Page 74 



BETTER FRUIT 



March 



METHODS OF THE GROWING OF BLACKBERRIES 



THERE is peiiiaps no one fruit so 

 universally grown as blackberries, 

 because none stands so much neglect, 

 and in many sections of the country no 

 pretense is made at cultivating it, as the 

 wild vines or canes spring up in every 

 fence corner and every brush thicket, 

 j'ielding delicious berries to be had for 

 the picking. 



These wild berries have a peculiar 

 flavor or "tang" differing from the cul- 

 tivated varieties, and on this account are 

 liked better by some people than the 

 latter, while others prefer the garden 

 grown berry. In any event the black- 

 berry is a desirable successor of the rasp- 

 berry, and the earlier kinds are ripe 

 before the raspberry season is ended. 

 Everyone who has a patch of ground of 

 his own should have some blackberry 

 vines, for the patch, with good care, will 

 continue in bearing year after year for a 

 decade. The new plantation is easily 

 started by taking up the suckers which 

 every year spring up along the rows, or 

 bits of roots three or four inches long- 

 may be planted, and these, in a year, 

 make strong plants, ready to be moved 

 to the location desired. It is thus easily 

 seen that choice varieties can be made 

 to multiply very fast. The plants should 

 be set from four to six feet apart in rows 

 eight feet apart. 



The blackberry, to succeed well, must 

 be grown on rich, well drained land, and 

 in general these conditions can be secured 

 by thorough ' cultivation. Naturally, 

 porous, sandy land is ideal if rich in 

 plant food, but moist, rich land, with an 

 excess of nitrogen, will grow too rank 

 canes, which easily winter kill. This 

 can be easily guarded against by applica- 

 tion of commercial plant foods, which 

 will balance the excessive nitrogen, and 

 thus increase the bearing capacity of the 

 vines as well as to insure a greater 

 hardiness. 



Where the ground is rich in nitrogen, 

 as indicated above, it will pay to apply 

 annually from 2.50 to 500 pounds of acid 

 phosphate or 300 to 600 pounds of bone 

 meal, and 80 to 160 pounds of muriate or 

 sulphate of potash or 300 to 600 pounds 

 of kainit. The first two will furnish the 

 phosphorous needed and the latter the 

 potash, so essential to profitable fruit 

 growing, whatever the variety may be, 

 the potash giving firmness, and that is a 

 most necessary quality when berries are 

 grown for market that they may keep in 

 good condition in transit. The first year 

 or two cultivated crops can be grown 

 between the rows, but the ground must 

 not be stirred so deep as to cut the 

 roots, else suckers will spring up every- 

 where and these will make a tangle of 

 virTes through which pickers can scarcely 

 find their way when fruiting time comes. 

 To make the gathering nf the fruit as 

 easy as possible it is well to confine the 

 plants to the row and drive a stake at 

 intrevals, nailing a wire at each side, thus 

 confining the vines between the wires so 

 they are out of the way and still the fruit 

 can be easily reached from either side. 

 This is a good way to ser^•e raspberries 

 also. 



Blackberries grow on I he short spurs 

 along the cane, and it is well to pinch off 

 the ends of the canes to encourage the 

 forming of as manj' spurs as possible. 

 The fruit grows only on wood one year 

 old. and when through bearing for the 

 season ihe canes should be cut out to give 

 room for new ones which are to bear the 

 succeeding year. Another i)<)int, too, is 

 that, if possible, the ground between rows 

 should be mulched liea\ ily just before the 

 fruit is read}' to be picked, that it mz.y 

 retain moisture and not be packed too 

 hard by the feet of the pickers. If this is 

 not possible it would be a xery good idea 

 to cultivate the patch late in the day after 

 the pickers have gone o\'er it to loosen 

 the soil and conserve the moisture, so as 

 to help in maturing the crop and to make 

 sure of a good yield the succeeding 3-ear. 

 There are many good varieties, and the 

 nurseryman will readily advise what kinds 

 are best for certain localities. They will 

 also tell you that orange rust is the only 

 disease of any conseciuence to be feared, 

 and this can be controlled by spraying 

 with bordeaux mixture, first cutting out 

 and burning all plants showing signs of 

 the disease. — D. C. Cornman, in Colman's 

 Rural World. 



^ <»> <S> 

 EAT APPLES 



By P. Devlin, Ponticton, British Columbia 



Come, take lieed to Doctor J'^ills, 



Eat apples! 

 Tlirow away your dopey pills. 



Eat apples! 

 If in chops you must invest, 

 Though your stomach wants a rest, 

 1)0 tiiat whicli you know is best, 



Eat apples! 



