THE BLACKBERRY. 



443 



and jelly, and an ornamental pickle for garnishing some dishes. From 

 the seedless sort is made in Rouen a celebrated sweetmeat, confiture 

 oVepine-vinette. The inner bark is used in France for dyeing silk and 

 cotton a bright yellow. 



Culture. The culture is of the easiest description. A rich light soil 

 gives the largest fruit. It is easily propagated by seed, layers, or 

 suckers. When fine fruit of the barberry is desired, it should be kept 

 trained to a single stem — as the suckers which it is liable to produce 

 frequently render it barren or make the fruit small. 



Common Bed. 



This is too well known to need description. In good soils it grows 

 twelve or fifteen feet high, and its numerous clusters of bright oval 

 berries are very ornamental in autumn. There is a Large Red variety 

 of this, which is only a variation produced by cultivation in rich soil. 

 There are also varieties of this in Europe with pale yellow, white, and 

 purple fruit, which are not yet introduced into this country, and which 

 scarcely differ in any other respect than the color. And there is a so- 

 called sweet variety of the common Berberry from Austria (JB. v. dulcis), 

 but it is scarcely less acid than the common. 



A variety with purple foliage differs but little in the fruit, which is 

 perhaps not quite as fleshy, but the foliage is extremely ornamental. 



THE BLACKBERRY. 



There are several species of the Bramble indigenous to this country, 

 which produce eatable fruit, but the best for the table, or for cooking, 

 are the Low Blackberry, a trailing shrub, and the following varieties 

 of the High Blackberry. 



The fruit is larger than that of the Raspberry, with fewer and larger 

 grains, and a brisker flavor. It ripens about the last of July or early 

 in August, after the former is past, and is much used by all classes in 

 this country. There is no doubt that varieties of much larger size, and 

 greatly superior flavor, might be produced by sowing the seeds in rich 

 garden soil, especially if repeated for two or three successive genera- 

 tions. 



Their cultivation in gardens is similar to that of the Raspberry, ex- 

 cept that they require to be planted at greater distances apart, say from 

 six to eight feet. (See page 961.) 



Adair's Claret. 



Originated with D. L. Adair, Hawesville, Ky. The plant is not 

 quite hardy. 



Fruit medium size, claret color, soft, with a mild pleasant flavor. 



Albion. 



A wildling found and introduced by John B. Orange, of Albion, 111. 

 Although described as large and productive, we have never been able to 

 gather more than half a crop from our plants, and the fruit of only fair 

 size, imperfect, and without flavor. 



