January 14, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



19 



I have thus briefly referred to the best winter market pears 

 that have come under my observation. Others might be 

 added, but none, all requisites considered, equal to those 

 specified. This is applied to winter market pears solely. 



The pear for market and the pear for the amateur are two 

 different matters. And yet, while the list might be increased 

 in the latter case, where quality is the main consideration, it 

 would be, nevertheless, difficult to name any finer winter pears 

 for the table than Clairgeau, Anjou, Winter Nelis and Jose- 

 phine. — George Ellwattger in Popular Gardening. 



Bartell's Dewberry. 



ONE of the most encouraging phases of pomology in this 

 country at the present time is the progress we are making 

 in improving our native fruits. Within the past half century 

 many valuable varieties of the native Grape have been de- 



Ploughman in 1882. This was before the introduction of any 

 named variety so far as I know. Within the past few years the 

 Lucretia and Bartell's Dewberries have been rather extensively 

 advertised in nurserymen's catalogues. But not all of the 

 testimony from those who have tried them has been favorable, 

 though occasional reports have been very flattering. 



My experience with the Dewberry at Geneva, New York, 

 was quite unsatisfactory. The variety tested was called Mam- 

 moth, and it proved a decided failure. But in the summer of 

 1889 I saw a small plantation of Bartell's variety on the grounds 

 of Mr. H. C. Adams, of Madison, Wisconsin, that at once 

 established my faith in the possibilities of this fruit. I was 

 informed that the most productive season had passed at the 

 time of my visit, and that the berries which I saw were infe- 

 rior in size to those gathered a few days earlier. But at this 

 time the vines were fairly well loaded with fruit of larger size 

 and more attractive appearance than the finest blackberries, 

 and, to my taste, altogether superior in quality. There is a 



Fig. 4. — Bartell's Dewberry, natural size. 



veloped, and as the result our markets are now abundantly sup- 

 plied with this delicious fruit. The tender foreign Raspberry 

 has been supplanted by hardy native varieties, and the same 

 may be said of the Gooseberry. In the north-western states 

 improved varieties of the native Plum are gradually coming 

 to the front and give promise that plums of good quality may 

 soon be grown in our coldest states. The Crandall Currant 

 seems to be a step forward in the development of a new 

 species that may yet prove valuable, and the dwarf Juneberry 

 and Buffalo-berry are beginning to receive attention. The 

 garden Blackberry, now a valuable market fruit, appears to 

 have been entirely developed in this country, and of more 

 recent introduction to culture is the Dewberry, which, if we 

 may judge from its best showings, gives promise of develop- 

 ing into one of our most delicious and productive small fruits. 

 It is only within a few years that the cultivation of the Dew- 

 berry seems to have been attempted. The earliest mention I 

 have seen of any attempt of this kind was in the Massachusetts 



juicy, melting quality in the dewberry that is scarcely equaled 

 by any other fruit of my acquaintance. 



The fact that the Dewberry is prostrate in its habit of growth 

 is a decidedobjection to it in climates where winter protection is 

 unnecessary. But in regions of severe winters the ease with 

 which the plants may be covered is a partial recompensefor this 

 fault. It is said that a plantation once started is eradicated 

 from the soil with considerable difficulty, which, if true, is an 

 additional objection to the plant in cultivation. 



I consider Bartell's Dewberry worthy of trial by all who are 

 interested in testing new fruits. Mr. Adams, who is an exten- 

 sive grower of Blackberries, has found this variety more 

 profitable as a market fruit than any Blackberries he has grown. 



The accompanying illustration is made from a specimen 

 taken after the height of the fruiting season had passed. It 

 would not have been difficult to have found larger fruits and 

 much larger clusters at an earlier date. 



University o£ Wisconsin, Madison. -£■• -->. Gojf. 



