VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 117 



branches and canes. Hence another reason for preventing the de- 

 velopment of any but the earliest canes. The popular method of 

 protection is practised as follows: 



Late in the Fall, but before the ground freezes, earth is removed 

 from two sides of the first hill or crown. Then the canes in this hill are 

 bent over with a manure fork across one of the excavations, towards the 

 starting end of the row. They are next covered with soil taken mainly 

 from beside the second plant, which in turn is bent down so its canes 

 perhaps overlap the first hill and so on till the whole hill is covered. 

 Sometimes straw is used instead of earth, but it demands more work 

 and is no better. Canes that break or split rarely survive the Winter. 

 In Spring when the buds begin to swell, the earth must be removed, the 

 canes straightened and the earth replaced around the crowns. 



Most commercial plantations are tilled very shallow and kept 

 clean until the berries begin to turn black. After harvest one shallow 

 cultivation is given and a cover crop sown. Recause the Rlackberry 

 produces roots near the surface the tillage must always be shallow 

 to avoid injuring the plants and inducing the formation of suckers. 

 Heavy mulching after the first or second Summer of clean tillage is 

 recommended by some growers who claim that they get larger and 

 superior flavored fruit thereby. For home gardens the latter plan 

 seems to be specially adapted. 



RLACKBERRY AND DEWBERRY VARIETIES 



AUSTIN IMPROVED. A hardy, vigorous, healthy Dewberry which ripens 

 its large high quality berries fully a week earlier than Lucretia. Earli- 

 est of all. 



RLOWERS. An erect variety noted for hardiness, great prolificacy, large, 

 luscious, fine-flavored fruit and long season of bearing often July, to 

 October. 



ELDORADO. A hardy mid and short season, medium-sized, productive, 

 sweet variety of good flavor. 



ERIE. An early, vigorous, hardy, large-berried, productive variety of only 

 moderate quality. 



ICEHERG. Notable because of its so-called "white" fruits which are said 

 to be large and sweet. The plant while very productive is not fully 

 hardy. Mine all died the first Winter they had a chance. They were 

 not protected. 



JOY. A new mid-season variety more highly praised by the introducer 

 than usual. Plant said to be stocky, vigorous, healthy, highly prolific, 

 exceedingly hardy; fruit large, jet black, rich, luscious. One of my 

 friends addicted to fruit-testing but not to exclamation points and super- 

 latives declares it to be the best variety growing on his place. Mr. 

 Leonard Rarron, editor of the "Garden Magazine," told me, "It knocks 

 everything we've ever grown on our dry soil at Garden Gity r " 



KITTATINNY. This late, large-fruited, prolific but somewhat tender variety 

 has stood at the quality head of the variety list for over 50 years. In a 



