422 MANUAL OF GARDENING 
While hill culture (as recommended above) is desirable for the garden, 
commercial growers generally use continuous rows. 
Blackberries, like dewberries and raspberries, bear but one crop on 
the cane. That is, canes which spring up this year bear next year. 
From 3 to 6 canes are sufficient to be left in each hill. The superfluous 
ones are thinned out soon after they start from the ground. The old 
canes should be cut out soon after fruiting, and burned. The new 
shoots should be pinched back at the height of 2 or 3 ft. if the plants are 
to support themselves. If to be fastened to wires, they may be allowed 
to grow throughout the season and be cut back when tied to the wires 
in winter or early spring. 
Blackberry plants are sometimes laid down in cold climates, — the 
tops being bent over and held to the ground by earth or sods thrown on 
their tips (Fig. 155). 
The most troublesome disease of the blackberry is orange rust 
(conspicuous on the under sides of the leaves), which often proves very 
destructive, particularly to Kittatinny and a few other sorts. There is 
no remedy, and on the first appearance of the disease the infected plants 
should be dug up and burned (p. 212). 
Varieties of blackberries. 
Many of the better varieties of blackberries are lacking in hardiness, 
and cannot be grown except in the more favorable localities. Snyder 
and Taylor are most generally successful, although Wilson and Early 
Harvest are often grown on a large scale for market, and do well with 
winter protection. Ildorado is much like Snyder, that seems hardy 
and productive. Erie, Minnewaski, Kittatinny, and Early King are 
in many sections large and valuable sorts. 
Cherry. — Of cherries there are two common types, the sweet 
cherries and the sour cherries. The sweet cherries are larger and taller- 
growing trees. They comprise the varieties known as the hearts, 
bigarreaus, and dukes. The sour cherries (Fig. 275) include the various 
kinds of morellos and pie cherries, and these usually ripen after the 
sweet cherries. 
The sour cherries make low, round-headed trees. The fruits are 
extensively used for canning. Sour cherries thrive well on clay loams. 
