THE BLACKBERRY. 161 



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this plant. Tlie canes should be planted in rows eight feet apart 

 and three feet apart in the row. If the growing canes are pinched 

 back in the month of August, they will become stocky, ripen 

 their wood better, and yield more and better fruit, than if left 

 to grow unchecked. The old canes which have borne fruit 

 should be cut out close to the ground as soon as the fruit is 

 gathered, and if there be a superabundance of young shoots, they 

 sh6uld be removed at the same time. A pair of shears with long 

 handles, or a pruning hook with a long handle, will be foimd 

 convenient implements for this work. AH suckers that come 

 up between the rows should be cut up as weeds. 



The cultivation consists in keeping the ground mellow and 

 free from weeds, and in such an annual manuring with weU- 

 rotted barnyard manure as will be sufficient to keep the ground in 

 a good state of fertility. Too much manure at one time induces 

 a too luxuriant growth of the cane, resulting in unripened wood 

 that is apt io suffer from the frosts of winter. If the plants 

 have not been properly pinched during the season of growth, 

 they will require to be pruned back in spring to a height of about 

 four feet, and the lateral branches to about sixteen inches. 



The Blackberry is multiplied by transplanting the suckers, 

 and by planting cuttings of the roots. When the variety is 

 scarce, and it is desired to multiply by as small divisions as pos- 

 sible, it will be found advantageous to prepare a hotbed and plant 

 the root cuttings on a gentle bottom heat. 



The following varieties seem worthy of attention. Others 

 are being brought to notice, but have not yet been sufficiently 

 tested to speak with confidence of their merits. • Could some one 

 invent a Blackberry without thorns, yet as productive as those 

 having thorns, and yielding fruit of as fine size and quality, he 

 would deserve the lasting gratitude of every lover of this berry. 



The Kittatinnt. — This variety has the reputation of being 

 very hardy, and so far as it has been tried seems to have given 

 good satisfaction. The berries are large, slightly conical, and of 

 a deep shining black, sweet, and with a rich, pleasant Blackbeny 



