204 



THE ECONOMIC PLAXTS OF JAPAN— IV. 



berry, so as to keep it effectually covered until it is full 

 grown, when they open and expose the fruit to view. 

 When the sepals first open the berry is white, but in two 

 or three days it turns bright red, when it becomes sweet 

 and delicious, with a flavor something between the com- 

 mon red raspberry and the blackcap. It blooms late in 

 the mountains, not until the last of June, and the fruit 

 ripens in the last of August. On the plain I found that 

 it matured fruit about a month earlier. 



In the summer of 1887 I spent some weeks of my vaca- 

 tion in the mountains at Usui Toge, Nagane Prefecture, 

 where I found many plants of this raspberry growing 

 luxuriantly in the yellow, almost sterile scoria, thrown 

 out of Asama-yama long years ago. Arriving there 

 in the middle of July, the bushes had bloomed, but the 

 young fruit was clasped so closely by the sepals that it 

 appeared like great swelling buds that gave promise of 

 giant flowers. I waited patiently for them to open, and 

 finally, upon examination, discovered to my surprise that 

 the buds concealed a berry instead of a blossom. When 

 the fruit ripened, I gathered some seed and sent it to 

 J. T. Lovett, of Little Silver, New Jersey, with a 

 request to test the value of this species under the condi- 

 tions of soil and climate of this country. I felt sure that 

 if it would grow here as it did in its mountain home in 

 Japan, it would be a valuable addition to our list of small 

 fruits. The seed germinated freely, aud the young 

 plants succeeded beyond expectations. In iSSg, the 

 stock raised from this seed was sold to Mr. Childs, of 

 Floral Park, Long Island, who has disseminated it under 

 the name of Japan Wineberry. It is perfectly hardy 

 here, grows well, and is a heavy yielder of fruit. 



A twig showing leaf, flower and bud is represented, 

 natural size, in Fig. i. As a berry plant in has the great 

 advantage over other varieties that the fruit is never at- 

 tacked by insects. The hairy, viscous calyx, which 

 covers the berry till it is full grown, effectually repels 

 all insects. I examined them carefully, but never found 

 a wormy berry on this species. This was not owing to 

 lack of insects, for the berries of several other species 

 growing in the same locality were nearly all wormy. 

 The berry is of good size, firm and handsome. But it 

 is not only valuable as a berry plant. Its luxuriant 

 growth, bright foliage and reddish appearance of the 

 stems, owing to the color of the hair, make it a unique 

 and striking ornamental plant, which is worthy of a place 

 in every door-yard in the land. It will grow in any soil, 

 but it attained its greatest size in the loose scoria pecul- 

 iar to the Usui Toge mountains. The only merit that I 

 could discover in this soil was that it was well drained. 

 In a dry country it would have been sterile, but the very 

 frequent and heavy showers kept it moist and able to 

 support plant life. This raspberry propagates itself in 

 the same manner as the blackcaps, by bending the tips 

 of the canes to the ground, where they take root. It is 

 not cultivated by the Japanese, but they gather the ber- 

 ries wherever found. 



RuBUS TRiFiDus, Thuub. (^Rubiis incisus, Miq. ; Rulnts 

 7-ibifoliiis , S. and Z. ; Rubtis hydrastifoliiis. Gray). Jap., 



Kaji-ichigo . This species is abundant everywhere in the 

 mountains. The canes are very stout, seven to ten feet 

 high, upright, cylindrical, smooth, no prickles ; leaves 

 large, palmately veined, mostly seven-cleft, serrate, dark 

 green above and but slightly lighter below. Berry of 

 good size, scarlet, drupes pointed ; it ripens gradually 

 through July. The Japanese name (Fire-raspberry) re- 

 fers probably to the red color assumed by the leaves in 

 the fall. The people gather and eat the berries, but it 

 is not cultivated. The plants are not very productive. 



RuBUS PALMATUS, Thunb. {Ruhiis coptophylhis. Gray). 

 Jap., Moiniji-ichigo, Awa-ichigo. Canes four to five feet, 

 smooth, prickles moderate in size and number ; leaf 

 palmately veined, small, mostly five-cleft ; lobes acute, 

 doubly serrate, dark green above and rather lighter be- 

 low. Fruit a small berry of no great value, but it is 

 gathered for food. The plant is a shy bearer. 



RuBOS TuKKURA, Sieb. {Rubtis Coreamis, Miq.). Jap., 

 Tiikkura-icliigc . Canes upright, vigorous, six to eight 

 feet tall, brown with a bluish bloom, smooth ; prickles 

 few, but strong and pointing somewhat upward. The 

 leaf has five to seven leaflets, the terminal one largest, 

 doubly serrate or lobed. F"ruit small, red, consisting of 

 but few drupes ; not of much value, but utilized as an 

 article of food. 



RuBUS PARViFOLius, L. {Rubiis micropliyllus , Don.; 

 Rubtis tripliylhis, Thunb.). '^s.'^. ,Na7vaskiro-i(/iigo. This 

 species is found all over the country. Stems small, 

 weak, some of them trailing ; leaf small, three leaflets, 

 doubly serrate ; prickles few, weak, directed downward ; 

 berry small and of but little value, but used for food. 



RuBUS MORiFOLius, Sieb. (Jap., Ktiwa-iio-ha-ichigo), 

 that is "mulberry-leaved raspberry," is a species wor- 

 thy of culture. It bears large black raspberries of ex- 

 cellent quality. I have seen but one plant, and that not 

 a very good one, but it had several handsome berries, 

 which ripened early in June. 



RuBUs INCISUS, Thunb.; Jap., Ki-ichigo. Canes four 

 to five feet, rather slender, cylindrical, brown, with few 

 and weak prickles, bushy ; leaf small, entire, three-cleft, 

 dark green above, lighter below. Fruit small, bluish- 

 black, of no great merit. The plant is, however, produc- 

 tive, and I have noticed that country people hold the 

 berries in much esteem. It is wild in the mountains, 

 but is often cultivated as a hedge plant about the houses, 

 partly, perhaps, on account of its fruit. 



Other species which furnish edible fruit, but which I 

 have not had opportunity to examine, are : Rubus Buer- 

 GERi, Miq. [Rtibiis iiiobiccanus, Thunb.) ; Jap., Ftiyu- 

 ichigo. Rubus corchorifolius, L. [Rubtis villostis, 

 Thunb.); Jap., Birodo-ichigo. Rubus id-«us, var. strig- 

 osus. Max. [Rubus strigpstis, Mich.); Jap., Yezo-ichigo ; 

 wild in the northern island. Rubus triflorus, Rich- 

 ardson, var. Japonicus, Maxim. (Rubus ccesitis, Thunb.) ; 

 Jap., Gogo-icliigo. Rubus Thunbergii, S. and Z. [Rubus 

 Jiispidus, Thunb.); '^2:^., Kusa-ichigo, Yabu-ichigo . And 

 in the Hokkaido, Rubus cham^morus, L., the Cloud- 

 berry, found also in the New England states and north- 

 ern Europe. Rubus villosus. Ait., our blackberry, has 



