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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 16 
THE SALMONBERRY. 
WHAT IT IS ; ITS VALUE. 
In The R. N.-Y. for November 17, 1894, we gave a 
brief account of the Salmonberry, and also of the 
remarkable Japan Mayberry, which was originated 
by Luther Burbank. It will be seen that the Salmon¬ 
berry is known under two botanical names, one 
Itubus nutkanus, which is close to our well-known 
Rubus odoratus, valued only as a shrub, and Rubus 
spectabilis, illustrated and described in The R. N.-Y. 
of November 17. It is from a cross between this and 
Cutlibert (probably) that the Japan Mayberry comes. 
Last year, after the publication of that article, the 
following notes were collected. A picture of the 
Salmonberry blossoms is repeated at Fig. 240. 
As it Appears in Iowa. 
The Salmonberry of the Northwest, is a near rela¬ 
tive of the purple flowering species, Rubus odoratus, 
of the Eastern States. It is perfectly hardy at Ames, 
and worth growing as a lawn shrub. Its large flowers 
are pure white, and the bright green leaves are about 
equally five-lobed. We have not yet grown it long 
enough to determine its habit of bearing. The fruit 
has less of the pronounced flavor of the Odoratus, and 
the fleshy part is thicker and firmer textured. We 
ries (R. strigosus) in abundance, also R. leucodermis (?) 
or Occidentalism), though differing from the common 
types of each. And where they grew near, I found sev¬ 
eral natural hybrids ; these were much more vigorous 
than either parent, but often produced imperfect fruit; 
yet some produced large, delicious berries in abun¬ 
dance. At the same high latitude and altitude, I also 
found R. arcticus, variety, fine wild currants (four 
species), gooseberries (two species), Juneberries in 
perfection, strawberries, Hawthorn, snowberries, bird 
and choke berries, hazel, superior tree cranberries, 
and native clematis in an exposed situation very much 
resembling Jackmanni, but smaller flowered. I have 
never known of any clematis growing in such an 
arctic region. I also found beautiful lilies by the 
acre ; Aquilegias, Calthas, four spiraeas, white and 
yellow violets, asters, golden rods, wild hyacinths, 
Alliums, perennial peas of several varieties in great 
grassy meadows, and flowered-bedecked hills and 
vales, charming perennial gaillardias, and lower 
down, ferns galore. There were, also, R. nutkanus, 
Mountain ash, Fatsia horrida, many species of wild 
rnimulus, violets, Brodiaes, Calochortus, “ Salal ” ber¬ 
ries (Gaultlieria Shallon), with large, juicy black ber¬ 
ries like an overgrown huckleberry, often nearly as 
large as cherries, Buffalo berries, red and yellow, etc. 
and many promising native northern grasses, of all of 
will be wrong. The clover should be cut when right 
for hay, but not in the soft, sappy condition of imma¬ 
turity sometimes chosen. Well-matured for hay mak¬ 
ing, describes the proper condition. Cut it without 
dew or rain, and then hustle it through the fodder 
cutter as fast as possible. A little wetting does not 
hurt it, but it must not dry out at all. In ordinary 
seasons, there is no difficulty on this point, but this 
year it was so hot and dry when we filled the silo with 
winter oats and Crimson clover, that the material got 
half cured in spite of our efforts, and some of it had 
to be well sprinkled as filling progressed. Some 
damage resulted in one silo from the omission of the 
necessary water. On the other hand, I once had 
clover ensilage that was too green and sappy ; the 
bottom of the ensilage became too wet, and did not 
heat sufficiently. The result was injury to that por¬ 
tion of the contents, though it is probable there was 
dew or rain on that clover when it went in. As to 
tramping, etc., in filling, clover requires the same 
treatment as corn. It seems to be the conclusion of 
some of our experts, that in filling, the material 
should be kept highest around the walls of the silo ; 
but at the top, highest in the middle. At least 18 
inches of wet chaff or sawdust, or green grass should 
be used as a covering, and well tramped. No other 
weighting is necessary. A one-inch cut will do very 
well for clover, though there is no ob¬ 
jection to shorter cuts. E. II. BANCROFT. 
