242 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It is well worthy of attention as an ornamental plant, the berries re- 

 maining nntil late in autumn or winter. When grown i'or this pur- 

 pose it will well repay the attempt, but no one should purchase it ex- 

 pecting it to be a substitute for the true cranberry as a fruit plant. 



The buffalo berry belongs to the Oleaster family, its scientific name 

 being Skepherdia argentea Nutt. It is widely distributed over the 

 plains and mountains in the western and northwestern parts of the 

 country. Its dioecious character, having staminate flowers on one 

 plant and pistillate flowers on another, make it necessary to see that 

 plants of both sorts are growing together in order to insure fruit. Its 

 fruit possesses a sprightly and very agreeable flavor, but is small and 

 borne among numerous thorns, so that it is not very promising from 

 an economic standpoint. This plant has also ornamental characters 

 which give it some recommendation. 



The goumi is more commonly known under its scientific name, 

 Ekeagnus longipes Gray. It is a near relative of the buffalo berry 

 and still more closely related to the " Russian olive" which has proved 

 such a hardy and reliable ornamental tree in the west. The fruit of 

 this is borne on long slender stems hanging thickly along the under 

 side of the branches. It ripens in July in middle latitudes and is 

 about one-half by three-fourths of an inch in diameter, containing one 

 large shapely seed. It is relished by some but is generally thought 

 to be too acid for desert use, being used in much the same way that 

 cranberries are. Altogether it seems to be a plant worthy of trial, but 

 attempts to get it established at the Experiment Station farm have thus 

 far failed. 



The Raspberry and Blackberry Family. 



The genus Rubus, to which the raspberries, blackberries, and dew- 

 berries belong, is a very large genus, widely scattered over the earth. 

 Like most of our fruits this genus belongs to the Rose family. It is 

 more liberally represented in the old than in the new world, yet even 

 in our own country there are far too many sj)ecies to be included within 

 the limits of the present paper. The following list, therefore, will in- 

 clude, in the main, only such species and botanical varieties as are 

 known to be in cultivation in the United States. 



