384 ANNUAL REPORT 



straighten the bushes up in line, pressing the dirt about the roots 

 to keep them so; then plow the field lightly, not more than 

 three or four inches, turning the dirt away from the rows on 

 each side to make them run deeper and help to preserve against 

 drought. This season there will be about half a crop of ber- 

 ries, and should be picked in quart boxes, when they will find a 

 ready sale at a good price. They averaged about fifteen cents a 

 quart here the past summer. 



After picking go through the field, pinch the tops of the new 

 bushes at the height you want them to remain and they will 

 throw out fruit bearing laterals very freely, which will give the 

 bushes a desirable, strong, low, stocky form and save the use of 

 wires to keep them in position. The proper height to train the 

 bushes depends on the kind grown and should be about two and 

 a half or three feet for Wilson's and the smaller kinds, and four 

 feet for the stronger growing varieties. At this time remove all 

 old wood of the first year's growth, for it will die anyway, and 

 the sooner it is out of the way the better. Then cut the new 

 wood to three or four of the best canes in a hill. These will 

 give better results than a larger number. 



Treat all suckers, which on some kinds will be plenty, the 

 same as weeds and kill them, unless you want them for plants. 

 Do not cultivate in the fall, as it will make a late tender growth 

 to be winter-killed. Plants may be secured from suckers or 

 root cuttings, either of which grow rapidly. 



VARIETIES. 



All varieties of blackberries in general cultivation are selec- 

 tions from the wild fruit, and it is desirable for the grower to 

 set such kinds as will ripen in succession from early to late. 

 Snyder is the best early variety, a strong grower, hardy and 

 very productive on heavy soil, but fails on sand; berries medium 

 size and fine quality. Stone's Hardy or Taylor will succeed the 

 Snyder; the latter of these is of fine quality but a rather un- 

 certain bearer on some soils. For a late market nothing equals 

 Ancient Briton, a large, late, strong growing variety and very 

 productive; this is probably the best of all for this state. Law- 

 ton and Wilson are the great market varieties of the East but 

 have been little planted here. The best dewberries for general 

 cultivation are Lucretia and Windom. These may be treated 

 the same as blackberries except to train to wires to hold the 



