BLACKBERRY 8i 



privet, the black nightshade, and the dogwood, have 

 black berries, the present plant, ignoring all such rivals^ 

 claims to stand out in exclusive pre-eminence as the 

 blackberry. 



In these days of highly scientific farming the picturesque 

 old-fashioned hedges are held in no favour, and are either 

 entirely removed, or else clipped almost out of their lives ; 

 removed, because for steam-cultivation it is well to throw 

 the many small fields of the old days into a few large ones 

 instead ; clipped, because one cannot now afford to have 

 a great mass of rambling material as many feet or even 

 yards thick as some of these old boundaries were, using 

 up and impoverishing much ground, and harbouring the 

 numerous birds that, in some cases rightly, in others 

 wrongly, the farmer regards as his sworn enemies. Our 

 forefathers, we know, not only tolerated large masses of 

 blackberry in their hedges, but deliberately planted them 

 there, for Tusser, who wrote on matters agricultural in 

 the sixteenth century, directs the farmer to — 



Go plough up, or delve up, advised with skill. 

 The breadth of a ridge, and in length as ye will ; 

 Then speedily quickset, for a fence ye will draw, 

 To sow in the seed of the bramble and haw. 



Thus it is small wonder that we find the blackberry so 

 abundant in our country lanes, and many of these plants, 

 no doubt, may boast a very considerable antiquity. Else- 

 where we see in his book that he advises the farmers — 



To plot not full 



Ad bramble and hull, 



For set no bar 



Whilst month hath an R. 



Divers old names for the plant we all recognise now 



6 



