DICOTYLEDONS: ARCHICHLAMYDEJE 287 



from a wild species native along the Pacific Coast of Amer- 

 ica and introduced into cultivation from Chili about two 

 centuries ago. The real cultivation of strawberries in the 

 United States, however, began about sixty years ago, but 

 did not reach large proportions until after the Civil War. 

 Since that time the growth of the industry has been mar- 

 velous, thousands of varieties having been developed and 

 tested. By means of refrigerator transportation straw- 

 berries begin to come north, from extensive plantations in 

 the Gulf States, in February; and later, areas farther north 

 supply the demand until 46 north latitude is reached. 



The plants propagate by runners ( 23), which are put 

 forth after blooming and strike root; and the new plants 

 thus started, either transplanted or allowed to remain, bear 

 the next year. These runner-propagated plants are set out 

 either in the spring or in late summer, and are protected 

 through the winter by spreading upon them straw (mulch- 

 ing) . The very common wild strawberry does not seem to 

 lend itself to improvement. 



Raspberries are grown more extensively in the north- 

 eastern United States than elsewhere (Fig. 233). The or- 

 dinary red and black varieties have been derived from 

 native American plants, which are more hardy than those 

 that have been introduced. The red raspberry is especially 

 difficult to ship, and therefore the black raspberry is much 

 more valuable commercially. A peculiar propagating habit 

 of raspberries is taken advantage of in their cultivation. In 

 the wild forms, late in the season, the tips of the bending 

 stems (canes) take root and give rise to new plants; in culti- 

 vation this putting down of the tips is done artificially. 



Blackberries belong to the same genus (Rubus) as the 

 raspberries, and have only recently become prominent as 

 cultivated fruits, although in their wild state they have 

 been known and prized from the earliest times. Since the 

 finer cultivated varieties have been introduced, blackberry 



