BLACKBERRY— DEWBERRY 55 
clip off the tip so as to force them to branch out. It is important that this 
should be done before the shoots are more than 2 feet tall. 
In the drier parts of the country it is sometimes advisable to let the 
oane grow out without clipping back until the following spring, when they 
are cut back to 2J4 or 3 feet. This does not give as many branches for 
bearing fruit, and it will not produce as much fruit to the cane, but if it 
is in a dry country, the canes will have all the fruit they can ripen. 
Other growers allow the canes to grow tall and fasten them to a wire, 
which is stretched on posts that are placed in the row. However, the 
close-pruned bushes are better. 
The McDonald Blackberry ripens very early. Growers in southern 
Missouri and Arkansas, where they have a long season, have found that 
the entire row can be mowed just after the fruit is taken ofif, and that 
new canes will develop from the ground up for the next year's planting. 
This makes the work much simpler than where the old canes have to be 
cut out one at a time by hand. 
The blackberry should be cultivated thoroughly and often. Do not 
cultivate deep, as it breaks the roots and causes suckers to grow up in the 
middle of the row. In Montana, Wisconsin, and the extreme northern 
parts of New York, Maine, etc., the plants should be given winter pro- 
tection. To do this, the plants are laid to the north or west, as the tops 
hold the snow better when placed in that direction. The tips should be 
weighed down with dirt, to hold them in place; and, after the canes are all 
bent over and weighted down, they should be covered with a straw mulch. 
Orange Rust The orange rust is one of the worst troubles of the 
= blackberry. It is an orange-red rust that appears on 
the under side of the leaves. The grower should examine the plants early 
in the season, and as soon as the first indication appears on the under side 
of the leaves, dig up the entire plant, root and top and burn it. It can't 
be controlled by spraying, as the fungus which causes it is not only 
present on the top, but on the roots of the plants. However, it can be 
very effectively eliminated if the diseased plants are removed as soon 
as the rust appears, before it has had time to spread to the other plants. 
Dewberry 
The dewberry is very closely related to the blackberry; however, it 
will thrive on poor or sandy soils where blackberry or raspberry cannot 
be grown. It is less affected by drouth than either blackberry or rasp- 
berry. 
Planting Plant same as blackberry. 
f. Cultivate same as blackberry, except that the cultiva- 
Cultivation jjQfi should be done in the same direction each time, so 
that the vines which trail along the ground will be laid in the same 
direction along the row. 
PrnninP' Prune at planting-time same as for blackberry. 
T i n? . • Some growers allow the dewberry to trail along the 
Later 1 raining ground, and a lot of fine fruit can be produced this 
way; but it does not produce as much or as fine quality as where they are 
fastened to a support. There are two good methods. One is to train on 
an upright wire trellis, same as described for grapes. Another is to set 
stakes by each plant, and in the spring, before the leaves come out, tie 
up the canes to the stake and cut back the canes within 3 to 5 feet of 
the ground. , „,,.,!. 
As soon as the canes have fruited, cut them out. This work can be 
left for winter, but it is better to get them out of the way as soon as 
possible and burn them. The new canes can be allowed to trail on the 
ground until summer, and then tied up, as described. No summer prun- 
ing is necessary. One advantage of the stake method is that it is possible 
to line up the stakes in both directions so you can cultivate both ways and 
save a great deal of hand labor. 
