CHAPTER XVI 

 VARIETIES OF RASPBERRIES 



Varieties of raspberries known to have been 

 grown in America run into the hundreds, but 

 the number now to be found in the nurseries 

 of the country is surprisingly small. About 

 50 red, 5 purple, and 30 black sorts are offered 

 in the catalogs of 1920, some of which in each 

 group are barely mentioned. These numbers 

 do not include a few sorts put out by experi- 

 menters under number, or newly named, for 

 trial. In this text the varieties are arranged in 

 two groups, the red and hybrid varieties in 

 one, and the black raspberries in another group. 

 It is now impossible to separate the red and 

 hybrid, or purple varieties, the types having 

 become hopelessly confused. Neither is it 

 necessary to put the varieties of Old World and 

 New World red raspberries in separate groups. 



Despite the small number of varieties of 

 raspberries now under cultivation, the popu- 

 larity of this fruit is not on the wane; on 

 the contrary, the acreage is steadily increas- 

 ing in proportion to the population. The de- 

 crease in number of varieties is due to greater 

 and greater specialization on varieties pre- 

 eminently meritorious for berry regions or for 

 distinct purposes. Possibly no field of po- 

 mology offers greater opportunities in plant 

 improvement than the brambles, and another 

 reason for the small number of raspberries is 

 that old sorts are being rapidly discarded for 

 much better new ones. The march of progress 

 in the introduction of varieties is so rapid that, 

 without question, there will be a new list of 

 cultivated brambles every few years. 



RED AND HYBRID RASPBERRIES 



ANTWERP. R. idceus. Red Antwerp. 

 Antwerp is one of the oldest European varieties 

 supposed to have come from the Island of 

 Malta to Antwerp, Belgium. Nevertheless, 

 it is still one of the best of its kind, and is 

 more or less grown in various parts of America. 

 Antwerp is a favorite on the Pacific slope, 

 where it is often planted as a companion of 

 Cuthbert, than which it is more productive. 

 It is tender to cold and susceptible to crown- 

 gall. 



Plants vigorous with long yellowish-green canes, 

 glaucous, tinged with purple ; beset with dark brown 

 bristles ; bearing wood nearly smooth. Fruit early, 

 large, conical, dark red, firm, rich and rather sweet ; 

 quality good. 



BRANDYWINE. R. strigosus. Susqueco. 

 Wilmington. This is one of the oldest native 

 red raspberries, now discarded because of the 

 weak and unproductive plants and rather small 



berries. The origin of the variety is unknown, 

 but it was to be found in the markets of Wil- 

 mington, New Jersey, in the middle of the 

 last century. 



Plants erect, rather weak, tender to cold, unproduc- 

 tive. Fruit early midseason, hemispherical, small, rich 

 scarlet ; flesh firm, juicy, rather insipid ; quality fair. 



BRILLIANT. R. strigosus. This variety 

 is comparatively new, and is grown com- 

 mercially only in New Jersey and Delaware, 

 where it has the reputation of being one of 

 the most profitable red raspberries. It is a 

 heavy yielder and is adapted to a variety of 

 soils, which, however, must be rich. At 

 Geneva, New York, the plants are not suffi- 

 ciently hardy for a commercial variety. Bril- 

 liant originated at Bridgeville, Delaware, and 

 was introduced in 1901. 



Plants medium to tall, of medium vigor, upright or 

 slightly drooping, much branched, very productive, with 

 many suckers, lacking in hardiness. Leaflets rather 

 small, yellowish-green, with characteristic tendency to 

 lobe. Fruit early midseason, just before Cuthbert, 

 rather small, hemispherical, downy, light bright glossy 

 red ; drupelets of medium size, rather dry, mild and not 

 particularly well flavored ; quality not above good ; seeds 

 of medium size. 



CARDINAL. R. strigosus X R- occiden- 

 talis. The preeminent merit of Cardinal is its 

 adaptability to climate it can be grown farther 

 north and farther south than any other purple 

 sort, and farther south than any other rasp- 

 berry. The plants are very productive, vigor- 

 ous and healthy, and yet Cardinal is not as 

 much prized as Columbian and Shaffer in 

 places where the three may be grown. It is 

 a valuable sort for the Central West. The 

 variety originated with A. H. Griesa, Law- 

 rence, Kansas, in 1895, and was introduced in 

 1898. 



Plants vigorous, very hardy to heat and cold, pro- 

 ductive. Fruits large, uniform in size, broadly- 

 hemispherical, rather dark purple, dull ; drupelets large, 

 round, numerous ; torus large, smooth, releasing the 

 berry readily ; flesh juicy, firm but tender, sweet, rich, 

 aromatic, resembling in flavor the red raspberry ; quality 

 good to very good ; seeds rather large. 



CAROLINE. R. idceus X P. occidental-is. 

 At one time an almost universal favorite be- 

 cause of berries of excellent flavor and long 

 season of ripening, Caroline is now all but a 

 lost variety. The peculiar salmon-color of 

 the fruits attracts attention. The long season 

 and the softness of the flesh kept the variety 

 from becoming a commercial berry. Caroline 

 originated about 1865 with S. P. Carpenter, at 

 New Rochelle, New York, and is supposed to 

 be a hybrid between Orange, a European red, 



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