136 SDCCESSFUL i'iiUIT CULTUKK 



Agaivam — The earliest hardy variety for the North. 

 Fruit of large size, fine quality and sweet as soon as 

 black. It is rather soft, but firm enough to carry to 

 a near market and keep for two or three days. Its large 

 size, good color and earliness make it profitable. Suc- 

 ceeds best on heavy soil. In some places it has been 

 attacked by the fall orange rust, but this is not a 

 serious defect on strong land. 



Snyder — A very hardy and upright growing variety 

 that is largely grown at the North. In heavy soil the 

 fruit is of large size and good color, but on light soil 

 and where the bushes are not growing vigorously it is 

 small and ripens unevenly in color, so that the berries 

 have a mottled appearance. It also turns red after 

 being put on the market, yet it is more largely grown 

 in many localities than any other. 



Taylor — The canes of this variety are much lighter 

 in color than the two last, very upright and spiny in 

 growth. The berries are long, black and of good qual- 

 ity, ripening about one week later than the Snyder. 



Eldorado — This comparatively new variety is of the 

 Snyder type, equally hardy, and as far as tested seems 

 to be productive. The fruit is without the color defects 

 of the latter. 



Of varieties that are valuable in some localities may 

 be mentioned the Ancient Briton, Erie, Ohmer, Early 

 Harvest, Bangor, Mersereau, etc. 



Picking and Marheiing — If the fruit is to be 

 shipped a long distance it should be picked every day, 

 that a'l of the berries shall be firm. It should not be 

 picked while wet if it can be avoided, and should be 

 put into a cool place as soon as possible after picking. 

 It is marketed -in quart baskets, put into crates holding 

 thirty-two quarts. The prices at which the fruit sells 

 vary in the local market from five cents to twenty cents, 

 and where shipped a long distance, from three cents 



