The Dewberry. 2 1 3 



plant scarcely distinguishable from our northern cloud- 

 berry, called, because of the likeness of the foliage, 

 Rubus geoides. 



THE DEWBERRY (Rubus catsius). 



THE Dewberry, a common inhabitant of quiet waysides 

 and the borders of lanes, especially where the ground is 

 dry and somewhat stony ; frequent also upon the seaside 

 sandhills ; is in some respects so like the blackberry as 

 ordinarily to be confounded with it. But the dewberry 

 prefers to trail and keep below, rather than to mount 

 into hedges, and woods and forests it seems afraid of. 

 The flowers are few, and never properly paniculate : 

 the drupels are large but very few; often only two or 

 three are perfectly developed, or but a single one, then 

 immense ; in any case they never present the beau-ideal 

 of the etaerio ; and lastly, so far from being jetty and 

 lucid, they are covered, like some varieties of the plum 

 and damson, with "bloom" "shining dim .... pow- 

 dered with downy blue." The branches, instead of 

 being so terribly resentful to the touch of naked fingers, 

 are but thinly clothed with prickles, and these are but 

 weak. All parts of continental Europe, as well as of our 

 own country, are possessed of the dewberry. It extends 

 also into Russian Asia, though not crossing the Arctic 

 circle. The flavour of the fruit is estimated very differ- 

 ently. Some call it insipid ; others think it very good. 



