CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



row, for irrigation. This gets water pretty well where it is needed, the 

 ditches are out of the way of the cultivator after the first crop is off, 

 and they are shaded so as to avoid evaporation in the hot summer. Water 

 is applied every four or five days during the heavy picking, then every 

 ten days till the main summer crop comes on, when it is applied twice 

 as often again. Irrigation when the berries are turning black makes them 

 larger and of better color. While the juice might thus be considered di- 

 luted, this is the sort of berry people buy, and the proportion of juice to 

 seeds is what makes a desirable market berry, when markets are near by. 

 Such practice might make undesirable fruit for canning or shipping. 



Varieties of the Blackberry. Comparatively few kinds are 

 largely grown. The Wilson Junior, Lawton, and Kittatinny were 

 formerly the prevailing kinds, ripening in the order named. The 

 Erie is favored by some as a middle-season variety. The Early 

 Harvest has been favorably reported by a number of growers. Of 

 these the Lawton survives as the leading and standard variety ; the 

 others have been largely superseded by a renamed variety, Cran- 

 dall's Early, which is the earliest of the improved varieties, and has 

 a very long fruiting season. The fruit was named after Dr. J. R. 

 Crandall, of Auburn, who first fruited the variety from plants given 

 him by a stranger hailing from Texas, and the proper name of the 

 variety is probably Texas Early. It is a strong, vigorous, hardy 

 plant, very productive, of firm, handsome berries ; resembles Lawton 

 in canes, leaves, and flavor of fruit; not given to sprouting from 

 running roots. 



Another variety which has advanced in favor is the Oregon 

 Evergreen, introduced from Oregon but not native nor originated 

 in that State. The late John Rock described it as follows : "Origin 

 unknown ; beautiful ; cut-leaved foliage, which it retains during the 

 winter ; berries large, black, sweet, rich, and delicious. It continues 

 to ripen from July to November, which makes it one of the. best 

 berries for family use." It loses size and quality notably on scant 

 moisture. 



Some effort has been made to secure improved varieties of our 

 native blackberry, and a most striking result has been secured by 

 Judge J. H. Logan, of Santa Cruz, by crossing the wild berry with 

 Crandall's Early, producing a fruit so large that it has been named 

 "Mammoth" by its originator. The canes of the Mammoth are very 

 peculiar, being very large and thickly covered with small, short 

 spines. The canes start early in March, grow thick and stout until 

 about five feet high. They then take on a running habit and grow 

 from twenty-five to thirty feet in a season. Late in the fall the tips 

 or stolons seek the ground and take root. The Mammoth is not an 

 evergreen like its Texas parent, although it does not entirely lose its 

 leaves in winter. It begins to grow and flower very early in spring 

 and ripens its fruit the last of May, some weeks earlier than the 

 Lawton. The fruit is more acid than the Lawton, but, when per- 

 fectly ripe, is sweet and of superior flavor. When cooked or canned 

 the flavor is identical with the wild berry of California. This variety 

 is often wrongly called "Black Loganberry." 



The Himalaya is a blackberry of wonderful growth and prolific- 

 ness, highly praised by amateurs, but not important from a commer- 



