12 



W. F. ALLEN, Strawberry Specialist, SALISBURY, MARYLAND 



DEWBERRIES 



The Dewberry has become one of the most profitable 

 of small fruits in many parts of the country. It is simply 

 a species of Blackberry that naturally trails on the ground. 

 There are two species. One is botanically Riibus trivialis, 

 or the Southern Dewberry. The other is Riibus canadense, 

 or the Northern or Canada Dewberry. All the cultivated 

 Dewberries belong to this species, as the fruit is larger and 

 finer than that of the R. trivialis. 



Dewberries differ from the ordinary high-bush black- 

 berry in the fact that they root from the tip like the 

 blackcap-raspberry, and do not sucker freely like the 

 high-bush blackberry. There are few varieties in culti- 

 vation, in fact, only two in common use. The Lucretia 

 has long been the standard variety, and is still largely 

 grown. But of late years the Austin has been coming 

 into use and is being preferred in many sections. The Dew- 

 berry fruits on canes of the previous year's growth, which 

 are cut away after fruiting and the new canes trained up. 



Methods ^^^y ■'^A^^Zi\f cultivation have 



r^f r,iiti„^fr,rt ^^^^ tried with the Dewberry. In the 



or L^uuivation ^^^^ inception of the work it was com- 



mon to set stakes about 2 feet tall, and stretch wire from 

 stake to stake to train the canes on. It was soon found 

 that the canes chafed on the wire and many were spoiled. 

 Then some of the southern growers set forked stakes of 

 same height, and laid light hoop poles for training the 

 canes on. This too was soon abandoned, and upright 



stakes set at the hills for tying up the canes. This is still 

 the practice in southern Atlantic region. 



Those who train to stakes set the plants in rows 5 feet 

 apart and 3 feet in the row. After the fruiting canes 

 have been removed an average of three canes is allowed to 

 grow; these are trained in along the rows on the ground out 

 of the way of cultivation, and allowed to remain on the 

 ground during the winter and are tied to stakes in the spring. 



In this section the use of stakes or any support has been 

 largely abandoned. The plants are set at equal distances 

 each way and the canes pinched during the summer to 

 induce bushiness, and cultivation is carried on both ways. 

 While the training to stakes may perhaps make a better 

 crop, the cheapness of the other plan more than balances 

 the cost, and is found more profitable. Dewberries are 

 not particular as to soil, but a strong clay loam will 

 always make the heaviest crop. Drought in fruiting time 

 is the most serious trouble, and hence a soil natural!}- 

 retentive of moisture is best, for there is often a serious 

 loss in very dry weather, the berries drying up on the 

 plants. (My advice is, do not plant Dewberries on rich 

 garden soil, as they go too much to vine to the detriment 

 of the fruit. Plant in soil of only medium fertility or on 

 poor soil, using a fertilizer with a small percentage of 

 ammonia and a large percentage of potash, applied as a 

 top-dressing after the plants have gotten well started; 

 this gives best results. — W. F. A.) 



