CHAPTER XVII 

 VARIETIES OF BLACKBERRIES AND DEWBERRIES 



Blackberries and dewberries, long neglected 

 by fruit-growers, are becoming more and more 

 important in regions devoted to small-fruits. 

 In the great Southwest Texas and neighbor- 

 ing states the introduction and wide cultiva- 

 tion of these two berries make them com- 

 mercial fruits of first rank, while the wide- 

 spread culture of the loganberry and similar 

 varieties on the Pacific slope is one of the 

 remarkable agricultural events of the age. 

 In the East, there is possibly a falling off 

 in the acreage of these brambles, but the in- 

 troduction of many new varieties is likely to 

 stimulate the lagging industry until it sur- 

 passes its past magnitude. At present, nursery- 

 men offer about 60 blackberries and 8 or 10 

 dewberries, but each year sees new introduc- 

 tions of both groups, so that, even with the 

 inevitable discarding of old varieties, there is 

 likely to be an increase from year to year in 

 named sorts. 



The progeny of at least twelve species are 

 to be found in the cultivated blackberries 

 and dewberries of this continent. These have 

 been crossed and recrossed until it is now 

 quite impossible to classify varieties with 

 reference to the species from which they 

 came. An attempt might be made, if fuller 

 knowledge of the species was available, but 

 these exceedingly variable brambles still puzzle 

 botanists, and the foundation upon which to 

 begin classifying varieties is so poor that at- 

 tempts at classification 

 are not worth while. 

 About all that can be 

 done is roughly to 

 group blackberries in 

 one division and dew- 

 berries in another, not 

 an easy task, for the 

 characters of the two 

 fruits in the wild forms 

 intermingle, and by 

 crossing have been fur- 

 ther confused under cul- 

 tivation. Classification 

 of cultivated varieties 

 awaits a better classi- 

 fication of wild forms 

 than now exists. 



BLACKBERRIES 



AGAWAM. Fig. 248. 

 For many years Aga- 

 tvam was the most prized 

 of early blackberries, 

 and it is still widely 

 248. Agawam. (XI ) grown, but not so com- 



monly found in commercial plantations as 

 formerly. Productiveness of plant and high 

 quality and earliness of fruit are the chief 

 assets. The faults are: the plants suffer too 

 much from winter-killing, and the berries run. 

 too small to make the variety wholly satis- 

 factory. The variety originated with John 

 Perkins, Ipswich, Massachusetts, between 1865 

 and 1870. 



Plants of medium size 'and vigor, productive, upright- 

 spreading ; canes numerous, tender to cold, furrowed, 

 dark reddish-brown, covered with strong, straight 

 prickles. Leaflets 3-5, long, with a tapering apex, very 

 pubescent beneath ; margin finely, sometimes doubly 

 serrate. Flowers 1 inch across, 12-16, in long, open, 

 prickly clusters. Fruit early, small, % inch in length, 

 broad-oblong, glossy black ; drupelets few, large, round ; 

 core white, soft ; flesh rather soft, sweet and pleasant ; 

 quality very good ; seeds of medium size, soft. 



ANCIENT BRITON. Without question 

 the hardiest blackberry, Ancient Briton is a 

 prime favorite in northern regions, Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota particularly. The plants are 

 very vigorous, very productive, and the ber- 

 ries, while not large nor especially inviting 

 in appearance, are of the best quality. It is 

 an old sort and a well-established standard for 

 commercial plantations. The origin of the 

 variety is uncertain, but it came into promi- 

 nence in Wisconsin in the sixties of last cen- 

 tury. 



Plants medium in size and vigor, very hardy, very 

 productive ; canes moderately numerous, roundish, brown, 

 with numerous thick, straight prickles. Leaflets 5, 

 palmate, oblong-oval, heavily pubescent above and be- 

 low ; margin serrate and hairy. Flowers 1 % inches in 

 diameter, 16-18, in a long, open, prickly raceme. Fruit 

 medium to late, medium to large, long, rather narrow, 

 tapering, glossy black ; core white, conical, soft ; drupe- 

 lets large, numerous, elliptical ; flesh tender, juicy, 

 sweet but sprightly ; quality good. 



BLACK DIAMOND. Atlantic. Swings 

 Wonder. Star. Wonder. This variety, under 

 its several synonyms, is offered by a number 

 of nurserymen. It is listed as a dewberry by 

 some, but it properly belongs with the Ever- 

 green blackberry, with which it is so nearly 

 identical that it needs no separate description. 

 It is but half-hardy, and therefore of little 

 value in the East, although it is rather com- 

 monly grown in southern New Jersey, but 

 even there every cold winter takes its toll. 

 The variety is said to have originated with 

 G. H. Liepe, Cologne, New York, early in 

 this century. 



BLOWERS. The plants of Blowers are so 

 capricious, responding to every diversity in 

 season, soil, and climate, and so many of the 

 berries are imperfect, even in locations suitable 

 for the plants, that it is worthless as a com- 



285 



