The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-05-14

Mr.. President and Members of the Florida Horti-
cultural Society:
Being the middle man on your Committee on
Strawberries and Miscellaneous Fruits, it
hardly be expected there is much for me to do.
STRAWBERRIES.
Had 1 been asked to report on this important
industry in the section l left before coming to
Florida, would have been prepared toformulate
some ideas that would have been instructive, for
in that State 1 was quite successful grower.
However, not long after my experiments began
here learned. as many others have also, that
did not quite understand it, and, to be honest 1
! must say that 1 do not believe I have learned
much since, and / hope to be excused from that
part of the talk asked of me.
will, however try to say something of one of
best fruits for home use. yet little has b,
done in it's culture that dare say many have not
heard of it,
refer to the Low Blackberry. Trailing Black
berry and Dewberry (Rubus Caudensis). OF this
fruit Downing says: "Alow. trailing shrub, pro-
ducing large white blossoms in May and very
large, roundish obong black fruit in mid-sum-
mer; leaflets from three to five in number. The
fruit when good soil and fully exposed to the
sun is highly favored, sweet and excellent
The plant is native to most sections Of the
OF Florida, as well as of the other Southern States
bordering on the Gulf and the Atlantic we find it
wild Often the fruit is much larger than the
wild blackberry, and it ripens two months earlier.
I have seen them brought into New Orleans mar
ket, gathered from the Wild vines in the adjacent
country, early in April. They much larger,
as well as superior in quality, than the common
blackberry that came in from the same section
at the commencement of summer.
A neighbor, Mr.. l.. J. Dollins, has two rows of
them in his grounds here; he has them trained up
to wire some two feet from the ground, being a
mass of foliage from the ground up. At the time
of the freeze of March Sd they literally laden
with fruit that was half or two thirds grown 1t
all killed by the frost. They are now setting
a second crop of fruit.
Mr.. Dollins says of it: "The fruit is not only
fine, but it is the most productive of the berry
Glass;
Early in March I visited a friend, Mr.. c. H.
Hoffner, at Boka Grand, in this county, and in
an old field found some plants that at some early
day may have been planted there, but they
now wild. The fruit was uninjured by the FROST
and some of it was then ripening.
1 visited there again on March 18th and enjoyed
the hospitality of friend Hoffner and his excellent
wife. She had prepared some OF this fruit in
blackberry cobler, in Southern parlance but in
other sections the term would be a blackberry
shortcake, that was most excellent eating.
The drouth SO common to this section in April
and May is against the culture of the blackberry
in use. For want of sufficient moisture the fruit
is small and poor in quality.
The Dewberry coming as it does much
lier $50 far as my observation goes) is often ripe
nearly so, before the drouth sets in, so that it
sustains very little injury from it,
Mr.. j. Mcqueen Aud, of Orlando. tells me that
Col G. M. Davis, of Apopka, has a native variety
of it that he has been cultivating for several
ears and that not only for his own use, but is
receiving quite reward from the sale of the fruit,
it finding ready sale at his own price
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES MORT.
Orlando Fla.
Mr.. MEAD have quite large patch
of that dewberry; but so far it has not
done much of anything. Does it grow in
moist places or dry places?
Mr.. WRIGHT have a Lucretia dew
berry which does so nice in the North, but
/ have never been able to get any fruit
from it in Florida. | have never seen
even any blossoms on it here.
Mr.. MoTT.-From my investigation of
the dewberry would be afraid to plant
one here that had originated very far
Mouth T would NO onoo~J IL