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FRUIT NOTFS FROM MISSOURI. 
cDONALI) BERRY.—I have spoken 
previously of the dewberry-black¬ 
berry hybrid from Texas, the McDonald, 
which I have had on trial. This Sum¬ 
mer more than a hundred plants of this 
variety bore their first crop, and for the 
first time I was able to estimate its true 
value. As a result I feel that in the Mc¬ 
Donald there has arisen the greatest of 
all the blackberry family, and that it 
stands alone in the possession of quali¬ 
of the season these canes put forth a 
mass of slender laterals which envelop 
the whole bush and reach on to the 
ground, where they take root at their 
tips. This habit of growth brings nearly 
all the berries on the outside and dis¬ 
tributes them from top to bottom. It 
appears to be able to get along without 
any pruning, the new growth using the 
old wood as a frame over which to lie. 
Notwithstanding we had an all-Summer 
drought here, the McDonald brought its 
great crop to perfection, and then made 
its usual vigorous growth, its laterals 
forming during the hottest and driest part 
of the Summer. At this place, about lati- 
tute 37, McDonald berries were all sold 
fruit of McDonald dewberry-blackberry. 
ties that make it the most valuable of its 
group both as a market and family berry. 
In one point only is it open to criticism, 
it is not self-fertile in flower. The ques¬ 
tion of a suitable mate is not so easy to 
solve. In Texas it is planted with the 
Austin and other dewberries, and also 
with the blackberries standard there, the 
Sorsby and Dallas, but I believe it is only 
necessary to plant it with any self-fertile 
variety of its family which blooms at the 
same time. How far north the Sorsby 
and Dallas are hardy I cannot say, but 
probably not above the latitude of St. 
Louis. The Early Harvest is the stand¬ 
ard extra early blackberry throughout the 
Middle and most of the Southern States, 
and should also prove to be a dependable 
pollenizer. But the McDonald begins to 
bloom befoi’e any other kind of black¬ 
berry or dewberry that I am acquainted 
with, and is the first of all its tribe to 
by June 10. Early Harvest about half 
gone, Early King just ripening. 
Post and Wire Support.— The way 
that I am growing the McDonald is to use 
posts and wire, placing two parallel wires 
about IS inches apart and about five feet 
from the ground. Two others might, for 
the second year of growth, be placed 
about three feet from the ground. As the 
long main canes grow up through the for¬ 
mer year’s growth, they are trained up 
between the two wires so as to hold them 
erect. They are then carried to the right 
and left, but not more than six canes 
should be permitted to grow, and two 
canes may be better, depending on 
strength of soil. When the laterals start 
from these canes, they form a solid mass 
flowing down to the ground on each side 
of the wires. The rows should be not less 
than eight feet apart and 10 feet woull 
not be at all excessive, and this distance 
A PROLIFIC CANE OF McDONALD. 
ripen fruit. Therefore its earliest berries 
are to some extent imperfect, but its 
blooming season, if very early, is also 
quite long, and this loss from defective 
berries is not worth considering. The 
McDonald is also the most productive of 
all, considering the size of its berries; 
its berries average larger than those of 
any other variety, and its berries grade 
as dewberries and therefore bring a con¬ 
siderably higher price than blackberries. 
It is an extremely vigorous grower, sur¬ 
passing in this respect all our standard 
varieties. It has endured without injury 
10 degrees below zero and is a true ever¬ 
green, holding its leaves green even at 
zero temperature. 
Growth and Culture. —Minor points 
are that it roots readily from its tips. 
For the first year of growth it is a creep¬ 
er, but after that sends up long, strong 
canes of great length; in the latter part 
would not suffice for a wagon to pass 
along. I am coming more and more to 
the opinion that the most satisfactory 
way to handle both blackberries and rasp¬ 
berries is to train the bushes on wires. I 
am already doing this with the blackcaps 
and shall add the reds and the black¬ 
berries as well. It is the only feasible 
way I can discover to keep the middles 
free and open for cultivation and picking 
and destroying such weeds as the morning 
glory. L. R. JOHNSON. 
