82 
W. F. Allen’s Plant and Seed Catalogue, Salisbury, Md. 
DEWBERRIES. 
AUSTIN’S IMPROVED (MAYES) 
The dewberry is constantly growing in favor, and 
is today, next to the strawberry, the most popular of 
all the small fruits. The vines trail on the ground 
similar to sweet potato vines. In size and quality it 
is the equal of any blackberry, and greatly exceeds 
them in productiveness. The plant is perfectly hardy, 
and commences ripening its fruit immediately after 
late strawberries. By planting the latest varieties of 
strawberries and the earliest varieties of dewberries, 
such as Austin’s, there need not be a single day’s gap 
between the two. The dewberry is sweet and luscious 
with few seeds and no hard core. The fruit has be¬ 
come very popular in all markets where known, and 
more and more are being grown every year and nearly 
always market at paying prices. If let trail on the 
ground they should be well mulched to keep the im¬ 
mense load of fruit from being spoiled by falling on 
the ground, and the vines should be cut back to two or 
three feet in length. The best way, however, is to 
stake them. Our plan of cultivation is to plant in 
rows each way two and one-half feet one way by five 
feet the other, making about 3,500 plants per acre. 
Cultivate both ways until plants get long and trouble¬ 
some, and then cultivate only the wide way and turn 
vines to keep cultivator from tearing them off; or, 
better yet, use sweeps on your cultivator. These will 
run five or six inches under the vines and cut up the 
grass without disturbing them. Leave vines lay on 
the ground until all danger of winter cold is over and 
then very early in the spring, before buds put out, 
stakes should be driven between each alternate hill the 
two and one-half foot way. The stakes should he two 
and one-half feet to three feet above ground and one 
hill from each way should be tied to the top of the 
stake, using binder twine for tying. If timber is 
scarce the stakes can he used at longer intervals by 
fixing a wire along on the stake to lay the vines over, 
the same as grapes. When grown as above directed the 
plot or field in bloom is prettier than you can imag¬ 
ine, and will bear an immense load of attractive and 
delicious fruit. 
AUSTIN’S IMPROVED (Mayes).—An early- 
dewberry of excellent quality and large yield, but the 
berries lack firmness for long shipment hence valuable 
•chiefly for home use and local markets. If, however, 
they are kept picked up close as soon as ripe and not 
allowed to stand too long on the vines, they may be 
Shipped to a reasonable distance. I have shipped them 
successfully to Philadelphia, 125 miles, and to New 
York, 200 miles, and received good prices, having mar¬ 
keted over one-half of the crop before other varieties 
were in th way. The berries are large, short and 
thick. Canes vigorous, hard and productive; ripens 
fully a week earlier than Lucretia, and for this reason 
is valuable to grow in connection with that variety. 
I always plant about one-third of my field in Austin’s. 
It is very hardy and never fails to give a full crop. 
LTTCRETIA. —The most largely grown of all dew¬ 
berries, earlier than the earliest blackberry and as 
large as the largest of them. The canes are of great 
hardiness and exceedingly prolific, thriving every¬ 
where : of slender, trailing habits, and entirely free 
from disease and insect attacks. The fruit is superb, 
large and handsome, jet black, rich and melting. This 
is one of the best shipping varieties that I know of. 
I grow the Lucretia largely for market, having had as 
many as 50 acres in fruit at one time. 
