52 State Horticultural Society. 



BLACKBERRIES. 



(J. E. ]\Iay, LaPlata, Mo.) 



Mr.' President — 'As our Secretary has assigned n"'<:: a paper on "Black- 

 berries" for our Summer Meeting-, I shall have to beg of yon and those 

 present here to bear with me a short time while I tell something of the 

 way we prepare our ground, varieties planted and cultivation given. It 

 would be presumption on my part to try to tell our members how to 

 grow blackberries, but if I may succeed in telling the farmer that may 

 be here who does not have a liberal supply of fruit for his family how 

 to provide one of the most delicious and healthful fruits for them, and, 

 incidentally to get a discussion on best methods of growing the black- 

 berry, I shall feel that this paper has not been in vain. 



We use land for blackberries that would produce 40 to 50 bushels 

 of corn per acre, plow it about seven inches deep, and see that it is well 

 pulverized before planting. Use a diamond plow to lay off rows with, 

 setting our plants 4x8 feet, and we find this plenty close. The first year 

 we cultivate well with a five-shovel cultivator or a common small shovel 

 corn cultivator, followed by a Planet, Jr., T4-tooth harrow. The idea 

 being to keep down alt weeds and grass and to conserve the moisture 

 by having a dust mulch during the dry spells. After the canes reach 

 a heighth of 2 feet the first year we pinch out the' terminal bud. The 

 second year and ever after we cultivate as the first year, except we can- 

 not use corn cultivator, and allow canes to grow until 3 to 4 feet high 

 before pinching back. The pinching out the terminal bud causes them 

 to throw out laterals, and cutting these back to about 18 inches of 

 the cane in early spring leaves your rows in good shape to cultivate, and 

 also a chance to get the berries. Can't many of you here remember of 

 seeing some farmer's blackberry patch a regular wilderness, owing to 

 their being left to their own sweet will? It would be impossible to 

 cultivate them and a person would need a suit of buckskin clothes if he 

 picked the fruit, should there happen to be any to pick. This man says 

 blackberries don't pay, and that he can buy them cheaper than to raise 

 them. Nine chances to one his family goes without the fruit. I hold 

 that a man with a farm or place large enough owes it to himself and_ 

 family to raise enough fruit of the various kinds to supply them the 

 whole year. As to varieties the farmer will do well to plant only the 

 Snyder. For commercial planting we have the Snyder, Early Harvest 



