2l8 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



the subject of improvement. Many varieties do 

 not fruit at all, but have blossoms so wonderful 

 that the whole nation turns out to view the gar- 

 dens in May, the cherry-blossom month, one of 

 the great national fetes of the year. 



THE CANE FRUITS 



Brambles, we call the long-armed plants of the 

 genus Rubus, which cannot hold themselves erect, 

 but sprawl on the ground, and make a thicket 

 by sending up suckers or by striking root at 

 the tips of the arching canes. The difficulties 

 of walking through or past such plants are 

 increased by the prickles that turn their points 

 backward. 



The raspberries of our gardens are descendants 

 of wild brambles that are abundant in the wilds 

 of North America, Europe, and Asia. The rough 

 surface of the fruit suggested the name. Black, 

 white, red, and yellow varieties are grown. The 

 wild "black caps" are our native raspberries, often 

 very fine fruit in rich, woodland soil, but usually 

 the better for cultivation. 



Blackberries are a famous wild fruit in many 

 parts of this country. The bush blackberry of the 

 eastern states has many cultivated forms, widely 



