STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 315 



according to my recollection of them as good as the same varie- 

 ties are to-day. Little fellows like myself were allowed to help 

 themselves to both currants and raspberries from the bushes, 

 but the strawberries, which we desired most of all, were to us 

 the forbidden fruit, which we must not touch without enduring 

 penalties that we imagined would be about as severe as those 

 pronounced upon our first parents upon their violation of the 

 first fruit command known in the history of our race. It will 

 readily be seen that the improvement in currants and raspber- 

 ries has been by no means comparable to that of strawberries. 

 The Red Antwerp was for many years the standard raspberry in 

 the Eastern markets, and they were supplied with it, as far as 

 they were supplied with any variety. It was really an excellent 

 berry in those portions of the East where it did its best, which 

 were somewhat restricted even then, its favorite home being 

 along the Hudson River, and I have never heard of its doing as 

 well anywhere west of the Alleghany Mountains. 



The improvement in raspberries has been confined principally 

 to the last twenty-five years. Within that time many new var- 

 ieties have been introduced, and some of them are of great 

 value. Among the reds, I have found nothing that seems to me 

 equal to the Cuthbert. It is a large and beautiful berry, of very 

 fine flavor, an excellent bearer, and with me continues in bear- 

 ing about five weeks. A year or two since I wrote to an old 

 fruit grower inquiring how a certain other variety compared 

 with the Cuthbert. He concluded his reply by saying, when 

 I got a raspberry, all things considered, better than the Cuth- 

 bert, I would have something bordering on the marvelous. 



I do not remember ever seeing any blackcap variety culti- 

 vated until after 1840, and very few of them were cultivated un- 

 til within the last twenty years. Since that time many new 

 varieties have been originated. Among the new ones I prefer 

 the Gregg. It is a large, fine looking berry, a good bearer, and 

 of fair quality, but does not continue in bearing as long as the 

 Cuthbert. 



I have no recollection of seeing blackberries cultivated before 

 1855 or later. I obtained a few Lawtons about 18G0, but found 

 them unsatisfactory and destroyed them. The Kittatinny used 

 to grow wild on my father's farm, and I presume they may still 

 be found wild in that vicinity. Among the new varieties intro- 

 duced within twenty years I doubt if there are any superior to 

 the Ancient Briton. Many new varieties of currants have been 



