The Blackberries 205 



leafy. Fruit usually long, thimble-shaped, rather small, 

 narrowing toward the tip : drupelets small and numerous. 

 Another mountain form common in the Allegheny region 

 is Rubus canadensis, Linn. (R. Millspaughii, Brit.) This 

 is a tall nearly thornless species bearing short thick berries, 

 jet black in color but more sour than the lowland types. 

 This species appears not to have been brought into cul- 

 tivation. 



The blackberry of the garden is little more than a child 

 of the brush-land and forest, forced into domestication, 

 and all of the above wild types, with the exception of the 

 last mentioned, appear to have contributed to different 

 varieties now under cultivation. That the smooth moun- 

 tain berry is not also included is doubtless the result 

 of accident rather than purpose. It is a productive type 

 in its wild state; its glossy black fruit is attractive and 

 often large, while its comparative freedom from thorns 

 is a point in its favor. These qualities offer something of 

 promise to be combined with the higher quality of fruit 

 found among other types. In its wild state this mountain 

 berry ripens later than other blackberries, partly due to 

 elevation at least. It reaches its greatest perfection in the 

 high mountains of the Appalachian system. It is often 

 found in dense forests, where the canes sometimes reach 

 a height of fifteen or eighteen feet, and are as thornless 

 and smooth as a willow twig. In such localities the fruit 

 is said to be greatly appreciated by the mountain bears, 

 which are enabled to draw down the smooth canes and 

 fatten upon the berries for their long hibernating sleep 

 during winter. 



The sand blackberry, Rubus cuneifolius, Pursh, found 