Cape Girardeau Co.. Mo. 
PLAN ! INC. BULBS. 
I LI, you give some information on 
the Fall planting of a tulip bed, 
also Crocus and other bulbs? I low 
should the bed be covered for very cold 
weather? w. j. e. 
Dillonvale, O. 
Bulb planting should not be done while 
the soil is sticky from recent rain; a 
well-drained soil should be selected. Set 
early tulips five inches deep, and the 
same distance apart; the large late- 
flowering or May tulips need a little more 
room, and may be set six inches apart, 
and about the same depth. No fresh 
manure should be near the bulb. After 
the ground is first frozen for two or 
three inches deep it may have a light 
covering of spent manure or other litter, 
such as marsh hay or shredded corn¬ 
stalks. If the litter is put on before the 
ground is frozen it makes a congenial 
home for field mice, which are extreme¬ 
ly partial to tulip bulbs, and they al¬ 
ways seem to choose the more expensive 
varieties for food. The mulch must be 
removed as soon as growth shows in 
early Spring, but if there is a sharp 
frost followed by snow or rain, the 
plants must be covered again, or the 
flower bud may be destroyed as it 
emerges. On large places, and in public 
parks, it is a common plan to lift the 
soil from a tulip bed to the proper depth 
for planting, set the bulbs on this uncov¬ 
ered floor, and then return the soil, 
spreading it over the bulbs. 
Crocuses are set two inches deep, and 
prefer a sunny situation. Scillas 
(squills), though small bulbs, must be 
planted four or five inches deep; they 
prefer shade, and do well under trees. 
Snowdrops, grape hyacinths and glory- 
of-the-snow should be covered three to 
four times the depth of the bulb. 
Narcissi are set at varying depths ac¬ 
cording to size; one rule is to cover them 
one and one-half times their own depth, 
measuring from the bottom of the bulb 
to the beginning of the “neck.” This 
brings most of them about six inches 
deep: the small ones are set four or five 
inches apart, the large ones six or eight 
inches. Hyacinths are set six inches 
deep. 
Bulb planting usually begins as soon 
as the leaves are all off the maples, and 
from then to hard frost, but the amateur 
planter rarely receives them much in ad¬ 
vance of the time of planting, and Nar¬ 
cissi especially should be planted prompt¬ 
ly. Some of the lilies are received earl¬ 
ier, especially T,ilium candidum, which is 
ready for planting in August, and should 
make its preliminary rosette of leaves 
before Autumn. 
“My 
college 
Pruning Hybrid Roses. 
W ILL yon tell me the proper way to 
prune the young wood of Hybrid 
Remontant roses? I have some 
seven feet high ; some claim they should 
be cut back to about six inches above tlm 
ground to allow other shoots to start 
from this new stock. Others claim they 
should be cut back to about three feet 
through the Summer. In Spring I prune 
back to about one foot, but I do not know 
if it is right to allow new shoots or young 
wood to grow so long. w. M. d. 
The main pruning of Hybrid Remontant 
roses is done while they are dormant in 
early Spring, when they should be cut 
back to about six to eight inches. A 
moderate cutting back of long, unsightly 
canes may be done after the June flower¬ 
ing is over; this is to induce growth that 
will bear late flowers. Weak interfering 
shoots may be removed at this time, but 
no severe pruning such as is given the 
dormant plants. Late Summer pruning 
induces a growth that has little chance to 
ripen fully, and severe winter-killing may 
follow, especially if there is a late Fail 
with abundant moisture. 
son Hiram is just crazy to go to 
an’ study pharmacy.” said Mrs. 
)\ heatly. “It may be all right.” replied 
Mrs. Corntossel. “but I. think th' place 
to study farmin’ is right here on the 
farm, where ye git practical experience.” 
—Livingston Lance. 
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TILE D RAINED LAN D IS MORE PRODUCTIVE Increases t h valu^cTf 
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