The Why and How of It. 
p Clover ensilage has been very success¬ 
fully made by a large number of our 
practical farmers in Wisconsin. The 
making of good ensilage from clover 
, turns upon two essential points : First, 
that it be put into the silo neither too 
green nor too dry ; if it be put in 
in a very succulent condition, a large 
amount of the juices of the plant is ex¬ 
pressed from it by the weight of the 
ensilage, and thus a large and un¬ 
necessary loss entailed. If the clover 
be put in too dry, then it packs so 
loosely under the ordinary pressure 
of ensilage, that a very large waste re¬ 
sults. Clover ensilage, to be made 
right, should consist of the clover in the 
stage of maturity, which makes good 
hay; but if the growth has been very 
rank, the plants may, at this stage, 
be a little too succulent to go into the 
silo immediately on cutting. If, how¬ 
ever, the growth be medium or under 
size, then the clover may be cut and 
put in as rapidly as possible. If the 
clover be over-green, then it should lie 
a few hours in the sun and wilt before 
being put in. 
With us, some farmers run the clover 
through the feed cutter into the silo, 
while others put it into the silo whole 
The convenience of putting the clover 
into the silo will largely determine 
which of the methods should be fol¬ 
lowed. If it can be put in as readily 
through the cutter and carrier as 
by the ordinary method, this will 
be preferable, because the clover 
will, under these conditions, pack better, and will 
be more conveniently fed out. If the clover be 
put in whole, great care should be exercised in thor¬ 
oughly tramping it as it is put in, special care being 
taken to tramp around the sides, and, if the silo has 
square corners, to get the corners thoroughly filled 
by tamping with a heavy stick similar to that which 
farmers use in tamping dirt around fence posts. 
In order that clover ensilage may be as good as corn 
ensilage, the matter of pressure or depth is of even 
greater importance than in the case of corn, because 
it necessarily packs less firmly, and hence is more 
liable to heat and spoil around the sides and down 
from the surface. Clover ensilage, then, should have 
a greater depth, if possible, than that of corn ; or, if 
it will be possible to cut corn on the top of the clover 
ensilage, then a less depth of clover with the added 
weight which the corn ensilage gives, is all that will 
be required. But great pressure, which is secured by 
a considerable depth, not less than 20 to 30 feet, is 
very important, and not likely to be secured by the 
addition of any materials in the form of weights at 
the surface. 
The addition of water to the surface of clover ensi¬ 
lage after the silo has been filled, is an important ad¬ 
junct to its preservation. After the clover ensilage has 
settled, say, two days after filling, the surface should 
be very thoroughly tramped, and then wet with not 
have tried to cross its blossoms with 
pollen of our garden sorts, and failed ; Aj 
yet it may be possible to cross it with SJjS 
the biennial stemmed species. 
J. L. BUJW. 
A Description of the Berry. 
1. The Salmonberry, Rubus parvi- 
florus, Nuttall, may be spoken of as 
practically a white-flowered and West- 
ern representative of R. odoratus, the 
Purple-flowering raspberry of the East. 
It is more commonly known as R. nut¬ 
kanus, but, according to the present 
rules of nomenclature, this name gives 
place to R. parviflorus, as it was first 
described under that name by Nuttall. A 
The plant closely resembles R. odor- fl| 
atus in its botanical character, differ¬ 
ing from it chiefly in the color of the 
flowers. In fact, it has at times been 
mentioned in English gardening papers as R. odor¬ 
atus, variety alba. It is an attractive shrub, and 
worthy of cultivation for ornament wherever it can 
be grown. It probably possesses little horticultural 
value as a fruit plant, although it is recorded that 
its shoots were eaten, and the berries collected and 
dried by the natives from earliest times. It is found 
in shaded places from Monterey to Alaska, and east¬ 
ward to New Mexico and Lake Superior. 
