26 



W. F. Allen, Salisbury, Maryland 



Blackberries 



Blowers. A sturdy grower and a very prolific 

 bearer. Originated in western New York. The fruit 

 is large, and continues to ripen through a long sea- 

 son. The plant is hardy in its native region, and 

 has endured quite a low degree of temperature 

 unharmed. Since 1904 Blowers has been distributed 

 widely throughout the country and, so far, only 

 one report of winter-killing has been received, and 

 that from northern Minnesota. 



Eldorado. Discovered in Ohio several years ago, 

 and is one of the finest Blackberries in cultivation. 

 The berries are of good size, glossy black, very 

 sweet and tender, and retain their luster a long time 

 after being picked. A reliable, standard variety. 



Early Harvest. Extremely early and very pro- 

 ductive, rendering it profitable and popular. It 

 succeeds admirably in the South, and is a favorite 

 on the Pacific Coast, but is not hardy in the far 

 North. Berries medium in size, bright, glossy black, 

 sweet and tender. 



Iceberg. The berries are very attractive. When 

 full ripe they are pure white, so transparent that 

 you can see the seeds. It is the best of the light- 

 colored Blackberries yet introduced. White Black- 

 berries mingled with black ones present a very 

 pleasing and novel appearance. A great curiosity. 



Mercereau. Berries sparkling black, which adds 

 greatly to their market value. Foliage large, abun- 

 dant and free from rust. Early to midseason; large 

 size and good flavor. Succeeds well in almost any 

 soil, although fertile loam is best for its full develop- 

 ment. The canes are exceedingly strong and up- 

 right in growth. 



Nanticoke. First offered to the public in 



1912 at a very high price, owing 



to the exceedingly small stock of plants available. 

 When I first saw it, it was growing by the side of 

 other well-known standard sorts and making more 

 than twice the growth of any of them. The fruit is 



Eldorado. Good-sized glossy black berries 



Iceberg. The best of all light-colored sorts 



only moderately firm, and I could not advise grow- 

 ing it on a large scale to ship a great distance, but 

 will stand shipping to a near market. Its quality is 

 delicious and is sure to please everyone. The size 

 of the berry is about the same as Eldorado, and the 

 plants are literally loaded with fruit. As to growth, 

 it is about twice as vigorous as that of other varie- 

 ties. It produces a tremendous crop, nothing I have 

 seen will surpass it or, in fact, equal it. One of the 

 most valuable characteristics of this Blackberry is 

 its season of ripening, starting in with its first ripe 

 berries about the time most other varieties are gone, 

 and then giving immense quantities of delicious 

 fruit for five or six weeks. For the market-gardener 

 who has customers who appreciate good things in 

 season and out, for the 

 small grower who ships to 

 a not too distant market, 

 it is a most valuable 

 addition to the Black- 

 berry list. It makes a 

 strong, upright growth, 

 with canes the second year 

 often measuring an inch 

 in diameter. I have sev- 

 eral thousand very fine 

 root-cutting plants which 

 I am able to offer this 

 season much lower than 

 last, and recommend my 

 customers to give it a 

 trial. See back cover page 

 for illustration. 



Rathbun. A native of 

 western New York, and 

 hardier than the old Wil- 

 son. Time of ripening 

 early, being in advance of 

 all other varieties except 

 Early Harvest and others 

 of that class. Its large 

 size and earliness make 

 it especially valuable. It 

 is evidently a seedling of 

 the Wilson, and has all 

 the vigor and produc- 

 tiveness of that once-pop- 



