BLACKBERRY BISTORT "_".»'.) 



hardly be doubted thai men who would brave the 

 uncertainties, doI to Bay terrors, of an ocean voyage 

 od an almost unknown sea, and the settlemenl of a 

 new country peopled with savages of unknown traits 

 .•Hid tendencies, rather than surrender ideas which they 

 cherished, would not be quick to form new ones. 

 Be nee we <*;in readily conclude thai the blackberry 

 of America w;is to them much what the blackberrj of 

 England had been — simplj a wild bramble, to be 

 destroyed when possible and replaced bj something 

 better, and whose fruil was to be gathered at will. 

 Moreover, to cultivate a fruil which was so readily 

 obtained in abundance for the gathering would have 

 been tolly to them, when man} other things conducive 

 to their safety and comforl were so much more needed. 

 As time went on, however, this gratuitous feasl of 

 nature, provided for the fostering of 'infant indus- 

 tries,' began to diminish, and the demand of growing 

 cities for increased quantities of fruil doubtless led to 

 the idea of cultivating the blackberry among the rest. 

 Jusl when this Mate of affairs was reached it is impos- 

 sible to say, 1'iit evidently not until quite late in our 

 national development, for the blackberry does not 

 seem to have begun to receive much notice or to lie 

 talked aboul in the horticultural journal-- until aboul 

 1850. From 'Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture.' it 

 appears that Capt. Josiah Lovett, of Beverly, Mass., 

 figured prominently in introducing it to cultivation. 



Even then, as with manj other g 1 and useful things, 



firsl impressions were anfavorable. Of course, the 

 lir-i effort would naturally be to bring plants which 

 hoi.- the mosl promising fruit from the woods ami 

 clearings, and Bel them in the garden. This attempl 



