BOTANY OF THE BLACK-CAPS 159 



orating purposes has also given a great stimulus to its 

 cultivation in recent years. The future of the black 

 raspberry is assuredly a promising one. 



Very little need be said concerning the botanical 

 characters of the black -cap, since the species to which 

 it belongs, Rubus occidentalis , is so distinct from the 

 other cultivated species of raspberries. The color of 

 the fruit and method of propagation are alone sufficient 

 to distinguish it from all the others. There is a western 

 wild type, however, very closely related to this one, 

 which has long stood as a species, though apparently 

 more properly ranked as only a variety of Rubus oc- 

 cidentalis. This is the form known as Rubus leuco- 

 dermis, found in the mountains of California and 

 adjoining states. It is distinguished from Rubus occi- 

 dentalis chiefly by the color of the fruit, which is yel- 

 lowish red or wine -colored, by the coarser toothed 

 leaflets and the stouter and more hooked prickles. 



The Ohio Everbearing appears to have been the first 

 named variety of black -cap introduced into cultivation. 

 It was found in the state of Ohio, and introduced to 

 public notice by Nicholas Longworth, of Cincinnati, 

 who began its culture in 1832. Next came the Amer- 

 ican Black, also named Joslyn's Black -cap, Joslyn's 

 Improved, Joslyn's Improved Black -cap, American 

 Improved, etc., which finally came to be known the 

 country over as Doolittle. This was found growing 

 wild by Leander Joslyn, of Phelps, Ontario county, 

 N. Y., and introduced by H. H. Doolittle, of Oaks 

 Corners, about 1850. It is said to have owed its 

 especial prominence and value to the method by 



