394 
‘Iht RURAL N 
Possibilities in Bramble Fruits 
Supply and Demand. —With rasp¬ 
berries and blackberries in both home and 
commercial growing, the demand exceeds 
the supply at the present time. These 
brambles require an excessive amount of 
labor during harvest and at the time 
all other farm work is at the peak, and 
during the war the acreages were re- 
duced enormously simply because of the 
impossibility of securing labor for the 
harvest. This was true not only with the 
large growers, but on many farms where 
only enough bushes to supply the home 
were kept, the fruits were neglected be¬ 
cause of the rush of work and became 
diseased and useless. The situation was 
the same with strawberries, through New 
Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, hundreds 
of acres being given up because of the 
lack of help during harvest. The out¬ 
look is especially promising as new mar¬ 
kets have been opened and the labor 
supply approaches normal. 
Where Can Busii Fruits Be Grown? 
—These fruits are native, having been 
bred from the wild forms which we still 
find in cut-over woodlands and along 
fence rows. They can be grown any¬ 
where. but a few specific requirements 
are essential for the greatest production. 
Plenty of moisture is one of the chief 
requirements, as the fruit is over 85% 
water and it develops during the driest 
part of the season. A heavy sod in the 
process of decay is ideal, as it holds 
moisture and gives plenty of plant food. 
With blackcaps and blackberries leaf 
mold is often used with excellent results. 
In the wild state in the woods the leaves 
decay, forming a leaf mold and a sour 
soil, and these fruits seem to prefer these 
conditions when under cultivation. Leaf 
mold can be easily prepared by piling 
leaves in an out-of-the-way corner and 
wetting them occasionally. They are 
ready for use in about a year. The red 
raspberry seems to prefer an alkaline 
soil, and thrive best on a sour soil after 
an application of lime. For commercial 
plantations one of the chief requirements 
is the distance to market. This does not 
apply so much to either the blackcap or 
blackberry but to the red raspberry. In 
the latter case a nearby market is essen¬ 
tial because of the soft qualities of the 
product. 
Kinds of Brambles. —The purple 
raspberries have'been pushed to the fore of 
late and are highly recommended by many 
enthusiasts. They do produce enor¬ 
mous crops, but are not considered as high 
in quality as either of their parents, 
namely the red raspberries and the black 
raspberries. Columbian, one of the chief 
varieties, is said to produce a bushel of 
fruit per plant under favorable condi¬ 
tions. It is much prized because of its 
firmness. The blackberry," often called 
long blackberry, produces larger crops 
than the raspberries, but is not as high 
in quality and does not bring as large a 
price on tbe market. 
Varieties. —In this section, which is 
one of the coldest in New York, the 
Cuthburt, the standard red variety, does 
exceptionally well. It is a mid-season 
variety and produces large crops. June 
a variety originated at the Geneva Ex- 
eriment Station, is a fine early fruit and 
is perfectly hardy in this section. With 
the black raspberry or blackcap, the two 
mid-season varieties. Plum Farmer and 
Black Diamond, are both productive and 
hardy here. The first named seems to be 
received the most satisfactorily on the 
market. The Snyder blackberry is the 
best of the long blacks and produces 
enormous crops. It sells readily, the 
only objection being that it burns when 
fully ripe. With the purple raspberries 
the Columbian which was originated in 
this section, is widely planted and in 
recent years the Shaffer is also being 
used. 
Propagation. —The reds are readily 
propagated by removing the suckers from 
around the parent plant in the Spring. 
The blackberries are propagated in the 
same way. and the principal trouble is to 
keep the surplus shoots out, as we always 
have more than can be used. The (blackcap 
and the hybrid purple cane reproduce by 
tip-layering. When the tips of the cane 
thicken in midsummer a sod placed over 
the end will hold enough so a root will 
form and new plant grow. Though the 
purple canes are hybrids all the commer¬ 
cial varieties at present are propagated 
like the one parent. A few new varieties 
are said to produce offspring by sucker- 
ing but the writer has never grown any 
of these. 
Pruning.— The simplest general rule 
to follow in pruning is merely to remove 
the old or fruiting canes during the dor¬ 
mant season. With blackcaps we gener¬ 
ally go farther and tip the growing ends, 
thus causing branching of the new shoots. 
Then in the Spring these are cut back to 
from 12 to 18 in., and a fine crop results. 
With the red raspberries we cut the canes 
back about half way in the Spring, caus¬ 
ing the strong lower buds to throw fruit 
which is large size and well worth the 
trouble. The blackberries are rarely 
touched except to remove old fruiting 
wood or superfluous canes. 
The Ftn’URE. —Some wonderful now 
varieties of red raspberries are being 
grown at the Geneva Experiment Sta¬ 
tion. They are far above any 'berry now 
on the market in size, being as large as 
a good-sized hickor.vnut. Practically the 
whole output of the experimental plot 
was sold in the city of Geneva during the 
past season at 50 cents a quart. There 
is not much doubt that the industry will 
advance rapidly as soon as enough of 
these wonderful new varieties can be 
propagated for distribution. New varie¬ 
ties of merit of all the fruits tested at 
the station can be secured for testing by 
EW-YORKER 
4 - 
joining the New York State Fruit Test¬ 
ing Co-operative Association, with head¬ 
quarters at Geneva. The initial expense 
and dues per year are $1. payable to the 
secretary-treasurer, Richard Wellington, 
Geneva. X. Y. The varieties of value are 
grown by the nearby nuresrymen, and the 
association charges the cost of production 
for them. Each member receives a list 
of the trees and bushes available, and 
they are .sold to the members as stated. 
