454 



The Journal of Heredity 



llowers were iinernu-diatf in si/.f be- 

 tween those of the oriKin.il parenls. and 

 borne on elongated pedicels in clusters 

 similar to those of the Louisiana berry. 

 The fruit was dark cherry-red at 

 maturity and brownish-black, when 

 ONerripe. The size of it was much 

 larger than that of either of the original 

 parents; in fact, larger than any 

 Logan blackberr\- produced on our 

 grounds. The Havor was mildly acid 

 with a strong reminder of the raspberry. 



Two plantings of the third genera- 

 tion are growing on our grounds; 

 one. made in the spring of 1918, from 

 seed produced in the open, the other, 

 planted in the field in 1919, from seed 

 produced under screen. The first con- 

 sists of about 900 plants which fruited 

 in 1919. In general appearance, these 

 vary no more from each other, or 

 from their mother-plants in the second 

 generation, than may be expected 

 from descendants of what is recognized 

 as a true species. The variations, 

 such as they are, consist mostly in 

 vigor of the shoots, size of the leaves, 

 size and abundance of the fruit, and 

 the time and length of the fruiting 

 period. The general type and charac- 

 ters of their \arious organs arc the 

 same. 



According to these \ariations, I 

 marked, from time to time, as the 

 fruiting proceeded, twenty-four as 

 elites; but as the season advanced, I 

 dropped this number to 4. — among 

 which. I am as yet uiKk-cided as to the 

 preference. 



As to flavor, form, and color of 

 fruit, no positive distinction can be 

 made. The fruit differs from both the 

 blackberry antl the rasi)berry in the 

 mode of separating from the pedicel, 

 inasmuch as this takes place at the 

 base of the calyx, leaving the latter 

 attached to the fruit. Because of this, 

 the picking of the berries is a little 

 dilticult, since there is not a well 

 defined node, where the disjointing 

 takes place. No positive variation in 

 this character has gi\en ojjponunity 

 for selection. 



ri;mark.\i5i,i-: li:n(.th oi' fruiting 



SEASON 



The four plants of the third genera- 

 tion, finalK- selected as elites, produced 

 fruit from the middle of May to the 

 middle of August; hence the length of 

 the fruiting season during the past 

 summer was about three months. 

 Another noticeable character was, that 

 the fruit did not perceptibly deterio- 

 rate in size or flavor as the season 

 achanced. The later part of the 

 crop was produced on shoots of the 

 current season. This character, which 

 results in a long season of bearing, 

 is e\idently inherited, in a great 

 measure, from Rubus nibrisetus, where 

 this tendency is present, but less evi- 

 dent. 



The most remarkable part of these 

 phenomena appears to me to be 

 that fertility appeared only in the 

 most robust group of those of the Fo 

 generation, in which the raspberry 

 was dominant, and did not reappear, 

 just as though sterility was merely a 

 passing crisis. 



Self-pollination, both in te fiveh 

 plants of the second generation, and 

 in their descendants of the third, w\is 

 perfect under screen; and their pollen, 

 when used in crossing even distantly 

 related forms, gave rise to apparently 

 good seed. I have also crossed botli 

 the second and the third generation 

 with foreign pollen with excellent 

 results. With the second generation 

 j)lants as mothers, and McDonald 

 Spineless-diffuse as father, I have 

 three thrifty hybrid plants. With 

 another form as mother, namely. 

 Haymaker x Louisiana Fi, which in 

 itself is very sterile, I have six very 

 thrifty plants from seed secured in 

 1918. This combination is, therefore, 

 (Brilliant x Louisiana) F,. x (Haymaker 

 X Louisiana) F|. 



ik'sides these, I have tried the 

 pollen of the third generation in other 

 crosses with surprisingK- good results, 

 so far as setting of fruit and production 

 of seed are concerned. In short, the 

 ease with which these plants lend them- 

 selves to hybridization with other 

 forms astonished me, when I remem- 



