22 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
April, 1910 
The Wonderberry. 
K. E. Prescott, principal, School of Horti- 
culture Burnley. 
A considerablé amount of attention is 
at present being devoted in the columus 
of various horticultural papers to one of 
Luther Barbank’s so-called innovations — 
the wonderberry. This plant is catalog- 
ued and sold by various seedsmen and 
nurserymen as one of the “latest creations” 
of the ‘‘Wizzard of America” ; and as it is 
now being grown in Australia, it is well 
to know somewhat of its history. It is 
an annual, and requires to ba propagated 
from seed in the springtime. Burbank 
hybridised two varieties of Solanum nig- 
rum, the Black Nightshade, which 1s so 
very common all over this State, and, asa 
result, produced the Wonderberry. Of it, 
he saya— 
This new species bears the most dslicious 
wholesome, and healthful berries in the 
utmost profusion, and always comes exactly 
true from seed. 
Prominent British horticulturalists 
had their doubts about this berry, and 
plants were grown side by side with sever- 
al forms of Solanum nigrum to test its 
value. The berries when ripe were for- 
warded to Dr. Greshoff, of Haarlem, one of 
the best known anthorities on vegetable 
poison. His report appears in the issue 
of the ‘Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ of 30th 
October, 1909 ; and he says that he 
cannot recommend the issue of these fruits 
as food ; because although they may differ 
in the amount of poison they contain, 
according to. the traditions under which 
they were grown, it willalways be danger- 
ous to eat them, and especially so for feeble 
children, AE 
Dr. Greshoff also says that the »»ison 
contained in the fruit that iskxown ag 
Solanin ; and of the varieties analysed, 
the most poisonous.was the Wonderberry 3. 
So that the Wonderberry is nothing more 
or less than a slightly variable form of a 
plant reputed to be poisonous, certainly 
dangerous at various stages, while harmless 
at others, which has been growing in 
profusion for years past on our rubbish 
heaps and other places were weeds abound. 
In any case there are duzens of othe: and 
trailing blackberry ; Phonemenal 
better and more useful fraits for human 
consumption withont having recourse to 
Plants 
of it are now being grown at the Burn- 
such a plantas the Wonderberry. 
ley Gardens for experimental purposes, 
Up to the time of writing no fruit has 
yet appeared on them ; but the plaut it- 
self appears to be indentical with the 
common Black Nightshade, both in habit 
of growth, in foliage, and in flowers. 
The Loganberry. 
Among fruits of the berry class, the 
blackberry and the raspberry have loug 
been the popular favourites. Both fruits 
are easily cultivated, and both are enjoyed 
as luscious and delicately flavoured fruit. 
They raadily lend themselves to cross 
fertilization, and quite a number of new 
varieties of small fruits have been intro- 
duced to cultivation and are now in pro- 
minence us aresult of this hybridization, 
Chief among these blackberry-raspberry 
hybrids are the Dewberry, the Pheno- 
menal, the: Mammoth, )the “Primus, and 
the Loganberry. These fruits are all of 
American origin; the Dewberry being 
41 improved variety of the Americin 
and 
Primus being two hybrids produced by 
the world-famous plant originator, Luther 
Burbank ; while the Mammoth and the 
Loganberry were raised by Judge Logan, 
of Santa Cruz, California, 
The Mammoth was the successful result 
of cross fertilizing the native American 
blackberry with one of the early rasp- 
berries ; but the Loganberry was the 
chance hyb rid, being the result of natural 
cross pollination, also between the native 
blackberry and one of the cultivated rasp- 
berries. Tho seéds of the native fruit 
were sown by Judge Logan for experi- 
mental purposes, with the result that one 
of the finest of berry fruits was produced 
and perpetuated. Most of these fruits 
are on sale at various Victorian nurseries, 
but the one that has come more promin- 
-ently into favour than any other is the 
Loganberry. This fruit first originated 
in 1881, and was introduced into Victoria 
some years later. 
The Loganberry is of a robust hardy 
nature, and the plant partakes more of 
the parental characteristics of the black- 
berry than the raspberry. Its strong 
rambling nature makes it a plant easy to 
vestablish, and if groivn on trellis, or on 
fences, is easy to control, and is far less 
likely to become a pest than is its parent 
the blackberry. Asan ornamental plant 
it will become very useful, as its hand- 
some foliage makes it a striking object 
‘. when used either to cover old logs or 
fences, or as 4 plant for pillar climbing. 
In the southern parts of Victoria, it 
seems to thrive equally in sheltered and 
éxposed positions. A fence at Ivanoe, 
near Melbourne, covered with this plant, 
is thriving and producing good fruit in a 
fully exposed position to the north winds, 
and to the hot sun all day long. The fruit 
is larger than that of the raspberry, more 
resembling the blackberry in shape, dark 
red in color, and with a flavour suggestive 
of both fruits. Tne flavour is 
piquant and acid than that of the rasp- 
berry ; and the berry does not possess at 
all that peculiar flavour that is so distinc- 
tive to the raspberry. For this ‘reason it 
is frequently preferred, and there is no. 
doubt that asthe Loganberry becomes more- 
known, it will become a serious rival to 
the popularity of the raspberry. The 
individual fruits are generally about 1 in- 
long, and very frequently they are found 
12 in, in length. The bunches are wumer-- 
ous and produce wa good quantity of 
Its strong study nature and 
vigorous growth are points in its favour,. 
and against the raspberry, as it, so far,. 
does not seem to be at allliable to attacks: 
of the root-rot fungus, Armillaria mellea, 
which is so destructive to raspberry’ 
more 
berries. 
plantations. 
“This plant will thrive successfully: 
wherever either of its parents are grown, 
a deep alluvial soil, well-worked, to allow’ 
a cool root run in summer, and a sheltered 
position being most suited to its require- 
ments. A fair amount of irrigation will. 
cause the plant to yield a generous crop 
of an excellent sample of fruit. Being og 
a vigorous habit, and producing canes at 
the same time as it produces its fruit, the- 
plant naturally requires a good amount of 
