BLACKBERRY 



647 



from the ground and another at the top 

 of the posts, and to the ends of these 

 arms staple heavy wires, thus forming 

 firm lateral supports for the canes. 



"The four-wire trellis with the addition 

 of notched cross pieces to lay on the 

 lower wires makes an excellent support 

 for the 'Viny Growers,' the purpose being 

 to suspend the growing canes by means 

 of small cloth strings under the upper 

 •wires for the first year and at pruning 

 time lower them to rest on the notched 

 pieces on the lower wires for their fruit- 

 ing period. This makes an easy system 

 to work and keeps the growing and fruit- 

 ing canes separate, thereby simplifying 

 the picking." 



Pruning: 



The pruning of the blackberry is a 

 simple matter, if only a few rules are 

 observed. 



The first is to keep the tops cut back, 

 or pinched back to the proper height, 

 during the growing season while they 

 are young and tender. This allows the 

 plant to grow stocky, and to mature bet- 

 ter fruit than if the strength of the plant 

 had been allowed to produce more wood 

 growth. The second is to remove the old 

 canes in winter or spring. 



Some varieties of plants will grow on 

 good soils from 10 to 20 feet in height. 

 This makes the picking of the fruit im- 

 possible. These should be cut back dur- 

 ing the growing season. Others tend to 

 grow shaggj- and bushy. In such a case 

 it might be found advisable to train them 

 to grow taller. 



In very cold climates the pruning 

 should be done in the autumn, the plants 

 laid down and given a covering of straw 

 or earth to prevent freezing, but where 

 this is done, berries are grown mostly 

 for home use, as it does not pay to grow 

 fruits for the general markets in com- 

 petition with those sections where the 

 conditions are more favorable and the 

 fruit can be produced with less labor. 



Picking and Marketing 



For long shipments the berries should 

 be picked as soon as colored. However, 

 it must be borne in mind that blackber- 



ries color before they are ripe enough to 

 have a pleasant taste. It is regrettable 

 that so many varieties of fruits, in order 

 to reach the markets in good condition, 

 must be picked before they are ripe, but 

 in many cases this is true. However, by 

 the use of refrigerator cars, pre-cooling 

 methods and rapid transit, the fruit may 

 be left to ripen, unless intended for long 

 distance shipment. 



After picking, the berries should not be 

 allowed to stand in the sun because, if 

 thus exposed, they develop a bitter taste. 



Perhaps the most convenient package 

 for blackberries, strawberries or any kind 

 of small fruit, is the strawberry box. It 

 is a size to which the public is accus- 

 tomed and which manufacturers are pre- 

 pared for making without readjusting 

 their machinery. 



Drying Blackberries 



The drying of blackberries has been 

 strongly recommended by a great many 

 persons. The experience of some per- 

 sons leads to the conclusion that it pays, 

 while others are of a contrary opinion. 

 Card, in his "Bush Fruits," gives it as 

 his opinion that it does not pay. His 

 reasons are. that the blackberry by eva- 

 poration loses much of its flavor. Then, 

 too, it comes into competition with the 

 fresh berries, grown in the South and 

 shipped into Northern markets. These 

 berries from the South are not considered 

 equal in flavor to the berries grown in 

 the North, yet they are so far superior to 

 the Northern berry dried that they prac- 

 tically destroy the demand for the dried 

 product. In our experience, the competi- 

 tion with the canned product is formid- 

 able, and we should not, therefore, at- 

 tempt to dry blackberries for the general 

 market unless under conditions where 

 canning was impracticable. However, 

 there are markets for dried fruits. We 

 may take as an illustration, Alaska, 

 where the costs of shipment are high, and 

 where all fruits are scarce. 



The profits in berries are all the way 

 from $100 per acre to $500 net, depending 

 on the man, the varieties, and the cir- 

 cumstances under which grown and mar- 

 keted. 



