CHAPTER XXVII. 



THE RASPBERRY. 



HAVING devoted a large portion of the book to 

 the strawberry, I now come to the other small 

 fruits ; fruits of great economic importance, 

 for, with the strawberry, they form an unbroken suc- 

 cession of highly palatable and wholesome food 

 during the entire summer, and are quick sellers in 

 the markets. 



Referring to my garden diaries of past years I find 

 that the strawberry season, in my individual case, 

 extends from May 26 to July 

 3, the raspberry season from 

 June 27 to July 21, the dew- 

 berry season from July 4 to 

 July 20, the blackberry sea- 

 son from July 16 to August 

 22, and that I cut grapes for 

 market sometimes as early 

 as August 20. This shows 

 how one fruit overlaps the season of its successor. 



These dates are not extreme, even for my own 

 neighborhood, for somebody with especially favored 

 location is sure to have berries sooner or later than 

 I can produce them. One neighbor, for instance, has 

 strawberries a week after mine are done bearing, on 

 account of his situation on a northward-sloping hill- 

 side. The quoted dates are merely suggestive. 



The raspberry occupies an important place in the 

 succession of small fruits, and there would be a 

 serious break without it. Its culture is easy. It is 



