dewberries are thought to be better than blackberries. Files of 

 the older journals contain frequent references to the dewberries, with 

 occasional suggestions that they should be cultivated, but until about 

 twenty years ago no definite attempt appears to have been made to intro- 

 duce a named variety or form, and it is only within the last five or six 

 years that they have begun to make any impression upon our horticulture. 

 The dewberries have received little attention from botanists, as is shown 

 by the fact that the very well marked variety invisus of the common 

 dewberry has never been recognized. And yet cultivated forms of it have 

 come from Ohio, Tennesee, and Illinois; and it grows wild here at Ithaca, 

 and is probably generally distributed. 



Twelve varieties of dewberry have been introduced to cultivation: Win- 

 dom, Lucretia's Sister, Geer, Lucretia, Bartel, Mammoth, General Grant, 

 Never Fail, Fairfax, Manatee, Wilson's AVhite, Bauer. Five of these have 

 attained considerable prominence: Windom, Lucretia, Bartel, Mammoth, 

 and Manatee. 



1. Windom (Rubus Canadensis) — This variety was first brought into prominent notice 

 in 1887 by the seedling commissioner of the Minnesota State Horticultiural society. 

 The report of J. S, Harris, one of the commission, is as follows: "At Windon (Cot- 

 tonwood county) we met Dewain Cook of Dale township, a wide-awake man who is 

 pursuing fruit culture under many disadvantages. He has discovered and is cultivat- 

 ing a hardy dewberry which, if it comes near up to what he claims for it, will prove of 

 great value to our lists of hardy fruits. It has been cultivated here thirteen years. We 

 have many testimoniols showing its hardiness, productiveness, fair size, and good qual- 

 ity of fruit, etc., and have secured plants and had them sent to several of our experi- 

 ment stations to be tested and reported upon." A. W. Sias, one of the commission, 

 writes me as follows: " In the fall of 1887, J. S. Harris, Rev. G. W. Fuller, and 

 myself were on the seedling commission of the Minnesota State Horticultural society, 

 and while acting in this capacity Mr. Harris and myself visited Dewain Cook at Win- 

 dom and were greatly pleased with the dewberry. His plants were very heavily loaded 

 with good fruit. The fruit is small — perhaps not more than half the size of Lucretia — 

 but what it lacks in size it more than makes up in quality. I purchased 1,000 plants of 

 Mr. Cook while at his place, and set them on a very heavy clay. While they succeeded 

 much better than the Mammoth and Lucretia near by, they did not equal Mr. Cook's 

 plants, which were on soil containing some sand." The variety appears to have been 

 sent out as early as 1886, at least to experiment stations. It was first known as Cook's 

 Hardy. The exact origin of this dewberry is not known. Mr. Cook informs me that 

 he obtained his plants from a neighbor, J. Q. Pickett, who had been growing them for 

 seventeen or eighteen years, but who refuses to disclose the origin of the variety. Mr. 



