278 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



berries when your neighbor's neglected plot will suffer greatly 

 with drought. If the mulching is forked away from the rows a 

 little, and the land spaded and the mulch returned and a little 

 extra added each spring, the labor of keeping the plot in order 

 will be greatly reduced, the yield largely increased, and the qual- 

 ity of the fruit greatly improved. Either mulching or thorough 

 cultivation must be given, and on most farms material for mulch- 

 ing is so abundant that it would be cheaper than cultivation. 



VARIETIES. The Gregg, Doolittle and Souhegan are probably 

 the best varieties of the Black Caps, and the Hansell, Cuthbert, 

 Turner, and Brandy wine of the red. 



Blackberries. The same general directions for cultivation 

 will apply to the blackberry as the raspberry, except that the 

 blackberry should be trellised. The cheapest and best trellis is 

 a single wire three feet above the ground to which the canes 

 are tied. Some years since nearly all the cultivated varieties 

 were attacked with an orange-colored rust which completely de- 

 stroyed them, and all attempts to renew the plantations were 

 fruitless, as the plants were killed before they came into bearing. 

 Of late years the disease has disappeared, it is to be hoped never 

 to return. Before this disease appeared I could grow a bushel 

 of blackberries, aside from gathering, as cheaply as a bushel of 

 corn. A very few square rods of land will supply a family for 

 nearly a month, and furnish all that is needed for canning. As 

 it is difficult to keep them in a narrow row, I would recommend 

 that blackberries be planted in rows eight feet apart. 



The standard varieties are : the Lawton or New Rochelle, 

 Kittatinny, Wilson's Early, Snyder, and Taylor's Prolific. The 

 Snyder is the hardiest, and is recommended for cold climates or 

 localities where other varieties have been killed out by rust. 



Currants. The currant is very hardy and thrives on almost 

 any soil. If neglected and allowed to become crowded with old 

 wood and choked with grass the plant is short-lived ; but if well 

 cultivated and pruned annually, removing all wood that shows 

 signs of decay, and thinning out the new shoots, they can be 

 kept thrifty and bearing for many years. One thing which adds 

 greatly to the value of the currant, is the long time it continues 



