114 HOME FRUIT GROWER 



to reach the market at all this fruit must be picked while still firm, 

 which means unripe, for if picked when fully mature it would be a 

 mass of juiceless mush after the ordinary trip to town by express or 

 fast freight. At least a day, often two or three, must elapse before the 

 fruit is finally served. Unripe Blackberries do not ripen in transit; 

 they deteriorate from the moment they are picked. Then if they are 

 of a poor variety to start with, as most market varieties are, is it any 

 wonder 'so few people like Blackberries' ? But if you will grow 

 only the choicest varieties and if you will gather only those juicy, 

 fully ripe fruits that drop, off the bushes with scarcely more than a 

 touch and if you will immediately serve them you will forget the prickly 

 embraces of the bushes and be willing to concede that there certainly 

 are compensations. 



"Every home," I continued, "should have its Blackberry patch 

 to appease the family appetite no easy task if the berries are gathered 

 in the pink or rather the black of perfection. Why, man, when 

 the gods invented the terms 'nectar' and 'ambrosia' it was while the 

 delectable flavor of fully ripe Blackberries and powdered sugar (I'm 

 not sure about the sugar!) lingered on their palates. You simply must 

 have enough plants, a score, or at least a dozen, to live like the gods as 

 long as the season lasts." 



"But," he said, "I've heard that Blackberries will take possession 

 of the place. Is that true ?" 



"Yes, if they're neglected. But so will many other plants. If 

 you will pull up, while they are small, the suckers that appear where 

 they are not wanted instead of waiting until they have become woody 

 and then cutting them you'll have no difficulty in confining the plants 

 to the area and you will also prevent having the ground full of Black- 

 berry cane stumps from which new canes are sure to develop." 



Blackberries of various kinds will succeed well in almost all soil 

 and temperate climate conditions, except the coldest, where, however, 

 by Winter protection even the only semi-hardy ones may be grown 

 successfully. Wherever the Peach will stand the Winter, Blackberries 

 will also. In hot, dry regions, unless irrigated, both the plants and the 

 fruits are inferior. The best soils for this plant are cool, deep, mellow 

 loams well supplied with decaying vegetable matter. Sandy and 

 gravelly soils are generally too warm but may be cooled and kept more 

 moist by mulching with straw, corn-stalks, leaves or other loose 

 material. Wet soils are decidedly unfavorable. Drainage, however, 

 may make them suitable. If the soil is naturally rich it will not 

 be necessary to fertilize very much. Manure must be used with 

 caution as it tends to make long, sappy growths which are often killed 

 by Winter and are less productive than sturdier, more stocky ones. 



