THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



and to my profit. I do not think that, all in all, 

 any one of them is preferable to Cuthbert or Golden 

 Queen. With the black raspberry 1 have been 

 even more successful. It is my custom to let the 

 bird-sown seedlings in my vineyards grow until 

 they can be trained to the trellises and show their 

 quality. The result has been some remarkable 

 new sorts. What we want now is a berry that will 

 give us as heavy crops as the Cuthbert, with higher 

 quality and an absolutely hardy cane. A purple 

 as good as Shaffer, and absolutely hardy, is also 

 desirable. However, Shaffer, although it kills 

 back somewhat every year, is very sure of giving 

 us a heavy crop. 



Of black raspberries I hesitate to name any vari- 

 eties as most excellent. I should prefer to see you 

 follow my suggestion in the way of growing seed- 

 lings — provided you get your seed from the old 

 Gregg, an enormous berry, but not hardy. Per- 

 haps the best early black raspberry that we can 

 purchase from the nurseryman is the Kansas. It 

 is a strong, vigorous grower, enduring most ex- 

 treme cold and droughts, and bearing enormous 

 crops. The berries are very large, jet black, and of 

 splendid quality. So far as I have grown, the best 



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