1 84 CROP PRODUCTION 



Culture 



Blackberries thrive best in a moist, rich soil, though it 

 should not be too rich in nitrogen or canes will grow at 

 the expense of fruit. They sucker so freely that they 

 should be set at least four or five feet apart in the rows 

 and the rows at least six feet apart if horse cultivation 

 is to be given. On bearing plantations the young canes 

 should be cut off each season as soon as they are two 

 feet high. They will then lengthen out a foot or more, 

 and will develop strong buds or branches along their 

 sides. In this way the crop of fruit the following year 

 will be much better than if the canes are left unpruned 

 till fall or spring. The old canes should be cut close to 

 the ground as soon as they have finished fruiting. After 

 cutting they should b'e promptly burned. 



Winter protection by means of a mulch of litter or 

 soil is very desirable for blackberry canes. With tender 

 varieties it is essential at the north to prevent winter 

 kilHng, the commonest trouble in growing this fruit. 



Dewberries 

 Dewberries are traiHng blackberries. Instead of send- 

 ing the main stalk up vertically it trails along the ground 

 and sends up short fruiting branches. Instead also of 

 propagating by suckers sent up from the roots the dew- 

 berries propagate by layers of the prostrate canes. They 

 are of much less importance than the blackberries, but 

 are of value in home gardens, giving a deHcious fruit 

 that ripens earlier than the blackberry. The Lucretia 

 Dewberry is the best variety for most fruit-growing 

 regions. On the Pacific Coast the Loganberry, which 

 is closely related to the Dewberry, is a valuable fruit. 



