BLACKBERRIES. 313 



BLACKBERRY. 



(Bramble. Rubus fruticosa.) 



1. BUSH BLACKBERRY. Rubus Americanus. 



A shrub rising to the height of ten feet, somewhat ribbed 

 or angled, and armed with hooked spines. The fruit, which 

 grows in clusters, is oblong, an inch in length, of a shining 

 black, of an agreeable taste, sweet, or subacid, and astrin- 

 gent. This plant thrives in a rich, moist, sandy loam, and 

 is often cultivated in gardens, where its fruit is much im- 

 proved in size, and its crops very abundant. 



2. TRAILING BLACKBERRY. Dewberry. Rubus pro- 

 cumbens. 



This is a plant with low, trailing branches ; its stems are 

 weak, and bend to the earth, and there take root. The fruit 

 is large, nearly globular, of a black color, and covered with 

 bloom, of a sweet, subacid, lively taste ; this plant succeeds 

 in dry, hilly land. 



USES. The blackberry is considered a pleasant and 

 wholesome dessert fruit, if used with moderation ; it is 

 used in pies, tarts, &,c. A jelly is made of the blackberry 

 of considerable medicinal efficacy in nephritic disorders. 

 It is singular that a fruit so productive as the tall black- 

 berry should be so little cultivated. Both species may be 

 propagated either from seed or from layers, and are won- 

 derfully improved by cultivation. 



3. WHITE-FRUITED BRAMBLE. Rubus alba. 

 A variety with white fruit. 



4. DOUBLE WHITE FLOWERING. Rubus albo-pleno. 

 A beautiful and ornamental variety. 



CRANBERRIES. (Oxycoccus macrocarpus.) 



A low, trailing vine, an indigenous fruit, growing wild in 

 bogs and meadows. Tf lie berry has a vry acid taste, and 



