Blackberries. 437 



Yellow Antwerp. (White Antwerp.) Quite large, corjcal, often 

 long-conical, light yellow, with fine bristles, flavor rich and excel- 

 lent Rather tender needs winter protection at the North, which 

 renders it less valuable than some other sorts of no better flavor. 

 Now nearly superseded. 



THE BLACKBERRY. 



THE Blackberry requires nearly the same treatment as the Rasp- 

 berry ; but being a more rampant grower it should have more room, 

 and needs more pruning or pinching. The distances of the rows 

 may be six to eight feet apart, and the plants, if kept single, two feet 

 in-the row. Sometimes they are allowed to grow thickly or in a con- 

 tinuous line, in which case they should be kept well cultivated and 

 properly pruned. 



Constant cultivation is always better than much manuring. 



Pruning the blackberry is commonly but little understood. We 

 hear complaints of the rambling and straggling growth of this bush, 

 etc., extending across alleys, tearing dresses, at the same time prov- 

 ing unproductive. This is owing to a negle<5l of summer pruning. 

 As soon as the new shoots have reached three and a half feet in 

 height, the ends should be pinched off with the thumb and finger, 

 which will cause the protrusion of laterals. These in turn are to be 

 pinched off when they have grown eighteen inches. It will be neces- 

 sary to pass along the rows every two weeks in doing this work, as 

 new shoots will be constantly thrown out during the entire summer. 

 The plants being thus kept within bounds, will present the neat, 



Fig. 479. Fig. 480. 



compact, and productive bushes shown in Fig. 479, instead of the 

 unproductive stragglers, if left untouched, represented by Fig. 480. 



