208 



WILSON'S EARLY BLACKBERRY. 



At a discus.sional meeting of the Pennsylvania 

 Horticultural Society last year, it was suggested 

 that this Blackberry might possibly be a hybrid be- 

 tween the common High Bush Blackberrry [Rubns 

 'y«7?o.sws) and the Dewberry, [R. Canadensis). We 

 have now had an opportunity of examining it criti- 

 cally, and it is really a very remarkable form of the 

 Blackberry family. 



The specimens we have, were kindly presented to 

 us a couple of years ago, by Mr. John S. Coilins, 

 of Moorestown, and we jslante 1 them where they 

 could remain to grow as naturally as possible, and at 

 the same time compare with othei cultivated varie- 

 ties. To day (June 1st.) the first flowers are open, 

 and the Dewberry opens precisely at the same time. 

 This indicates its affinity with the dewberry, for, 

 although the variety of Dorchester will soon be 

 in flower. High bush Blackberries will not be in 

 bloom for a coupl..- of we ks or more. The manner 

 of flowering is also just the same as the dewberry, 

 which is to have but few flowers on a truss. The 

 terminal flower of the truss or panicle has but a 

 very short pedical, the next a little longer, and so 

 I on to the last, which has the longest stem of ill, all 

 of which is the characteristic cf the dewberry. Then 

 the secondary growth (f .r we suppose every one 

 knows that the blackberries have a sprins; and au- 

 tumn growth diff'erent from one another,) is precise- 

 j \ ly that of the Dewberry, namely, long slender sur- 

 [ I face runn rs, reaching ten or fifteen feet and root- 

 i \ ing at last at the tip. But the s: ring or upright 

 I \ growth of Wilson's early is of the character of R. 

 [ viUosus^ deeply grooved (striate) leaves in the fives 

 I (quinate), and covered with soft hairs, (villose) 

 which is all foreign to the R. Canadensis or dew- 

 berry. 



We have no doubt in Europe where the belief in 

 the innate powers o' plants to grow in form, as well 

 as in regular structure is not so far advanced as it 

 is in this country, we think this plant would be 

 assumed to be a " hybrid. " The wisest plan for us 

 is to form no opinion whether it it a development or a 

 hybrid, until we can a certain some facts to prove it 

 one way or the other. Certainly the exact intermix- 

 ture of the characters of the two species in one is a 

 very curious fact in Botanical Science and in the Sci- 

 ence of Pomology, and is worthy of much future ob- 

 servation. 



One interesting point which may lean one rather 

 to favor the idea that the plant is a vigorous devel- 

 opment of its own inherent nature, rather than a hy- 

 brid, is a tendency to produce semi-doi|ible flowerj, 

 a result which would not necessarily follow from 



mere hybridization. We give an engraving of a semi- 

 double flower of Wilson's Early, from the plants 

 above-referred to, wherein almost all the stamens 

 have been replaced by petals. 



This, moreover, is a matter which may make much 

 trouble to the practical man in the future, for if 

 many flowers loose their stamens in this way, there 

 will be a deficiency in pollen, and a short crop will 

 ensue. Propagators should increase their stock 

 only from such plants as have as nearly single or five 

 petaled flowers as possible. 