On the latest list received (October 1) 
there were on hand 1.500 Ontario rasp¬ 
berry and 800 June raspberry. 
Combinations of Other Farm Crops. 
—-With any single line, such as brambles, 
the greatest success is attained by grow¬ 
ing more of the same. But several other 
specialties can be and are being grown 
successfully with the brambles. In the 
Hudson Yalley large or tree fruits are 
grown, the brambles being planted be¬ 
tween the rows of trees. Grapes and 
strawberries are also grown where- 
ever there is space. In some sections 
poultry and bush fruits are combined 
successfully, though at certain seasons 
the work piles up. Perhaps as good a 
combination as any is a side line with 
bees. There are several good points in 
this combination, especially with raspber¬ 
ries. The bees pollinate the berries, caus¬ 
ing a good set. and the nectar secured 
makes an exquisite honey. Langstrotli, a 
noted apiarist, once wrote regarding rasp¬ 
berry honey : “In flavor it is superior to 
that from white clover, while its delicate 
comb almost melts in the mouth. When 
it is in blossom bees hold even white 
clover in light esteem. Its drooping blos¬ 
soms protect the honey from moisture, 
and bees work on it when tbe weather is 
so wet they can obtain nothing from the 
upright blossoms of the white clover. 
March 5, 1921 
The raspberry begins to flower just after 
fruit bloom and just before clover, so 
that large fields are of a decided advan¬ 
tage. The brambles have several distinct 
uses besides the normal use as fresh fruit. 
Blackcaps are dried or evaporated and 
used in cooking. The red raspberry has 
been tried in this way. but it. does not 
sell readily because of the dull color pro¬ 
duced when dried. Many acres go into 
jams, and during the war a large part of 
the blackcaps from Yates County were 
bought by the dye manufacturers. The 
juice extracted is used to make fast col¬ 
ors in the dyes. 
Yields. —Yields are always of interest 
both to the grower and to the farmer who 
contemplates growing. Yields vary ac¬ 
cording to conditions and care all the 
way from a non-paying proposition to-the 
exceptional tales we hear of the thousands 
made on a small acreage. As safe a way 
to figure yields as we can find is to refer 
to the census. An average yield of rasp¬ 
berries. according to figures taken from 
the census, is 1,335 quarts per acre, and 
with the blackberries 1,286 quarts. A 
good grower does better than this, doub¬ 
ling the yield, while a grower who neg¬ 
lects his block fares worse than the aver¬ 
age. As good information as we can find 
in printed form at the present time is the 
Government bulletins, which can be se¬ 
cured free of charge from the Division of 
Publications, Washington, D. C. Farm¬ 
ers’ Bulletin No. S87 deala with rasp¬ 
berry culture. This covers both red and 
black raspberries, as well as the purple 
canes. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 04.'! takes 
up the subject of blackberry culture. 
Every home should have a few berries, 
and where there is an outlet grow a few 
for sale, increasing as the market seems 
tO justify. T. H. TOWNSEND. 
Protect your Ford 
engine from this abuse 
C ARRYING you there 
and back on long, fast 
trips, doing errands all 
about town, always on the 
job —that’s your Ford when 
you treat it fairly. 
The Ford has a remark¬ 
able engine, compact and 
finely made. When over¬ 
heating, excess carbon, 
pounding hearings tax tem¬ 
per and pocket book, it is 
nine chances to one that 
you have been using in¬ 
ferior oil. 
Under the intense heat 
of the engine — 200° to 
1000° F.—ordinary oil 
forms great quantities of 
black sediment. Sedi¬ 
ment has no lubricating 
value. It causes premature 
wear which will cut the life 
of your engine in two. 
You can eliminate engine 
trouble from this source. Sedi¬ 
ment is reduced 86% when you 
use Veedol. the lubricant that 
resists heat. (See the two bottles 
below.) 
Have your engine flushed out 
to cleanse it of grit, sediment 
and thickened oil. Put in Veedol. 
Leading dealers have it in stock. 
Ask today for a supply of V eedol. 
Veedol lubricants for 
every part of the car 
Lae Veedol lubricants* for all parts of the 
car: VEEDOL for the engine (light 
zero, medium, heavy, special heavy, extra 
heavy); for the differential ami trans¬ 
mission VEEDOL TRANS-GEAR OIL or 
GEAR COMPOUND; for tHe trartor and 
truck WORM DRIVE OIL; GRAPHITE 
GREASE; CUP GREASE. 
TIDE WATER OIL 
Sales Corporation 
1563 Bowling Green Bldg., New \ork City 
Branches or distributors in all principal cities 
of the United States and Canada 
Ordinary oil Veedol 
after use after use 
Showing sediment formed 
after 500 miles of running 
