158 THE SMALL FRUITS OF NEW YORK 



A thomless variety which originated about 1859 on the grounds of Mrs. Mercy Davison, 

 Gowanda, New York; similar to Doolittle, but a few days earlier. It was placed in the 

 catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1873 and remained there until 1883. Canes 

 strong, stocky, without prickles; fruit large, sweet; early. 



Diamond, i. Mich. Sta. Bid. 142:1 ji. 1S97. 2. Card Bush-Fr. 152. 191 7. 3. Hedrick 

 Cyc. Hardy Fr. 281. 1922. 



Black Diamond. 4. Rural N. V. 57:123. 1898. 



Diamond was much grown in western New York for several years because of the beauty 

 and high quality of the fruit. It turns out, however, that it is very capricious as to soils 

 and climate, and is suitable to but few localities. Moreover, the berries are small and 

 variable in size. The plants are quickly injured by drouth and are very susceptible to 

 anthracnose. The variety was never much grown out of western New York, and seems 

 now well on the way to oblivion. According to information received from C. W. Stuart & 

 Company, Newark, New York, who introduced this variety about thirty years ago, the first 

 bush was found by L. J. Bryant, Newark, about 1888 in an old peach orchard. While 

 the parentage is unknown, Mr. Bryant believed that it might be a seedling of Gregg and 

 Ohio. 



Plants tall, vigorous, spreading, nearly hardy, productive, severely attacked by 

 anthracnose; canes stocky, green changing to light reddish brown, heavily glaucous; 

 prickles of medium size and thickness, strong, medium in number, greenish ; leaflets usually 3, 

 oval, attractive dark green, rather small, rugose, somewhat pubescent, with prickly mid- 

 ribs and serrate margins; petiole long, of medium thickness, glabrous. Flowers midseason; 

 pedicels prickly, pubescent; calyx smooth. Fruit late midseason; variable in size, broadly 

 hemispherical, irregular in shape, black with a tinge of red until fully ripe, adheres fairly 

 well to the torus which is roughish and rounded; drupelets of medium size and coherence; 

 flesh juicy, firm, pleasantly sprightly; quality fair to good. 



Doolittle. I. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 84. 1858. 2. Card. Man. 3:75. 1861. 3. Bailey 

 Ev. Nat. Fruits. 282. 1898. 



Joslyn. 4. Horticulturist 16:381. 1861. 



American Black. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 96. 1862. 



Am£rican Improved. 6. Fuller Sm. Fr. Cult. 142. 1867. 



It is doubtful if Doolittle can now be found imder cultivation, and this rarity makes a 

 technical description unnecessary. Neither is it necessary to give it a general discussion, 

 since in the account of the domestication of the black raspberry it came in for full dis- 

 cussion as the first black raspberry to acquire prominence as a commercial fruit. Once 

 the most popular of all raspberries, it was superseded after several decades of culture by 

 Souhegan, which, in its turn, gave way to Gregg, which is now succumbing in competition 

 with Black Pearl and Plum Farmer. A resum6 of its history, as given on page 14 follows; 

 This variety was found growing wild by Leander Joslyn, Phelps, New York. It was intro- 

 duced by H. H. Doolittle, Oaks Comers, New York, about 1850. The variety was known 

 under various names for many years. The American Pomological Society first used the 

 name " Doolittle," but it had previously appeared in the Society's catalog under the name 



