The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-04
Culssyassng Blackbcrric..

Only during comparatively recent periou
\ have h,ackberr;es been cultivated. 4 quarter
AZ 4 century ago the wild woods and fields
Z furnished the whole stock in market. Anou1
flint time. n Mr., LawtOn, broker, OF ne"
y ynrt cjty. had his attention called 10 IN iIi-
y r,asel variety found growing VIA he ,..
New Rochelle, New York. rms ne eut 1i
gafed. aud it proved so superior 10 tns oiu.
nary wild things that he disseminated ,he.n
70 cnltivators generally rs the Lawton. in w
are, no doubt, varieties quite as sooa Us tne
Lawton which may l,e found III WIN p,aces
s ,,,n,,IS reward the cultivator. There have
heon few already. The Dorchester was
found wild near Boston. 1t is not quite so
1 ierpe ne the Lawton, but Is sweeter and iit-
,Ie earlier. Then there is one known as MT
tatinuy. which was found wild on noun.
tain OF that name in Sussex county, n. .. ~
Is about on par with the other TWO I'D selc
raj quality. The Wilson's early IS ano!hei
Wild one. found In New jersey, IN burhns
ton county, and Is esteemed rs oe'hs III.
earliest known. II seems to have sosnctnils
: S,f the dcwbcrry character about It.. Dut ooes
NOT trsi, rs the dewberries do. Ihese are
abont all the good varieties so far known,
and the I,awton is still esteemed very highiS:
some have tried improving by growing seed
from those named, but none oil thcm nave
nroycd equal to the kinds they were ralSed
from.
In blackberry culture there are many
WAYS which find favor with various cuilifa-
tors. In one of the writer's western trits
he was much struck with the success whlch
followed blackberry culture at the iru't farm
of Mr.. Dinner, near Dayton, ONO. Ala re-
cent meeting of fruitmen at lndlanapolls
Mr.. Dinner gave an account oi LIS pau Va
culture as follows:
ttEe had been very successful in growing
b,ackhcrricS. He had been in the business
fifteen wears. and had not lost but two crops
I'm fen seasons. Three acres had averaged
him 81 900 per year. His rows were elght
feet apart and he sets his plants TOUR iect
Mart in the rows. He planted his posts three
feet high, at intervals of thirty feet, and from
nails in the top of the posts lie stretched wires
from post to post, to which his vines were
trained. He plou.hed once. in the spring,
between the rows, and then put IN Inc 'u'ti-
yator or harrow. He did not seek to make
large canes. as these do not produce the best
cro,ts. He pruned back when the vines were
three or four feet high. Allowed the old
wood to remain among the vines from year
to wear As n support to the young vines.
The laterals he cut back two feet, or even
loss if the vines were delicate. Did not
allow them to grow TOO thick, and no plants
were allowed between the rows. hlttatlnny
was his favorite, and if he were to plant Ten
acres he would plant all of that variety. tie
marketed in half.bushel drawers. kaspDer-
ries pay better when sold in quart boxes.
His soil was clay, with subsuatum OF
gravel. Did not manure at all.
There is one point in blackberry culture
not noted by Mr.. Dinner, but yet Important.
In planting, the strong, thick pants are
not rs good rs the weaker ones. But which-
ever class is used they should be cut back 10
three or four inches from the ground. 1t IS
q common but fatal mistake to set blackberry
plants deep in the ground ut planting. some
things do not mind it. A currant cutting.
for Instance. will root out the whole length
beneath the surface: but the blackberry will
not do this. The part which sprouts springs
up from the roots; and il this part has to
push its way through the ground for any
considerable distance it rotS III the attempt,
unless it be in very light, sandy soil. One or
two inches beneath the surface is quite
enough to set Il blackberry plant. 1t is best
TO choose rather dry day to plant them, and
then to tread or otherwise iasten the plant
very firmly into the earth without putting it
deep.
What is true Of blackberry culture also
holds good with the raspberry. However,
the last named requires rather moistcr or
cooler soil than the blackberry, which seems
to thrive hest on rich highlands. 1t is quite
likely that. if people thought it worth while
to look closely, some good kinds. equal or
better than any now existing, might be
found in wild places about many iarlns.-
PhilQdelpltiG Press.