October 30, 1895.] 



Garden and Forest. 



439 



Color Bands on the Apple. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — A band of bright red or yellow is often seen on the 

 apple, extending from the stem to the calyjc. These stripes of 

 color are as perfect and well defined as it laid on by an artist's 

 brush. The cause of this phenomena has never been satisfac- 

 torily explained, but the theory most commonly advanced is 

 that color marks are due to the effects of foreign pollen. It is 

 probable, however, that the bands are a form ot variegation 

 in the calyx of the flower similar in character to the red bands 

 in the petals of the Carnation or Rose. In the Apple-flower 

 the calyx is united with the ovary, and as the fruit ripens the 

 adnate calyx thickens and becomes the edible portion, while 

 the core, which consists of five carpels, is the true fruit. If, 

 now, the color band was due to foreign pollen, one-fifth of the 

 entire fruit would be affected, but, on the other hand, the color 

 resides only in the epidermis, which is a portion of the calyx. 

 When the causes of variegation are known, then the explana- 

 tion of color bands can probably be made. 



Cornell University. G. Harold Powell. 



Recent Publications. 

 Blackberries. 



Bulletin No. gg, issued by the Horticultural Division of 

 the Cornell University Experiment Station, is devoted 

 to Blackberries. It is written directly for the use of 

 fruit growers in western New York, but it contains much 

 that is of general interest, and we herewith present in 

 a condensed form some of its suggestions and direc- 

 tions. 



Soil. — A deep, mellow, clay loam which contains consider- 

 able humus and crimibles rather than bakes in the furrow, is 

 the best for the Blackberry. Open, gravelly lands are too dry, 

 and since the plants need much water it is important to plow 

 all hard lands deep so that the roots can reach permanent 

 moisture. On flat lands with a high subsoil, unless tile-drained, 

 the bushes will suffer in winter and the fruit will be injured by 

 summer droughts. Strong yearling plants from suckers or 

 root-cuttings are best to begin with and should be planted in 

 the spring. 



Planting. — The plants are set in the furrow six or seven 

 inches deep, two to three feet apart in the rows, which are 

 eight feet apart. This gives space enough for two horses and 

 a spring-tooth cultivator, which is the best means of keeping 

 the plantation in good condition. Potatoes may be grown 

 between the rows the first year, and it is possible by hi.gh cul- 

 tivation to obtain two crops of Strawberries before the Black- 

 berries smother them. Three or four canes should be allowed 

 to grow the first year, and they will bear some fruit the follow- 

 ing season. They should be headed back when they reach 

 the height of two or three feet. 



Training. — The canes springing from the root one year 

 bear fruit the next, and then their usefulness is ended. These 

 canes can be cut in August or September, or the operation 

 can be delayed to a less busy season, but they should always 

 be cut off before the following spring close to the ground, so 

 that other canes will sprout Irom the root to take their places. 

 A strong root may send up from ten to twenty shoots, but 

 only a few of them should be allowed to remain, the number 

 being determined by the vigor of the plant, the closeness of 

 planting, etc. Five or six canes will usually suffice, and if the 

 very best fruit is desired this number may be reduced. The 

 strongest canes should be left, the others pulled out when 

 they are four or five inches high, and the superfluous shoots 

 should be removed several times during the season. When 

 the growing canes are two and a half or three feet high a 

 couple of inches of their tips are cut off, and the plantation 

 should t)e gone over three or four times as the different canes 

 reach the desired height. The vigorous laterals should lie 

 allowed to push out and grow their full length and should not 

 be shortened in until the next spring. How much they should 

 be cut depends on various circumstances. Some, like Wil- 

 son's Early, bear fruit close to the cane ; others should be left 

 longer. Some growers delay the pruning until the blossoms 

 appear, and the laterals are left from twelve to twenty inches 

 in length. As these bear most of the fruit it is important that 

 they make strong, well-matured growth and that the grower 

 shall familiarize himself with their habits. It is important, 

 generally, that the main cane should be headed in early so 

 that the laterals should have time to make a hard growth and 



start down low so as to prevent the cane from tipping over 

 with its load of fruit. Plants thus managed will need no stale* s 

 or trellises, although a simple wire may be stretched along 

 each side of the row and secured to stakes to keep them from 

 lopping. Along the Hudson River plants are trained after the 

 manner ot Grapes on two-wire trellises. The young canes 

 are headed just above the upper wire and are tied to it where 

 they will least interfere with the ripening fruit. The canes 

 may remain on the wires all winter, or they may be laid down 

 for protection and tied securely to both wires the following 

 spring. This necessitates one summer tying for the young 

 canes and one spring tying for the bearing canes. It is not 

 the best practice to tie them to a single stake, as the fruit will 

 fie too much massed in the foliage, although Dewberries can 

 be profitably handled this way. 



