RASPBERRIES--VARIETIES OF THE FOREIGN AND NATIVE SPECIES
This chapter will treat first of the imported kinds, which usually are
more or less tender, and then, by way of contrast, of the hardy
varieties of our native _R. Strigosus_.
I shall speak of those only that are now in general cultivation, naming
a few, also, whose popularity in the past has been so great as to
entitle them to mention.
As was true of strawberries, so also varieties of raspberries that won
name and fame abroad were imported, and a few of them have adapted
themselves so well to American soil and climate as to have become
standards of excellence. Among the best-known of these formerly was the
Red Antwerp of England. Few old-fashioned gardens were without it at
one time, but it is fast giving way to newer and more popular
varieties. The canes are vigorous, stocky, and tall; spines light-red,
numerous, and rather strong. Winter protection is always needed. The
berries are large and very obtuse, conical, dark-red, large-grained,
and covered with a thick bloom, very juicy, and exceedingly soft--too
much so for market purposes. They made a dainty dish for home use,
however, and our grandmothers, when maidens, gathered them in the
lengthening summer shadows.
The Hudson River Antwerp, the most celebrated foreign berry in America,
is quite distinct from the above, although belonging to the same
family. It is shorter and more slender in its growth, quite free from
spines, and its canes are of a peculiar mouse-color. Its fruit is even
larger, but firm, decidedly conical, not very bright when fully ripe,
and rather dry, but sweet and agreeable in flavor. Mr. Downing says
that its origin is unknown, and that it was brought to this country by
the late Mr. Briggs, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "As this gentleman was
leaving England" (thus the story is told, Mr. Downing writes to me),
"he visited a friend to say good-by, and solicited this new raspberry.
Since he was leaving the country, and could cause no injury to the sale
of plants, his friend gave him a few in parting, although three guineas
had been refused for a single plant hitherto, in the careful effort to
secure a large stock before putting the variety on the market." Its
name suggests Belgium as its original home.
This Antwerp continues long in bearing, and the berries begin to ripen
early. The good carrying qualities of the fruit, combined with great
productiveness, made it at one time the most profitable market berry in
this section; but its culture was chiefly confined to a narrow strip on
the west shore of the Hudson, extending from Cornwall to Kingston. For
some obscure reasons, it did not thrive in other localities, and now it
appears to be failing fast in its favorite haunt. A disease called the
"curl-leaf" is destroying some of the oldest and largest plantations,
and the growers are looking about for hardier and more vigorous
varieties. But in its palmy days, and even still, the Hudson River
Antwerp was one of the great productions of the country, sending barges
and steamers nightly to New York laden with ruby cones, whose aroma was
often very distinct on the windward shore while the boats were passing.
This enormous business had in part a chance and curious origin, and a
very small beginning; while the celebrated variety itself, which
eventually covered so many hundreds of acres on the west bank of the
Hudson, may be traced back through two lines of ancestry. An English
gardener, who probably obtained the plants from Mr. Briggs, gave some
of them to a Mr. Samuel Barnes, who resided in Westchester County. From
him, Mr. Thos. H. Burling, of New Rochelle, N.Y., secured an abundant
supply for his home garden. Here its value was observed by Mr.
Nathaniel Hallock, who transferred some of the canes to his place at
Milton, N. Y. From his garden they spread over many fields besides his
own.
In respect to the other line of ancestry of this historical berry, I am
indebted for the following facts to Mr. W. C. Young, of Marlboro', N.
Y.: Many years ago a bundle of raspberry plants was left at a
meat-market in Poughkeepsie, and Mr. Watters, the proprietor of the
place, kept them several days, expecting that they would be called for.
