316 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FEUITS 



the celebrated Wilson's Early, which was larger, more 

 productive, and more than a week earlier, and worth 

 two or three times as much per acre as any other 

 blackberry then known ; and in 1865 we planted 

 20,000 Wilson's Early for market; they did well, 

 yielded abundantly, and sold readily at wholesale, by 

 the wagon load, at 50 cents per quart, and were sold 

 at retail from the fruit stands at $1.00 per quart. 

 The plants sold at $1,500.00 per 1,000 at wholesale, 

 and retailed at from $2.00 to $3.00 each, and some 

 more. One of our neighbors, who planted seventy-five 

 acres of Wilson's Early blackberries, reported his 

 sales of fruit for several years about 1869 to 1872 at 

 $20,000 to $22,000 per annum. The Wilson Early was 

 the most valuable blackberry ever grown here ; yielded 

 more bushels of fruit and brought more dollars than 

 any other blackberry ever sent to Philadelphia or 

 New York since we have been in the business. In 

 1870 we selected a healthy young Dorchester and 

 planted in same hill with a strong, healthy Wilson 

 Early for breeders, located far away from any other 

 blackberries. They have done well together, been a 

 mutual help to each other, and we have raised many 

 valuable seedlings from them. They were both early; 

 the Wilson produced the largest berries, the Dorchester 

 had the best canes strong, upright growers, health y 

 and vigorous, free from rust, fungus and other mala- 

 dies so very destructive among some blackberries. 

 We have never observed any defect in fruit or cane 

 of either of those two plants that have grown together 

 now for fifteen years, and we believe they are good 

 stock to breed from yet. 



"In 1875 we selected some of the largest, best and 



