CHAPTER VIII 



VARIETIES OF BLACKBERRIES AND DEWBERRIES 

 A. THE BLACKBERRIES 



The blackberry family is an exceedingly variable 

 one, and within the limits of the species to which it 

 belongs, and those species closely related to it, may be 

 found an almost endless variety of forms. Many of 

 these produce fruit of desirable size and quality, and it 

 is by no means certain that we have as yet secured the 

 most desirable ones for cultivation. All our common 

 high blackberries belong to the species known as Rubus 

 nigrobaccus and R. argutus. In typical forms, the 

 former is characterized by vigorous, upright, thorny 

 bushes, bearing numerous glandular -tipped hairs on 

 the peduncles, petioles and other young parts of the 

 plant. Forms occur, however, which are almost des- 

 titute of thorns, or of glands, or of both. Several 

 botanical varieties belonging to this species have been 

 n#med, and no one can say how many more might be 

 recognized with equal propriety if the forms could be 

 all collected for study. The typical form of the 

 species bears long or oblong fruit, comparatively sweet 

 and rather dull in color. Rubus argutus is much like 

 this common blackberry, but lacks the pubescence. 



A closely related, and perhaps equally common 

 species, at least on high land, is the Mountain Black- 



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