104 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE BLACKBERRY PATCH. 



NILS ANDERSON, LAKE CITY. 



The blackbern- is the most neglected of all the small fruits on 

 account that it is mostly planted on soil that is too dry. I once saw a 

 patch planted on the south side of a grove, and where the wind and 

 sun had a clear sweep, and there was but little show for berries. I 

 once visited a good sized patch planted on gravelly soil. It was well 

 cultivated and kept clean, but the berries never came to maturity. 



The blackberry is not a berry that will do well under high culti- 

 vation, as the roots run but Httle below the surface of the ground 

 and the feeders get plant food from all parts of the patch, which is 

 a good reason why the soil between the rows should not be culti- 

 vated. It will do its best on loamy, moist and cold soil. Its na- 

 ture is to grow in the woods where there are plenty of leaves and 

 dead twigs, that keep the ground moist and cold. To supplement 

 this and to follow nature as much as possible, I leave the old canes 

 in the patch, after cutting out the rows, and then cover them with 

 straw. It also makes a nice clean mat to walk on while picking. 



A blackberry patch is as easily taken care of as a strawberry 

 patch and after once being planted it is good for years to come. 



I have tried winter protection in various ways, but there were 

 more lost in five years by bending the canes down than there was in 

 losing two crops out of five and letting the canes stand. 



The blackberry is a very good berry in its season. There is no 

 berry that I like to go out and eat fresh from the patch as I do the 

 blackberry. It has a cold, refreshing acid, that no other berry can 

 compare with in the hot and scorching month of August. I think 

 if grown to any extent there would be call for a large quantity. 



I have a patch of six rows seven rods long that produced 527 

 quarts of berries, and the berries from that patch were all sold at 

 12^/2 cents a quart. I have one row that yielded even more, but the 

 berries were not disposed of ; my blackberries were spoken for and 

 booked long before ripening. 



You may say the blackberry is not a sure crop ; neither is the 

 strawberry. The blossoms of the blackberry are so late that they 

 are never hurt by late frost, and when the vines bloom full I can 

 rely on a crop of berries. My berry customers will always inquire 

 about the blackberries as soon as the strawberries begin to grow 

 scarce. A good crop of blackberries is a great addition to the berry 

 season, and many are they that are sad when they hear that "This is 

 the last of the berries." 



Mr. Geo. J. Kellogg (Wis.) : What varieties have you? 



Mr. Anderson : The Ancient Briton. 



