The New Cardinal Raspberry. 
Its Origin, Character and Evidence. 
A SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. 
THIS most promising raspberry is another natural product of Kansas. It 
is not a hybrid, but a result where nature combined its best in one little 
.seed that produced the first Cardinal raspberry plant ; it also germin- 
ated that seed in its own way, not as under the pet care of an expert 
gardener, who would control the temperature, moisture, sunshine Und weeds, 
but it came up in a neglected clump of Gregg raspberry bushes, and there 
showed its make up by growing far above them, and producing its great crop 
of red berries in contrast to the few Greggs beneath them. When first seen 
by the owner the Greggs were dug out and the Cardinals had the room. 
ITS CHARACTER. 
The make up of trees and plants indicate what they may make. The 
size of raspberries and their hardiness are shown by the shape and quality of 
the leaves. To see a Cardinal Raspberry plant is to see the embodiment of 
extreme hardiness and vigor of the Rubus family. 
Its growth is of the strongest, canes growing fifteen to twenty feet, and 
making from ten to fifteen canes from one hill or plant. They need more 
room than is allowed other kinds in field culture. The canes are of very 
hard wood, with a red bark and a very few small thorns, one between each 
leaf — practically thornless. It propagates from tips. 
The young canes are never broken by winds in early spring, and after the 
first year they are upright. Its leaves are thick, short, broad and deeply 
wrinkled, entirely free from all traces of anthracnose or other diseases. They 
are of a dark green color, and stay on all summer and fall till severe cold in 
December. The leaves staying on during the growing season ripens the wood 
so they are hardy to stand all the changes and cold the country has endured 
since its settlement, and yet produce those amazing crops of rich,';plump berries. 
It stood the cold of 35° beloW of the winter of 1899 without the least 
injury; also in 1895 the summer was most fatal to raspberries. It was so dry 
in August that the old kinds of raspberries all stopped their growth, then in 
September rains came and warm weather, and again they started a new 
growth, till a cold spell in early winter caught them in full leaf, and most 
kinds were killed outright, others were badly injured, but the Cardinals were 
not injured and produced their usual large crop of choice berries. 
Its productiveness is a surprise to fruit growers. The first twelve plants 
were set in vacant places in a row of the Kansas, being a year younger, but 
that was no hindrance, as they produced three to four times as much as the 
Kansas did. The fruiting spurs on bearing wood are a foot or more long, 
and new ones come from near the stump two ar three feet long, loaded from 
the bottom up, and the fruit is well up for quick picking. 
The berries are large, dark red, firm as to texture, with an agreeable, 
pure rich flavor, which is brought to its highest perfection when canned ot 
cooked in pies. Their season is rather late and they hold on well. 