Perhaps it is not cultivated in the East mainly be- 
eause it has not been shown that there is any especial 
reason why it should be cultivated. Although it 
is found in very severe climates, it has been reported 
as tender at the Arnold Arboretum. The plants were, 
however, grown from seeds collected in a mild climate, 
which may have had some effect on their hardiness. 
The fruit is red, hemispherical, and said to be sweet, 
with a pleasant flavor. Crossing between species no 
more closely related than this and the common rasp¬ 
berries, though possible, is not easy, and the off¬ 
spring, if obtained, is likely to be sterile or unproduc¬ 
tive. In my own experience, a number of attempts 
to cross R. odoratus with the red raspberry, and vice 
versa, failed to yield any results. Usually the pollen 
was wholly ineffective, and in no case were any plants 
obtained. This is far from saying that the cross is 
impossible, however, and it is along this line of cross¬ 
ing and plant-breeding that we must work for future 
developments in horticulture. fred. w. card. 
Nebraska Experiment Station. 
BLOSSOM OF TIIE SALMONBERRY. Fig. 240. 
which and many hundred other plants, I secured a 
stock for propagation and test here. So you see I 
have my hands full. 
CLOVER FOR THE SILO . 
HOW TO MAKE IT INTO ENSILAGE. 
Where They Can’t Cure Clover. 
This locality will produce large crops of clover, 
grasses, and genei’al grain crops ; but owing to cool 
nights during the summer, it is not adapted for the 
production of corn. Clover is not much cultivated, 
owing to the difficulty of curing it; except for this 
drawback, clover would be the most profitable fodder 
crop to grow in a large section of western Washing¬ 
ton and British Columbia. The question many farm¬ 
ers ask is, Will clover make ensilage ? I cannot believe 
that clover will fail to make ensilage if properly 
treated. It is evident that it requires different treat¬ 
ment from corn. If you will give full instructions 
for the making of clover ensilage, you will confer a 
favor on a large number of Western readers. The fol¬ 
lowing questions suggest themselves : At what stage 
of its growth should clover be cut for ensilage ? 
Should it be partly cured, or can it be put in the silo 
during wet weather when freshly cut ? Should it be 
mixed with some other crop ? f. b. i\ 
British Columbia. 
A Note from Luther Burbank. 
Rubus nutkanus seems to be called Salmonberry 
east of the Rocky Mountains, but Rubus spectabilis 
(the same as you have), is the one and the only one 
called Salmonberry on the Pacific coast; it grows 
from south of the Golden Gate to northern Alaska, 
always near the coast. This fruit ripens before the 
Rubus nutkanus which grows with Rubus spectabilis, 
and in fact, seems to grow almost everywhere. R. 
nutkanus is called thimbleberry here: the fruit is 
red, sour, button-shaped (flat), soft, seedy and worth¬ 
less, but has fine, large leaves, and large, white or 
pinkish flowers. R. spectabilis makes permanent, 
tree-like bushes, the tops not dying down like most 
Rubuses, but increasing in size from year to year. 
R. spectabilis is called Salmonberry in Nicholson’s 
Dictionary of Gardening ; R. nutkanus not so men¬ 
tioned. 
In my trip north, latitude 54, general altitude 3,000 
feet, days 18 hours long, winter temperature often 50 How They Do It in Delaware. 
less than 20 pounds of water to the square foot; 
then, if no other material be put on the top of this 
to 60 degrees F. below zero, Rocky Mountain region, I have just as good success with clover ensilage as clover, after five or six days’ standing, the ensilage 
I was. greatly surprised to find delicious red i-aspber- with corn ; but where conditions are not right, results should be again thoroughly tramped, and if the top 
