THE SMALL FRUITS OF NEW YORK 1 7 



time believed that there was at least a " purple-cane type." In a later 

 paragraph he closes the discussion of this group with the opinion that the 

 purple-canes are " primarily of hybrid origin." 



Soon after Card's book appeared, there was a general awakening, new 

 teaching, and a great stimulus to the work of plant breeding due to the 

 discovery of Mendel's hitherto imnoticed records of experiments in crossing 

 plants. In due course, a nimiber of breeders crossed red and black rasp- 

 berries and proved definitely what had become very generally believed; 

 namely, that hybrids are common in the garden and in the wild between 

 black and red raspberries, and that many of our cultivated raspberries, 

 probably more than were then or are now suspected, are hybrids. Among 

 those are the sorts that pomologists had been calling " piuple-canes." 



Can these hybrid varieties be put in a group distinguished by botanical 

 characters? Fuller, Bailey, and Card, most eminent authorities on American 

 cultivated raspberries, as we have seen, assembled the hybrids having purple 

 canes and gave to the assemblage distinguishing marks of plant, fruit, 

 and method of propagation. With present knowledge, these men would 

 probably be less specific in designating characters to the purple-cane rasp- 

 berries. This brings us to a discussion of the results obtained in crossing 

 these two fruits. 



In attempts to improve raspberries through hybridization at this 

 Station the progeny of crosses between black and red sorts to the num- 

 ber of 617 have fruited. The fruits of 606 of these were purple, varying 

 from dark red to almost black; there were no true reds nor true blacks. 

 Eleven plants bore yellow fruits. Purple predominated in cane-color in 

 376 plants; red predominated in cane-color of 220 plants. Of the 606 

 plants, 534 bore spines and 73 were spineless. The size, number, and 

 margins of leaflets were exceedingly various, as were the number of fruits 

 and the styles of inflorescence. From these statements one sees at once 

 that hybrids between red and black raspberries are exceedingly variable and 

 that it is impossible to hold them in a species or other botanical or horti- 

 cultural group. 



Of the progeny of purple-fruited varieties self -pollinated to the number 

 of 68, there were 60 plants which bore purplish fruits ranging from red- 

 purple to black-ptirple with no true reds and no true blacks. Eight plants 

 bore yellow or amber fruits. The canes of 38 plants were reddish brown; 

 of 6 purplish brown; 4 were brown; 10 red; and the canes of 10 were green. 