Winter Protection.— Hardy varieties, judiciously grown 

 and pruned, do not need this in western New York. In colder 

 climates the bushes are tipped over and covered late in fall. 

 One man goes ahead with a round-pointed shovel and digs the 

 earth six inches deep from the roots, a second man places a 

 fork against the plant a foot or so above the ground, and by 

 pushing it and stamping against the roots with his feet lays it 

 over, the third man covers the plant with the earth that has 

 been removed or marsh hay. If the variety is a tender one 

 the whole bush is covered two or three inches deep. Hardy 

 varieties only need a few shovelfuls of earth on the tops of the 

 canes. If frosts are feared they may be left under this cover- 

 ing until Corn-planting time, but the' bushes must be watched 

 in spring and raised before the buds become soft and white. 

 This method of laying down the plants costs less than ten dol- 

 lars an acre, and the slight breaking of roots is no disadvan- 

 tage. The operators must be careful not to crack or split the 

 canes, and the method should be varied, as the canes of some 

 varieties are stiffer than others. 



Cultivation. — Surface tillage should be begun early in the 

 spring to preserve the water. If plowed early, a spring-toothed 

 cultivator should be run through the plants every week, espe- 

 cially after a rain, before the soil bakes. After the crop is har- 

 vested one cultivation is given to loosen up the ground which 

 has been tramped down by the pickers, say, about the middle 

 or last of August. Frequent light cultivations are the cheapest, 

 because the weeds never get a chance to grow, and little hoe- 

 ing is necessary. If a patch becomes foul with Thistles or 

 other weeds it is best to mow it over, plow it up thoroughly 

 and crop with Corn for a season. Suckers will come up among 

 the Corn along the old rows, and the next year the plantation 

 will be completely renewed. Stable-manure is the popular fer- 

 tilizer, although, if the tillage is good, nitrogen will scarcely be 

 needed, so that potash and phosphoric acid can be applied. 



Yields and Profits.— The year after the planting the yield 

 should pay the cost up to that time, the third year should give 

 a large crop, and since there seems to be no limit of the profit- 

 able age of a Blackberry plantation, every good year should 

 give a good crop thereafter. Of course, a plantation will not 

 endure when the land becomes hard and foul or the plants 

 full of dead and diseased wood. \ crop of two hundred 

 bushels an acre year after year is possible unless very unfa- 

 vorable seasons intervene. With good varieties well cared 

 for, the blackberry is one of the most profitable of small fruits, 

 but the golden harvest only comes to those who work for it 

 and think while they work. 



Accidents and Diseases. — Frost occasionally injures the 

 crop in western New York when a severe one comes late. The 

 four most dangerous diseases are the red rust, the root gall, 

 anthracnose and cane knot. The first is incurable, and the 

 affected bush should be pulled out and burned as soon as dis- 

 covered. The same is true of the root gall. The anthracnose 

 is less serious, and can be kept in check by spraying with Bor- 

 deaux mixture, but the best treatment is to cut out and burn 

 the old canes as soon as the fruit is off, and examine the bushes 

 frequently for the disease and cut out the diseased shoots. If 

 the patch is seriously affected it is best to mow the bushes off 

 close to the ground in the fall and early spring, clean out the 

 crowns, spray them and start a wholly new top. The treat- 

 ment of the cane^knot is deferred to another bulletin. 



Blackberries deserve attention as the last of the small fruits 

 and the luscious dessert of midsummer. They are only 

 luscious, however, when left on the bush until fully ripe and 

 eaten soon after they are picked. The blackberry is not ripe 

 because it is black ; it must be soft and drop into the hand 

 when the cluster is shaken to get its full sweetness and aroma. 

 But, since the fruit deteriorates soon after picking, blackber- 

 ries never get to market in their best condition, and those who 

 want exceptionally fine fruit must raise it in their home 

 garden. 



