360 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
l^-T^ 
"Wilson's Early Blackberry. 
Whoever was instrumental in introducing tlie 
New Rochelle Blackberry, did a good thing, as 
it served to turn attention to a hitherto neglect- 
ed fruit. Since then, other seedlings of merit 
have «hown that the capabilities of the black- 
berry were not all 
exhausted in the 
New Rochelle. In 
October, 1864, we 
figured and^ de- 
scribed the Kitta- 
tinny, which is in 
every respect su- 
perior to the New 
Rochelle, and we 
now give a figure 
of Wilson's Early 
Blackberry, a va- 
riety possessing 
qualities that en- 
title it to especial 
notice. This va- 
riety was discov- 
ered in Burling- 
ton Co., N. J., by 
Isaac Wilson ,who 
removed it to liis 
garden about the 
year 18.54, and 
there cultivated it 
for some years. It 
ultimately fell in- 
to the hands of 
some of the enter- 
prising fruit grow- 
ers of that section, 
who having tested 
and made known 
its meritSjfind that 
they have difBcul- 
ty in propagating 
it fast enough to 
supply the de- 
mand for plants. 
While the Wilson 
is a sweet, pro- 
ductive and excel- 
lent berry, and 
ripe when it is 
black, its great 
value consists in 
its earliness, and 
the evenness with 
which it ripens. 
These are impor- 
tant qualities to 
the market grow- 
er, to whom a few 
days in the time 
of ripening is a 
matter of great pe- 
cuniary interest. The Wilson's Early yields the 
bulk of its crop before the Kittatiuuy and New 
Rochelle are ready for market. The picking of 
this variety is all over within three weeks, while 
the other sorts last much longer. AVhile the 
Wilson can not supersede the other varieties we 
have named, it forms a most excellent com- 
panion to them, and by its greater earliness, 
prolongs the season of blackberries in a man- 
ner very important to the fruit grower. 
The engraving is from a specimen from Mr. 
John S. Collins, Moorestown, Burlington Co., 
N. J., and shows the size, productiveness, and 
peculiarities of the leaf. AVe have seen the 
plantation of this variety of Mr. Wm. Parr}', of 
the same Co., and were much pleased with the 
vigor and productiveness of quite young plants. 
It is quite hardy near New York City, and we 
hope it will prove so farther north, as it is a 
valuable addition to our list of blackberries. 
The engraving shows a peculiarity of the 
leaves that is quite characteristic of this variety. 
The leaves of the blackberry are usually three- 
House Plants. 
"Wilson's earlt blackberrt. 
parted, but >n this the divisions are often con- 
fluent, or run together, and sometimes one of 
the lateral divisions is entirely wanting, and the 
other joined to the central one, so that the out- 
line of the leaf is like that of a mitten, the 
lateral division forming the thumb. When the 
plant is kept low, as it should be, by stopping 
the growth of the canes at four or five feet, this 
variety throws out a great number of fruit 
spurs, which are generally erect. It is a great 
mistake to allow any blackberry to make canes 
from sis to ten feet high. Blackberries are easily 
multiplied by cuttings of the root, and one good 
plant will, with proper treatment, rt\jike a large 
number. This is done in the spring, and we 
shall give seasonable directions for doing it. 
In spite of the many practical difficulties in 
the way of complete success, those who really 
love in-door gardening will contrive to have 
some growing things around them. Beginners 
in this work desire nothing so much as good ad- 
vice ; and we now 
propose to offer a 
little. First, then, 
in regard to air. 
So long as we 
warmed our hous- 
es by fire-places 
or open wood- 
stoves, and did 
not make our 
rooms air-tight, it 
was comparative- 
ly easy to raise 
house ■^ilants; but 
with air-tight coal- 
stoves and fur- 
naces, and with 
hot, unventilated 
rooms, it is very 
difficult. Some 
measures must be 
taken to counter- 
act this excessive 
diyness of the air. 
One method is to 
keep a pan of wa- 
ter in the hot-air 
chamber of the 
furnace; another 
to keep such a ves- 
sel on the stove 
in the apartment 
devoted to plants. 
And these pans of 
water should be 
so placed that 
they will evapor- 
ate several quarts 
per day. In ad- 
dition tothis,some 
persons adopt the 
following plan: 
Let the table for 
plants be as wide 
as the window- 
sill. Around the 
edge of this table 
fasten cleats about 
three inches wide, 
making a sort of 
sink or basin. Cov- 
er the whole of the 
wood-work with 
two coats of paint. 
Put into this basin 
two inches sand, 
and cover the sand with one inch of fresh green 
moss. Set the pots on the top of this moss, slight- 
ly bedded in it. Any one can see that this will 
serve to diffuse moisture through the atmos- 
phere, for the moss and sand will be saturated 
as often as the plants are watered. This is only 
one method for securing a healthy state of the 
air ; let others be tried, which are practicable, 
for this is a very imjiortant matter. Of courte, 
the room should be ventilated as often as pos- 
sible, without injmy to the plants from frost. 
Secondly, as to soil. Different plants require 
different kinds of soil, for their highest health 
and vigor, but for the majorit}', the following 
answers an excellent purpose : A compost made 
of sand, leaf-mold, old manure, and earth from 