As they remained upon his hands, he planted them in his garden, where,
like genuine worth, they soon asserted their superiority. Mr. Edward
Young, of Marlboro', a relative of Mr. Watters, received a present of a
few roots, which supplied his family with the largest and most
beautiful berries he had ever seen. Good propagates itself as well as
evil if given a chance, and Mr. Young soon had far more fruit than was
needed by his family, and he resolved to try the fortunes of his
favorite in New York market. "For this purpose," his son writes, "my
father procured imported fancy willow baskets, holding about one pint
each, and carefully packed these in crates made for the purpose. This
mode proved a success, both in carrying them securely and in making
them very attractive. The putting up such a fine variety of fruit in
this way gave it notoriety at once, and it brought at first as much as
one dollar per quart. My father was so well satisfied with his
experiment that he advised his sons, Alexander, Edward and myself, to
extend the culture of this variety largely. We entered into the
business, and, pursuing it with diligence, were well compensated. Our
success made others desirous of engaging in it, and so it spread out
into its large dimensions." Mr. Alexander Young estimates that in the
year 1858 1,000,000 pint baskets, or about 14,700 bushels, were shipped
from Marlboro'; but adds that "since 1860 it has decreased as fast.
From present appearances, the variety must become extinct, and I fear
will never have its equal." Milton, Cornwall, New burgh, and other
points competed in the profitable industry, and now, with Marlboro',
are replacing the failing variety with other kinds more vigorous in
growth, but thus far inferior in quality.
That the great industry is not falling off is shown by the following
statement, taken from the New York "Tribune" in the summer of 1779:
"The village of Highland, opposite Poughkeepsie, runs a berry boat
daily to New York, and the large night steamers are now taking out
immense loads of raspberries from the river towns every evening, having
at times nearly 2,000 bushels on board."
From as careful a computation as I have been able to make, through the
courtesy of the officers of the large Kingston boats the "Baldwin" and
"Cornell," I am led to believe that these two steamers unitedly carried
to the city over twenty thousand bushels of berries that same year. The
magnitude of this industry on the Hudson will be still better realized
when it is remembered that several other freight boats divide this
traffic with the Kingston steamers.
When we consider what a delicate and perishable fruit this is, it can
be understood that gathering and packing it properly is no bagatelle.
Sometimes you will find the fruit grower's family in the field, from
the matron down to the little ones that cannot reach the highest
berries. But the home force is wholly insufficient, and any one who
will pick--man, woman or child--is employed. Therefore, drifting
through the river towns during June and July, are found specimens
almost as picturesque, if not so highly colored, as those we saw at
Norfolk--poor whites from the back country and mountains; people from
the cities on a humble "lark," who cannot afford to rusticate at a
hotel; semi-tramps, who have not attained to the final stage of
aristocratic idleness, wherein the offer of work is an insult which
they resent by burning a barn. Rude shanties, with bunks, are fitted up
to give all the shelter they require. Here they lead a gypsy life,
quite as much to their taste as camping in the Adirondacks, cooking and
smoking through the June twilight, and as oblivious of the exquisite
scenery about them as the onion-eating peasants of Italy; but when
picking the fruit on a sunny slope, and half-hidden by the raspberry
bushes, Nature blends them with the scene so deftly that even they
become picturesque.
The little round "thirds," as they are termed, into which the berries
are gathered, are carried out of the sunlight to sheds and barns; the
packer receives them, giving tickets in exchange, and then, too often
with the deliberation and ease induced by the summer heat, packs them
in crates. As a result, there is frequently a hurry-scurry later in the
day to get the berries off in time.
The Fastollf, Northumberland Fillbasket, and Knevett's Giant are fine
old English varieties that are found in private gardens, but have never
made their way into general favor.
The Franconia is now the best foreign variety we have. It was
introduced from Paris by Mr. S. G. Perkins, of Boston, about
thirty-seven years ago, and is a large, obtuse, conical berry, firm,
thus carrying well to market, and although a little sour, its acid is
of a rich, sprightly character. It is raised largely in Western New
York, and in northern latitudes is one of the most profitable.
