22 
AMEKIOAI^ AGEIOULTUEIST. [Janitaet, 
Two New Blackberries—“ Early Cluster,” 
“Wilson Junior.” 
It is several years since any varieties of real value 
have been added to our list of improved blackber¬ 
ries; but this year brings us two new ones, which 
promise to be of great importance to fruit growers. 
Early in June last, John S. Collins, of Moorestown, 
N. J., sent us specimens of the “Early Cluster” 
Blackberry. Through the neglect of the express- 
men, these arrived in a condition unfit for testing, 
and only allowing us to judge of their size and 
shape. Like most of our cultivated blackberries,this 
was an accidental seedling. The claims made for the 
Early Cluster are: healthfulness and vigor of plant, 
great productiveness, earliness, and superior qual¬ 
ity. The absence of double and imperfect flowers, 
common in the “Early Wilson” and some others, 
allowing each flower to produce a berr^', conduces 
to its bearing qualities. The discoverer states that 
from a single stool, thirteen quarts of berries were 
taken at one picking. The engraving represents 
the size of the berry, which does not average quite 
so large as the “Early Wilson,” but is of much 
better quality, on account of the absence of a hard 
core. The “Early Cluster ” is being planted largely 
for market, and it promises to.be a valuable berry. 
The choice blackberries are so generally acciden¬ 
tal seedlings, that it is a novelty to find an excep¬ 
tion. William Parry, Parry, N. J., has for many 
years experimented in growing blackberries from 
seed. Being a firm believer in the value of inher¬ 
ited good qualities, or “pedigree,” in fruits as well 
as in trotting horses and butter-making cows, he 
selected the finest and largest berries from the 
healthiest and most productive plants of the “Wil¬ 
son Early,” which he regarded as the best variety 
then known. Out of hundreds of seedlings, one was 
selected as the most desirable to propagate, and this 
is known as “ Wilson Junior.” It is claimed that 
this seedling has all tlie good qualities of its parent, 
to which others are added. The size is unusual. 
THE “WILSON JCNIOH’ BLACKBBEBT. 
selected berries measuring three and a quarter ' 
inches around at their smallest diameter, or cross¬ 
wise. It is also claimed to be earlier, more pro¬ 
ductive, sweet as soon as black, to carry well, and 
to hold its bright color an unusually long time, 
The blackberry has now become such an impor¬ 
tant market fruit, that we welcome with interest 
any variety which promises to be an improvement 
upon the established kinds. Of course w'ith these, 
as with all new fruits that we have not been able 
to cultivate and test, we give the claims of those 
interested in their production. In these instances, 
both parties have been largely engaged in grow¬ 
ing fruit, are thoroughly acquainted with the re¬ 
uianng on mud days, flor excessive dryness,, 
of course water is the remedy. The pots, espec¬ 
ially towards spring, should be examined occa¬ 
sionally, and those in danger of becoming 
“killing dry,” sparingly supplied with) water, 
“ Kill-Calf.” {Leucotho'e racemosa,} 
Several of our native shrubs have the reputatiom 
THE "EARLY CLUSTER” BLACKBERRY. 
quirements of a market fruit, and they of course 
know, as few others can, in what respects the old 
varieties fell short of being perfect market berries. 
Keeping Apples in Winter. 
It is one thing to raise fair, sound, winter apples of 
the best varieties, and quite another to keep them 
so that they will come out in April as 
crisp and toothsome as in mid-winter. 
And it is not tco late to attend to those 
still kept in the cellar or elsewhere. To 
be sure of soundness, with no worm 
inside, or blotch upon the skin, is a 
prime necessity for good and long 
preservation. A fruit room of course 
will keep them well, other conditions 
being all right, but the average farmer 
who sold all his surplus apples in 
autumn, and only wants a few barrels 
for his dessert and evening callers, has 
no suitable place but his cellar, and his 
handiest vessel is the second-hand bar¬ 
rel. Let the barrel then be sound, with 
two good heads and perfectly clean— 
nothing upon the inside to start rot. 
At the last assorting remove every de¬ 
fective and bruised apple for early use, 
and leave no hole or crack in the headed 
barrel. This helps to preserve an even 
tempei'ature. If kept in a cellar, let 
the barrel rest upon the bilge, and not 
upon the head, and keep dry. The 
cellar should have a door or window, 
opening easily to give more or less air, 
according to the outer temperature. 
With this convenience and a thermom¬ 
eter, one can keep the temperature be¬ 
tween thirty-two and forty degrees, 
and have fine apples in spring. Nothing 
but watching them faithfully will do it. 
A Cellar without a furnace, is an 
important adjunct to a garden, as it 
allows a number of half hardy plants to 
be kept over the winter. But those in 
the cellar must not be entirely neglect¬ 
ed. They are liable to suffer from a too moist atmos¬ 
phere, which may cause the stems to become 
mouldy, or the earth in the pots may become so 
dry that the roots will shrivel and perish. The 
flrst trouble, the moist air, may be avoided by ven- 
of being poisonous to domestic animals. These 
do not belong to plant families known to be poi¬ 
sonous, nor are they injurious to man, yet the tes¬ 
timony as to their deleterious effects upon animals 
is too general to be ignored. The poisonous effects 
of the Low Laurel {Kahnia angustifolia) are so ex¬ 
tensively recognized as to give it the common 
names, “Sheep Laurel” and “Lambkilland the 
“ Mountain Laurel ” {Kahnia latifolia) has a similar 
reputation. In parts of New Jersey, another shrub 
of the same famOy with the Laurels is called “ Kill- 
THE “kill-calf.” 
calf,” on account of its effects upon calves that 
eat it. Mrs. L. Blackman, of Burlington Co., N. J., 
writes us: “I have seen many a poor calf roll up 
its eyes and die in consequence of having eaten 
‘ Kill-calf,’which is a deadly poison.” The plant 
with this unpleasant reputation is one of our most 
ornamental native shrubs, Lewothoe racemosa. It 
was formerly called Andromeda racemosa, but when, 
for good botanical reasons, the large genus, Andro- 
m da, was divided, this fell to Leucotho'e, a name 
from ancient mythology. The shrub has a general 
resemblance to a high huckleberry bush, usually 
four to six feet high, but sometimes reaching ten 
feet. The engraving shows the shape of its decid- 
