372 ANNUAL REPORT 



Our black raspberry is the same as found elsewhere in the north- 

 west. I could never distinguish it from the Doolittle. In the shel- 

 tered situations where it is found it does not winter kill, but in the 

 garden it needs covering the same as any other raspberry. It can 

 not endure drouth in the garden— and must have thorough cultiva- 

 tion, heavy mulching or irrigation to bear a crop in dry seasons. 



The dwarf June berry or service berry is a fruit of the huckle- 

 berry or blue berry quality, I am not well enough acquainted with 

 it to say much more. It is highly prized by the Indians. Soldiers 

 and frontiersmen who have seen it in its mountain home say it is a 

 delicious fruit to eat and a good cropper. From my own experience 

 I infer that it is a rather weak shrub for transplanting. I buy a 

 number of plants from the nurserymen every spring, but have not 

 yet succeeded in making one live through the summer. Would be 

 glad to hear where I can get some seeds. 



The high bush June berry I have not examined in bloom or fruit, 

 but have seen it growing. It is a slim, upright litle tree, found 

 usually on the upper edges of thickets, on the south or shady side 

 of the gulches. It would seem to be a very pretty tree for the 

 lawn. Another year I will watch it throughout its growing season, 

 and be able to report more intelligently on its bloom and fruitage. 

 From what I hear, I judge its fruit chiefly valuable as food for the 

 birds. 



There is passably good edible fruit obtained from an annual plant 

 found growing in cultivated fields, springing up after the cultivator 

 is laid by and ripening in September. It is of the size of the cur- 

 rant, very productive, black in color, called by the people the night- 

 shade, but looks on close examination like miniature tomato. I do 

 not know its botanical name. In families where other fruit is 

 scarce, it is quite welcome, and can be gathered in any quantity. 



The red raspberry I have not seen or heard of as a native here, 

 but it is likely to be found somewhere. Neither have the native 

 black berry or the dew berry, so far been reported. 



The black currant is common to all our wooded gulches, though 

 not so plentiful as the gooseberry. It is a pretty shrub, one of the 

 earliest in Jeaf and blooms in the spring, I think the very earliest of 

 all the native fruits. I have not seen it bearing abundantly, but it 

 may do better in the garden. In size and flavor it is about the 

 same as the black Naples 



The bittersweet is a grand climbing vine for a covered walk or 

 an arbor, where dense shade is desirable, but its habit of coiling 

 itself around any support offered makes it death to other vines or 

 shrubs or small trees; hence it cannot be used in combination with 

 other foliage but must be planted by itself and trellised. It is a 

 lovely vine in autumn when its abundant glumes take on a bright 

 yellow, or fire red color, and beautifully adorn the woodlands, or 

 the trellis where domesticated. They hang tenaciously to the 

 vines till far into winter. After the hard freezing weather sets in, 

 the glumes burst open, casting the seeds to the ground, and dis- 

 close in burstiDg still more and brighter color. Gathered in mid 

 autumn they can be kept for holiday decorations, and will last the 