If you're feeling rather blue, 



Eat apples! 

 When barleycorn has proved untrue. 



Eat apples! 

 Tlien you'll soon recuperate, 

 And dodge a most unwelcome fate, 

 Vou know it never is too late, if 3'ou 



Eat apples! 



\\'hen you go to meet yoiu- Eve, 



Eat apples! 

 If she says that you're her Steve, 



Eat apples! 

 She will breathe the fragrant odor 

 Of sweet pippins in October, 

 And at least she'll know you're sober, 



E_at apples! 



Efitat'h 



Here lies the good old Doctor Fills, 

 Well he pi escribed for all our ills; 

 Here's liopin.g that he'll get full mention 

 At the roll call of the last convention. 



.•€>«><*> 



THE price paid for farm produce is determined 

 largely by its condition when delivered to tlie 

 consumer. The question of transportation was a 

 very seriovis one a decade ago. inasmuch as the 

 roughly constructed vehicles, which were then used 

 to transport perishable goods to market, were the 

 cause of such a large shrinkage. The farm wagon 

 is one of the oldest and most necessary vehicles in 

 existence. Its greatest improvement during tlie 

 last twenty years has been in tlie addition of 

 bolster springs, which make it practically a spring 

 wagon. Farmers in general, in order to obtain the 

 very highest prices for their vegetables, fruits, 

 eggs, etc., are now equipping their wagons witli 

 good bolster springs, and have in some cases actu- 

 ally saved the price of a pair of bolster springs in 

 a single load. The Harvey Spring Company, of 

 Racine, Wisconsin, makes a specialty of high grade 

 bolster springs. They are made to fit any wagon 

 and are guaranteed to transform the hardest rtiii- 

 ning farm wagon into an easy riding spring wagon. 

 Farmers interested in securing better prices for 

 their produce should drop a card to the Flarvev 

 Spring Company, "S-t Seventeenth street, Racine, 

 \\'isconsin, and ask for their catalogue and par- 

 ticulars regarding their free trial offer. * 



^ <«> <«> 



Editor Better Fruit: 



Your December number contains a wealth of 

 knowledge. Yours truly, Henry Engel, New York. 



GRow i.xi; (;()()si:i!i;krii:s.- I'laiit in good 

 rich soil anil give a liberal dressing of manure 

 e\'cry seasciii. Regular pruning every year is essen- 

 tial for the production of fine fruit. The English 

 varieties, especially, do best in partial shade and 

 should be heavily mulched. To prevent mildew 

 spray the bushes as soon as the leaves ajipear and 

 also several times during the summer with potas- 

 sium sulphide, one ounce to four gallons of water. 

 — Exchange. 



^ ^ 



Editor Better Fruit: 



I received the December number, and will say 

 that if the December number is a fair sample of 

 "lletter Fruit" I am sorry that T have not been on 

 your list long ago. Yours for better fruit, Chas. 

 Henderson. 



<«> ^ <^ 



Editor Better Fruit: 



For business purposes I would rather sacrifice all 

 other publications I subscribe to than be without 

 "Better Fruit," as it is the only paper I know of 

 that keeps fruit growers up to date. In fact, I 

 regard it as indispensable. Yours sincerely, W. J. 

 E. Hamilton, South Salt Spring, British Columbia. 



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ST.\TE AGENTS 

 G. AI. Westland, W enatehee, Wash. 

 Fair Oaks Xursery Co., Traverse City, i\iich. 

 Welch Xursery Co., Madison, Ala. 

 Chas. Reyburn, Earl Fruit Co., Placerville, Cal. 

 Parker Bros. IN'ursery Co., Fayetteville, .\rk. 

 C. IT. Webster, The Dalles, Oregon 

 F. F. Powell, Stevensville, Mont. 

 Humphrey Nurseries, Humphrey, Neb. 

 Geo. F. Hall, Wendall, Idaho 

 Brov^'n Bros. Nursery Co., Rochester, N. Y. 

 Elizabeth Nursery Co., Elizabeth, N. J. 

 IT. C. Baker, Route 2, Tunkhannock, Pa. 

 O. K. Nurseries, Wynnewood, Okla. 

 lefferson Nursery Co., Monticello, P'la. 

 j. A. Hess, Salt Lake City, Utah 

 Denver Nurseries, Denver, Colo. 

 Frank Brown & Son Co., Paynesville, Minn. 



SEED 



CATALOG 



READY TO Mail 



The leading Seed Catalog of the West — 

 Lilly's Catalog. Your 1911 crop depends 

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