196 THE BRAMBLES 



and there is always a loss when the wild plants are grown 

 in place of some of the cultivated and the named varieties. 



Blackberry and Dewberry.— The fruit of the blackberry 

 and the dewberry is similar, but the growth of the plants 

 is different. The dewberry is not as important as the 

 blackberry. It claims admission into the garden principally 

 because it ripens its fruit earlier, and this lengthens the 

 blackberry season. Another advantage claimed for the dew- 

 berry- is that it is a trailing plant and it can be more easily 

 mulched and protected in severe climates. The dewberry 

 is sometimes spoken of as the trailing blackberry. 



The cultivation of the blackberry began about 1S50 

 and it has gradually spread to many regions since that date. 

 The general culture of the blackberry has probably been 

 delayed because of the many wild forms which are abundant 

 in nearly e^ery section of the country. The superiority 

 of the culti\ated ^•a^ieties with regard to the size and the 

 quality of the berries has greaty increased the commercial 

 plantings. As the public becomes better educated to the 

 value of the cultivated varieties of blackberries the industry 

 is bound to increase more rapidly. 



Raspberry. — There are three kind of raspberries. This 

 division is based on the color of tlie fruit, and we have the 

 red raspberry, the black raspberry, and the yellow or light 

 colored raspberry. The red raspberry and the black rasp- 

 berry are the types which are most often grown. The 

 yellow raspberry is cultivated only to a limited extent and 

 more as a novelty than as a staple variety. 



The origin of tiie raspberry is somewhat uncertain. There 

 seems to be, howe^■er, some varieties of European and some 

 of American origin. 



The red raspberry group includes not only the native 

 red raspberry but the European red ^•arieties as well. This 

 group also embraces an intermediate plant that bears a 

 purple fruit and is frequently spoken of as purple cane 

 raspberry. The yellow-fruited raspberry is also included 

 in tire red group. The red raspberry has a more slender 

 and a more open habit of growth than the black raspberry. 

 The canes are often stiff and bear stiff prickles. The red 



