1871 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



247 



bushel or three pecks of fruit. All that on the ex- 

 tremity of the limbs ought to be remorselessly 

 picked off, hard as the task is for the owner. The 

 more the fruit is thinned the larger what is left 

 becomes, and the apparent loss is thus made up. 



As I believe that every fruit grower in Southern 

 and Central Iowa may succeed with this delicious 

 fruit if he makes the attempt in the right way, I 

 wish to make this as public as possible, that others 

 may also try what has been so very successful with 

 me. 



Our Blackberry Crop. 



We are now (Aug. 15th,) right in the height of 

 our blackberry harvest, and truly it is a harvest. 

 Our plantations are largely, young and just coming 

 into bearing. We have thus far gathered about 250 

 bushels, and shall get at least 200 more. 



We have about 25 pickers who are gathering the 

 fruit and two men to remain among them to see 

 that they properly gather it. It requires great 

 watchfulness in gathering the blackberry, to see 

 that half ripe fruit is not picked, for where such 

 are in the baskets it damages the sale very much in- 

 deed ; as there is nothing that relishes so poorly 

 with most people as sour, half ripe blackberries. 

 They should be perfectly black when picked. 



We have found it best not to pick a plantation 

 oftener than every other day, while twice a week is 

 really often enough for the Lawton, as they then 

 ripen up suflSciently to give heavy picking without 

 pickers being so tempted to gather half ripe fruit. 



Another important point is to have pickei;^ " go 

 slow," and look carefully all under and through the 

 bushes, for if they do not do so, many will be left 

 that will become " dead ripe " and soft, and per- 

 haps another person being on such rows the next 

 time, who is more careful, will get all, including 

 these over-ripe berries, which when put into the 

 baskets with the rest look mussy and dirty, and 

 hurt the sale of the fruit. It is part of the bu.siness 

 of the overseer to pass among the pickers with a 

 long stick or cane, and when any of them come to 

 a thick matted place in the rows, he runs his cane 

 in and opens them so tliat pickers can get their 

 hands and arms in without too much pricking. 



The Dorchester, as usual, proves to be the earliest 

 berry with us, being fully a week earlier than any 

 other sort, and producing a fine crop of most deli- 

 cious fruit. It is very similar to the best and lar- 

 gest specimens of the old fashioned blackberry that 

 we used to find in patches by making our way un- 

 der the clumps of bushes. Next comes the early 

 Wilson — a magnificent berry — but with us a very 

 shy bearer, for some cause, which is a mystery to 

 U8, as it proves a splendid yielder in most other 

 sections. We said ne.\t but we will modify this 



slightly, as we got a light picking of Kittatinny, as 

 early as the Wilson, but a few pickings of the Wil- 

 sons when the price is high— clean them, while the 

 Kittatinny hangs on two weeks. 



The Kittatinny is a magnificent berry, both for 

 home use and market, being sweet as soon as it 

 turns, and of excellent flavor, being hardy and a 

 glossy black. 



The new Rochelle or Lawton — what shall we 

 say of it— wonder of wonders ! We have picked 

 from our plantation nearly two weeks and yet let a 

 stranger go into it and he would hardly say they 

 had been touched. They are now literally a green, 

 red and black mass of fruit all over the plantation. 

 We venture nothing in saying that they will yield 

 double the amount of any oilier sort we have ever 

 seen, and by not picking them oftener than every 

 other day, and then using great care to have the 

 blackest picked, we have no trouble In selling 

 them quick at 13 to 15 cents per quart. 



We have tried a niunber of new sorts, such as 

 Wachusetta, Sable Queen, Snyder, Superior, West- 

 ern Triumph, &c., and find them all very good 

 sorts, but as their great merit and the claims of 

 their originators are more especially as to their 

 haidiness, and as all sorts went through our past 

 winter unharmed, we can pass no judgment on 

 them as to that point. 



Some of these winters when blackberries are 

 tried and killed, we can then pass judgment as to 

 hardiness of different sorts. We can only say of 

 the Hance seedling, it sustains its character as to de- 

 Ucmisness and general bearing qualities, it being 

 the most melting, delicious sort we have ever 

 tasted. 



Our blackberry crop closes up our fruiting sea- 

 son for marketing purposes, except grapes and Cat- 

 awissa Raspberries, which show a wonderful pros- 

 pect for fruit. — Small Friiit Recorder. 



Impboving the Quince. — A correspondent of 

 Tilton's Journal of Horticulture in urging that 

 more attention should be paid to improving our va- 

 rious fruits and flowers, suggests that with care and 

 patience we may yet obtain a quince as melting, 

 palitable and digestible as pears. What a grand 

 fruit we should have, if such a result could be ob- 

 tained, if we could retain the flavor and aroma of the 

 present quince and add them to the soft and melt- 

 ing juice pulps of the peach or pear ! Such a re- 

 sult is by no means improbable. Less labor has 

 probably been devoted to improving the quince 

 than has been bestowed on any other fruit of the 

 temperate zone. — Pacific Rural Press. 



Mammoth Cluster Raspberry. — This fine black 

 cap is highlj' spoken of in nearly all the reports 

 from diflerent part of the country. 



