The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-01-04
Cultivation Of tho Blackberry.

vised by all the earliest writers upon horti.
culture-it is not until within about six
years past that the cultivation of the black
berry has been made strictly an item of the
fruit growers attention. Pliny tells us OF the
value Of the berries as medical agents in
many diseases of the human system, and
nearly every author from his time to the
present, has praised the good quality of the
fruit, but it has remained for the present
age to bring out its dollar and cent value as
a crop remedial to the poor but enthusiastic
horticulturist.
"A hardy plant, requiring no more cult
walton yearly than is commonly given to In
dian corn, the blackberry has produced re-
turn per acre of over five hundred dollars
The fruit comes at season when, Of cult
waited fruits there is generally scarcity in
our markets. Strawberries, cherries, and
raspberries are mostly gone-apricots, that
would naturally fill up the time are, and
ever will be, too little cultivated to become
to any extent market fruits. There is then
no fruit to occupy the season between cher
ries and peaches except the blackberry, and
as this, when cultivated with the same care
as raspberres, has proved profitable, it will
undoubtedly become extensively planted out.
before the public from which to choose, and
We doubt not that many others can be found, .
as there have been that will prove equally
good The cost of time in looking about
among the wild lants when in fruit, and al
so the time that will be caused in delay of
getting up patch, would probably more than
out-balance the cost of purchasing at once
from the nurseryman Of well known yarie.
ties.
As we have before said, the cultivation is
no more difficult or laborious than that of a
crop of Indian corn. Ground, however, must
be selected that is pretty rich, or if not SO, it
must be MANFRED freely with rotted barn
yard manure. It must be plowed very Deep
say from twenty-five to thirty-five inches
otherwise the heat Of summer will dry the
moisture from the soil and the berries will
not fill Having selected and prepared the
ground proceed to lay off rows running north
and south, six feet apart then set one plant
| every four feet distant from another in the
| rows When planting cut the stem down to
eight or ten inches, then run pillow so as
| lightly to roll up the soil toward the plants,
leaving the centre between each row with an
open furrow for the surface drainage.
These plants if hoed and plowed among,
say three times the first season, will make
shoots from four to eight feet long, that
the second season will produce abundance
of fruit The autumn or winter following
the first season S growth the stem should be
cut back one.third of the previous seasons
growth, and during the season offruiting all
suckers should be carefully rubbed oil, but
permitted to grow after the fruit crop is gath
cred. OF the varieties now most esteemed,
the Dorchester, New Rochelle and Crystal
While take the precedence for productive
ness and quality, as well as long continu.
ance in fruit.
The Dorchester originated at Beverly,
Mass is avigorous grower, very hardy pro-
ducing fruit of oblong oonical shape, often
measuring one and quarter inches in length
and Of deep shining black color The ber-
ries should be fully matured before gathered,
when they are of high flavor, and bear car
rage extremely well. They ripen about the
last of July
The Neu Rochelle or Lawton, as it is
more generally known, was first found grow
ing by the road side, in the town Of New
Rochelle Westchester county, n T., BY Mr..
Lewis A. Seacor. Subsequently, Mr. Law.
ton, an amateur horticulturist got hold of
1t, and it is in great measure through his
calling OF pnplIc attention to its value, that
it has become generally disseminated 1t is
of very vigorous growth, hardy and very pro-
ductive. The canes have strong spines
similar to the common bramble The fruit
is oval shape, and when fully ripe is Juicy,
soft and tender and intensely black. If
gathered before fully ripe, it is acid and in
sipid in favor 1t commences rpening the
last Of July, and continues for three or four
weeks.
The Crystal White is new variety but
just introduced. 1t is represented as hardy,
strong vigorous grower with light green
canes, void Of the spines and fully as pro
ductive as either the above named sorts
The fruit is oblong, oval, conical in form. OF
the largest size known among the blackbcr-
ries; firm, jnicy, sweet excellent flavor
When fully ripe it is said to be q c1ystat
achtte, and therefore strictly should not be
classed as a Blackberry, but should rather
be called Bramble-berry. To this last
classification there is the objection that the
canes have no spines So far as we have
learned of its characteristics, it Is on ac-
count of its color destined to take the first
rank among cultisators, whether for private
wants or market purposes. This must not
he classed or associated in idea with the old
White Blackberry, long known and described
in our fruit books for ii is new distinct
sort just discovered st. Louis Farmer,
Miner and Mechanic