381 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



2. Lucretia's Sister (Rubus Canadensis). — This berry was discovered or at least 

 introduced by J. B. Treedway of Brandt, Miami county, Ohio, about 1886. I grew it 

 in 1887, and a sprig of the plant is illustrated in the American Garden for last Febru- 

 ary (p. 83). It appeared to possess no value with me, and I have not grown it since. It 

 appears never to have attained to any reputation. 



3. Geer (Rubus Canadensis).— This variety was discovered in a wood-lot upon the 

 property of a Mrs. Geer of Plainfield, Livingston county, Michigan, by F. L. Wright, 

 a horticulturist of that place. Plants were transferred to the garden in 1887, but it is 

 not yet introduced to the trade. It is a 6mall berry, but a fair cropper. 



4. Lucretia (Rubus Canadensis var. roribaccus). — This is far the most prominent 

 of the dewberries. The story of its discovery and introduction is told me by B. F. 

 Albaugh of Covington, Miami county, Ohio, who introduced it to the trade. A young 

 man named Williams enlisted in the civil war from Miami county, Ohio. During most 

 of his service he was stationed in West Virginia, part of the time near Beverly. While 

 guarding private property there he became acquainted with the woman who afterward 

 became his wife. He settled on her plantation after the war, and upon it found the 

 dewberries growing wild. He transplanted soma to his garden, and these attracted the 

 attention of his father who visited him in 1875. The following year plants were sent to 

 the father in Ohio and they were distributed among a few friends. The plants were 

 carelessly dug, however, and only five of the genuine variety happened to be in the lot 

 and these, along with many worthless ones, chanced to fall into the hands of Mr. 

 Albaugh. Prom these five plants the present stock has sprung. When the variety was 

 offered for sale Mr. Albaugh named it Lucretia, for Mrs. Lucretia Garfield. Mr. 

 Albaugh tells me that the five original plants are still vigorous and fruitful. A portion 

 of one of the original plants— about one ninth of it — was exhibited at the association of 

 American nurserymen at Washington in June, 1886. This specimen bore 978 berries. 

 E. Y. Teas, now of Irvington, Indiana, appears to have been the first to figure and offer 

 for sale the Lucretia. * 



There are several methods of training the Lucretia dewberry. It is commonly 

 allowed to lie upon the ground. The canes are cut back to three or four feet in length 

 in the same manner as blackberry and raspberry canes are treated, and if the best 

 results are expected the canes should be thinned to four or five in a hill. The canes 

 are usually allowed to branch freely, although it is evident that some checking of the 

 growth may often be essential to good results. A mulch is often placed under them 

 to keep the berries clean and to retard the weeds. When this is applied, the vines are 

 raised with a fork. A. M. Purdy recommends two stakes, one to hold the bearing cane, 

 and one the growing cane. This implies that only one cane is to be allowed to fruit 

 each year. This method does not appear to be in practice and it is doubtful if it has 

 anything to recommend it. Trellises and racks of various kinds have been devised. In 

 our plantation of Lucretia we have tried three methods of training. In one portion of 

 the plantation the plants are allowed to lie upon the ground without mulch, and the 

 canes are cut off when three or four feet long. Another portion is trained upon a com- 

 mon grape trellis of three wires, the canes being tied to the wires the spring of the 

 bearing year by means of wool twine. In the third portion the vines lie upon a flat 

 rack standing 18 inches above the ground, and made of light slats laid crosswise the 

 row and resting upon bents at the sides. There has been no gain in productiveness or 

 earliness upon the trellised or racked plants; the only advantages have come from the 

 greater ease of picking and cultivating and the less amount of room occupied. And 

 these advantages are considerable, and seem to me to warrant the adoption of some 

 simple trellis, preferably a wire trellis in garden culture. Whether it would pay in 

 field or market culture is a question which must be determined by the grower himself. 

 The labor of tying the canes to the wires is somewhat onerous, but it is needed only 

 once in the season. This training does not interfere with covering for winter protection, 

 for the young or growing canes are allowed to lie upon the ground and are tied up the 

 following spring. If the canes interfere with cultivation while growing they can be 

 placed lengthwise the row with a rake or they can be thrown over the lowest wire. 

 After the canes have borne, they are cut out, in the same manner as the canes of rasp- 

 berries and blackberries. 



One of the chief merits of the Lucretia is its earliness. Dewberries, raspberries, and 

 blackberries grow side by side in our plantations, and we have had, therefore, a good 

 opportunity to observe the earliness of the Lucretia. This year the first ripe raspber- 

 ries—Marlboro and Rancocas— were obtained July 4. At this time a few dewberries 

 were about fully grown and had turned red. July 8 a few ripe dewberries were secured. 

 July 11 dewberries on some of the vines were ripening rapidly, and at this time Ada 

 raspberry was just ripening and Doolittle and Souhegan were in their prime. July 16 

 Early Harvest blackberry, our earliest sort, gave its first ripe fruits, while the first pick- 



