J. T. LOVETT, LITTLE SILVER, N.J. 



MER8EREAU BLACKBERRY. 



The Greatest Acquisition in Small Fruit of the Age. 



(See illustrations first page of cover and opposite page) . 



The following two letters, each from an authority on Blackberries, tell the story of the Mersereau 

 in a brief and lucid way : 



FROM THE EAST. 



After fruiting the Mersereau Blackberry again this season I am still louder in its praise than before. 

 I will say right here that I have been among blackberries for the past thirty years and have seen and 

 tested all kinds that have been sent out in that time, but nothing has come up to the Mersereau. It is 

 the best flavored, finest shaped, largest sized, most prolific, finest looking, and perfectlv hardy. Too 

 much cannot be said in its praise ; it is the blackberry to plant. My canes were the admiration of all 

 who saw them. — Wm. T. Woe;rner, Middlesex Co., N. J. 



FROM THE WEST. 



We have no doubt that this Blackberry will have as great a sale if not greater than the Snyder, 

 once it is introduced in this section. When Snyder was first introduced we sold many thousands of 

 them at 125.00 to |30.00 per thousand. The Mersereau has proved just as hardy, and the fruit is larger 

 and better and the canes are more prolific than the Snyder. There is no reason why this variety should 

 not prove a winner in the West. — W. E. Rossney, McLean Co., Ills. 



For twenty years I was in search of a blackberry 

 with an ironclad cane, and producing large berries 

 in abundance ; one uniting the hardiness of cane 

 of the Snyder and the large size of fruit and pro- 

 ductiveness of the Wilson, Dozens and almost 

 hundreds were received and tested by me during 

 that time, but all were found wanting in one or 

 more of the requirements demanded, until I se- 

 cured the Mersereau. In this we have even more 

 than what I hoped for ; as it is not only hardier 

 in cane than the ironclad Snyder, but it is more 

 A Mersereau Shortcake. productive by far and the finest in quality of any 



blackberry ever produced. 

 The Mersereau Blackberry originated in northwestern New York, where the mercury falls from 

 fifteen to twenty-five degrees below zero, and where it has stood in open-field culture for many years 

 without the slightest protection, and has never been injured. Prof. L. H. Baii^ey, the foremost horti- 

 culturist in America, and who first described the Mersereau, says : " Its advantages over Snyder are 

 its large size, less tendency to turn red after being picked, better quality and a stronger habit. This 

 variety originated with J. M. Mersereau, Cayuga County, N. Y,, for whom I am glad to name it." 



The cardinal properties of the Mersereau are great size, luscious flavor, great hardiness of cane and 

 great productiveness. But these are not its only merits. In hardiness it is doubtless without an equal 

 among blackberries, having endured a temperature of twenty degrees below zero and was not injured 

 in the least, even at the tips, although Snyder and Ta3'lor's Prolific were much damaged. Just how low 

 a temperature it will withstand uninjured is not known. The berries are sparkling black throughout, 

 and what adds great value to it, as a market berry, it remains black after it is gathered. In quality it 

 is so exceptionally sweet, rich, melting and luscious, being without core, and the seedy character of 

 Snyder and most other ironclad sorts also being absent, that a shortcake made of it, after the manner of 

 strawberry shortcake, is even more delicious than any made from strawberries. As a shipper and keeper 

 it is unsurpassed, being firm and does not "bleed " in handling. The canes are of exceedingly strong, 

 upright habit, attaining, upon fairly good soil, a height of eight feet, if permitted to grow unchecked, 

 and are so stout as to remain erect without staking ; foliage large, abundant, and entirely free from 

 rust or blight. Its yield is simply enormous, affording heavy pickings from the first until the crop is 

 all matured. Its season is early to midseason, ripening with the Snyder — in advance of Kittatinny, 

 Lawton, Taylor's Prolific or Erie, but not so early as Early Harvest or the Wilson. 



One thousand dollars per acre per annum is the record of the Mersereau ; for it has yielded twelve 

 thousand quarts of berries per acre, which sold at an average of ten cents per quart. Allowing two 

 hundred dollars for picking and marketing the returns were a thousand dollars an acre. 



The foregoing in reference to the Mersereau appeared in my catalogue of last Spring. I also 

 printed reports from thirty-eight fruit growers, who had fruited it, in nineteen different States, attesting 

 the adaptability of this regal variety to all parts of this broad land. I would like to reprint these re- 

 ports and to print many others I have of the same purport, but lack of space prohibits my doing so. 

 Henry Ward Beecher said he could not eat blackberries without losing grace ; the fruit of all varieties 

 in cultivation being so sour. That was twenty years ago. The Mersereau is truly an ambrosial fruit 

 and to eat it is to be happier and better. 



The past season the Mersereau has beaten its own record, and those who ordered it in lots o*f a dozen 

 or a hundred plants when first offered, are now planting it by the 5,000 and 10,000 — one grower having 

 placed his order for 25,000 plants of it. The fact is, the demand for plants of Mersereau is so great and 

 as my stock is not large, I have advanced the price to the following scale and would advise those who 

 wish to be sure and secure a supply to order early. Strong plants, doz., |1.00 ; 100, |3.50 ; 1000, 125.00. 



