VOL XLVIII NO. 2068. 
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 14, 1889. 
PRICE FIVE CENTS, 
*2.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the Year 1889, by the Rural New-Yorker, In th Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.i 
The Newer Varieties of 
the Blackberry. 
HOW THEY ARE REGARDED BY 
PROMINENT AUTHORITIES. 
Communications from President T. T. 
Lyon , M. Crawford, E. Williams, 
P. M. Augur, et al. 
Varieties Growing at the Rural Grounds, With 
PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS, 
as hardy, when fully exposed, as many 
of the blackberries, its trailing habit 
usually so far protects it, in winter, 
tnat it rarely suffers from low temper¬ 
ature. The fruit corresponds, in size, with 
the larges* blackberries; while it ripens 
very nearly with the earliest blackcaps, 
which circumstance doubtless renders it all 
the more desirable. The fruit is borne so 
near the ground that a mulch is needed to 
keep it clean, quite as much as in the case of 
strawberries. Everything considered, I re¬ 
gard it rather as a fruit for home or family 
use than as desirable for the market. 
Wachusett is a variety l have tried to 
make something of for a number of years; 
but it has, with ine, proved utterly worthless, 
and I have consigned it to the rejected list, 
along with numerous other thornless varieties. 
Thorns and fruit, in my experience so far, 
seem almost, if not quite,' inseparably con¬ 
nected. 
Agawam has been in my collection nearly 
or quite 15 years, and I regard it as of very 
decided value. The fruit is of fine size and 
excellent flavor; and the plaut astrong grow¬ 
er, and sufficiently hardy for the lake shore; 
FROM PRESIDENT T. T. LYON. 
Early King Blackberry.—I 
have not yet been able to make a sat¬ 
isfactory test of this variety. 
The Minnewaski J proves“hardy 
enough to withstaud our lake-shore 
climate, and promises well as to 
productiveness; but another season, 
at least, will be requisite properly 
to determine its status in this most 
essential particular. 
Erie is claimed by many grow¬ 
ers to be identical with the Lawton. 
There surely is occasion for such 
assumption; but, with me, the Erie 
has decidedly more of the trailing 
or spreading habit of the dewberry, 
although it is a very vigorous, sturdy 
grower, and possesses even stronger 
and more prehensile spines. Tne 
fruit also is more rounded and reg¬ 
ular, aud less elongated. VV ith me 
another year is needed to test its 
value thoroughly, although my ex¬ 
perience so far is decidedly in its 
favor. 
Snyder lacks productiveness as 
compared with the Kittatinny, 
Early Wilson or Lawton, and the 
fruit, although of high quality, is 
decidedly lacking in size. Its popu¬ 
larity is mainly due to its great har¬ 
diness. 
Taylor, after a good many years’ 
trial, has proven, with me, quite as 
hardy as Snyder. It is a more 
spreading grower, with peculiar, 
yellowish-green canes. It requires a 
season or two longer than Snyder to 
come fully into bearing; but when 
it ‘“gets fairly down to business,” 
it is even superior to the former in 
productiveness; while the fruit is 
larger, more elongated, later, and 
quite as high in quality. 
Wilson Junior is, in all respects, 
very much like its alleged parent— 
the Early Wilson—although there 
are slight differences. The former, 
with me, ripens two or three days in 
advance of its parent. 
The Lucretia Dewberry is very 
productive, and although. scarcely 
although, doubtless, somewhat less hardy 
than Snyder or Taylor. 
Early Harvest was uufortunate in its in¬ 
troduction to the public. My first trial of it 
was with plants received direct from the in¬ 
troducer. These proved very tender, killing 
to the snow-line each winter. Not suspecting 
their genuineness, under the circumstances, 
I have frequently and strongly condemned it 
as valueless at the North Mors recently this 
proved to have been the Brunton, Toe genu¬ 
ine Early Harvest has been grown largely, 
for several years, at Benton Harbor, 20 miles 
south of this place, and has proved to be not 
only hardy, but one of the most profitable va¬ 
rieties grown in that revion. My own exper¬ 
ience with the genuine, is as yet quite limited. 
South Haven, Mich. 
FROM SECRETARY M. CRAWFORD. 
Early King, Miunewaski and Wachusett 
have not fruited here. The Wilson Junior 
and Early Harvest are by far too tender for 
this climate. 
Agawam is the most satisfactory variety I 
ever raised. It is perfectly hardy here, quite 
early, wouderfully productive, of good quali¬ 
ty, a little larger than the Snyder and smaller 
than the Taylor. The genuine is bard to get. 
Snyder is usually hardy, and with high 
culture and close pruning the size is medium. 
It ripens between the Agawam and Taylor. 
The quality is only moderately good and its 
habit of turning red after being picked, de¬ 
tracts from it3 value. 
Taylor is nearly as hardy as the Snyder, 
fully as productive, later in ripening, of larger 
size and far better quality. 
Erie originated in this county in a neglect¬ 
ed vineyard belonging to L. B. Pierce, the 
well-known horticultural writer. It is one 
of 50 or more that came up at the foot of the 
posts where the robins carried the berries 
from a patch of the Lawton that grew near 
by. After a time the posts rottel off at the 
ground and fell over, carrying the vines down 
with them. This gave the blackberries an 
opportunity which they promptly improved. 
This variety occupied about a rod of ground, 
which Mr. Pierce assured' me yielded 
from .30 to 35 quarts at a picking 
three times a week; and it bears a long 
time. On the strength of this report I paid 
$50 for the entire stock, and a few weeks 
later, I soli it to a party in]New Jersey ^for 
$100. He grew it oue ;year, t and\divided tne 
stock into ten equal shares, which he offered 
to nursery-men at $500]eaeb, reserv¬ 
ing one for himself. Each purchasei 
increased his stock as much as possi¬ 
ble the next year, after which it was 
put upon the market, It is* very 
much like the Lawton, but I do not 
think it is that ^variety. It has all 
the’desirable qualities, except hardi¬ 
ness, and will doubtless be a satis¬ 
factory variety where the climate 
is mild enough for it. 
fr The Lucretia is a very’desirable 
variety, if one can put up with its 
habit of running all over the ground 
like a water-melon vine. It is rarely 
winter-killed, either because it is so 
hardy or from its habit of lying on 
the; ground,-where it is, covered 
with snow much of the time. The 
berry- is even larger than the Law- 
ton, and of pretty good quality. 
Hardiness is the important point 
with blackberries in this climate. 
Without this, all other good quali¬ 
ties go for nothing. The following 
are hardy in the order named, and 
are all that I know to be reliable: 
Agawam, Stone’s Hardy, Snyder 
and Taylor. 
Summit County, O. 
MINNEWASKI BLACKBERRY. From Nature. See page 606. Fig. 228. 
FROM CONNECTICUT STATE POMOLO- 
GIST, P. M. AUGUR. 
Early Harvest is very early, 
choice and good; not large. It is too 
tender to be trusted north of New 
York City. Snyder and Taylor 
are prolific and hardy, of good qual¬ 
ity, and can be depended on. 
Minnewaski is large, productive, 
hardy and good. 
Erie I regard as distinct from the 
Lawton, and better. The canes are 
hardy with us. It is not quite as pro 
ductive as Snyder, but the fruit is 
much better, being large, jet-black, 
with a mild blackberry flavor. It is 
our favorite for home use. 
Wilson Junior, like the old Wil¬ 
son, is not reliable with us; the fruit 
is large, fine and excellent. 
The Lucretia Dewberry, for 
those who want a trailing berry, is 
what it purports to be—hardy and 
productive. For one variety and un¬ 
der all circumstauces I would select 
