SMALL I'RULT GROWING. 



our Canadian year, known as August, 

 last, I was completely delighted by a 

 few weeks' visit to some dear friends 

 living in the far-famed fruit regions 

 near Leamington, Co. of Essex, on the 

 north shore of old Lake Erie, about 

 eight miles east of Kingsville. This 

 fine fruit region is known as one of the 

 most favorable spots of Ontario for the 

 most successful growth and production 

 of peaches and strawberries and grapes, 

 etc., and it also possesses those essentia) 

 qualities in soil and climate for the pro- 

 per development of the finest blackber- 

 ries, and that to an extent I never before 

 saw in this country. It may he that 

 similar qualities may be found in other 

 parts of our country, but I am not per- 

 sonally acquainted with them. Before 

 this opportune visit, I never before 

 knew what blackberry growing properly 

 meant, or its products counted for 

 amongst our cultivated fruits. Both 

 the soil and the climate here seemed 

 conjoined to produce the largest sizes 

 and the fullest and highest perfections 

 attainable in the fruit, and these were 

 something far beyond my feeble powers 

 of description to properly convey to 

 you. This soil is a rich mixed gravelly 

 loam, apparently so made by the action 

 of deep overflowing waters during past 

 geologic ages. The climate is that fine 

 quality of pleasant and enjoyable balmy- 

 ness, with a certain admixture of moist- 

 ure in it that is so characteristic of this 

 whole extent of shore of old Lake Erie. 

 In these fine conditions the finer sorts 

 of cultivated blackberries, planted in 

 large fields of great extent, made a most 

 surprising growth and produced fruit 

 of the most surprising size and rich 

 shining blackness and most delightful 

 genuine blackberry flavors that would 

 defy competition. 



The pickers here had what we might 

 most properly call a snap, for the way 



they could fill the baskets and crates, 

 it was something quite astonishing. 

 This led me to understand the essen- 

 tial requirements and proper conditions 

 necessary to successful blackberry cul- 

 ture, as so grown and so perfected, they 

 were the very climax of blackberry fruit 

 products. 



The growers in that region, after 

 carefully preparing their soil, selected 

 good strong one-year old plants of the 

 variety most desired, and carefully 

 planted them any time in the early 

 spring and kept them well cultivated 

 throughout the season. They plant 

 in long straight rows, 6 feet apart and 

 3 or 4 feet in the rows ; that is 2,610 

 or 1,815 plants per acre, these making 

 a fine strong growth they cut back the 

 following spring to about 18 inches. 

 This summer the growth is very closely 

 watched and as the young canes are 

 pushing forward, some three or four 

 of them are allowed to grow to the 

 height of about 3 feet and then the 

 lead is pinched out and all other shoots 

 are cut out clean. This causes a vig- 

 orous growth on the side shoots, which 

 also may be checked should they be- 

 come too strong before autumn. The 

 following spring the whole is cut close 

 to about 3 feet and all dead wood is 

 removed, and even the side shoots 

 trimmed in snugly, so as to ease the 

 work of the pickers. 



This year there will be a full and 

 beautiful crop, and in this way black- 

 berry growing may be made a very 

 pleasant and paying success in almost 

 any good fruit section. The plantation 

 so put out and so cared for is e.xpected 

 to be good and yield good crops of 

 fine fruit for fully ten years or longer. 



After the fruit is all cleanly gathered, 



the old bearing wood is carefully cut 



out and removed, to make good room 



for a strong and rampant growth for 



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