It is almost hardy in the vicinity of Rochester, receiving by some
growers no winter protection. Its lack of hardiness with us, and
further southward, is due to its tendency--common to nearly all foreign
berries--to lose its foliage in August. I am inclined to think that it
would prove one of the most profitable in Canada, and that if it were
simply pinned down to the surface of the ground, and thus kept under
the deep snows, it would rarely suffer from the cold. It should be
distinctly understood that the climate of Canada, if winter protection
is given--indeed, I may say, without protection--is far better adapted
to tender raspberries than that of New Jersey, Virginia, or even
Pennsylvania.
The long continuance of the Franconia in bearing is one of its best
qualities. We usually enjoy its fruit for six weeks together. Its
almost globular shape is in contrast with another excellent French
variety, the Belle de Fontenay, a large, long, conical, but somewhat
irregular-shaped berry of very superior flavor. Mr. Fuller says that it
is entirely hardy. It survives the winter without protection on my
grounds. The canes are very stocky and strong, and unless growing
thickly together are branching. Its most marked characteristic,
however, is a second crop in autumn, produced on the tips of the new
canes. If the canes of the previous year are cut even with the ground
early in spring, the new growth gives a very abundant autumn crop of
berries, which, although much inclined to crumble in picking, and to be
irregular in shape, have still the rare flavor of a delicious fruit
long out of season. It certainly is the best of the fall-bearing kinds,
and deserves a place in every garden. There are more profitable market
varieties, however; but, if the suckers are vigorously destroyed, and
the bearing canes cut well back, the fruit is often very large,
abundant, and attractive, bringing the highest prices. As a plantation
grows older, the tendency to sucker immoderately decreases, and the
fruit improves.
The Belle de Pallua and Hornet are also French varieties that in some
sections yield fine fruit, but are too uncertain to become favorites in
our country.
I have a few canes of a French variety that Mr. Downing imported a
number of years since, and of which the name has been lost. It
certainly is the finest raspberry I have ever seen, and I am testing
its adaptation to various soils.
Having named the best-known foreign varieties, I will now turn to _R.
Strigosus_, or our native species, which is scattered almost everywhere
throughout the North. In its favorite haunts by roadside hedge and open
glade in the forest, a bush is occasionally found producing such fine
fruit that the delighted discoverer marks it, and in the autumn
transfers it to his garden. As a result, a new variety is often
heralded throughout the land. A few of these wildings have become
widely popular, and among them the Brandywine probably has had the most
noted career.
Mr. William Parry, of New Jersey, who has been largely interested in
this variety, writes to me as follows:
"I have never been able to trace the origin of this berry. It attracted
attention some eight or ten years since in the Wilmington market, and
was for a time called the 'Wilmington.'"
Subsequently Mr. Edward Tatnall, of that city, undertook to introduce
it by the name of Susqueco, the Indian name for the Brandywine. It soon
became the principal raspberry grown along the Brandywine Creek, and as
the market-men would persist in calling it after its chief haunt, it
will probably bear the historical name until it passes wholly out of
favor. Its popularity is already on the wane, because of its dry
texture and insipid flavor, but its bright color, good size, and
especially its firmness and remarkable carrying qualities, will ever
lead to its ready sale in the market. It is not a tall, vigorous
grower, except in very rich land. The young canes are usually small,
slender, of a pale red color, and have but few spines. Like nearly all
the _R. Strigosus_ species, it tends to sucker immoderately. If this
disposition is rigorously checked by hoe and cultivator, it is
productive; otherwise, the bearing canes are choked and rendered
comparatively unfruitful. This variety is waning before the Cuthbert--a
larger and much better berry.
The Turner is another of this class, and, in Mr. Charles Downing's
opinion, is the best of them. It was introduced by Professor J. B.
Turner, of Illinois, and is a great favorite in many parts of the West.
It has behaved well on my place for several years, and I am steadily
increasing my stock of it. I regard it as the hardiest raspberry in
cultivation, and a winter must be severe, indeed, that injures it. Like
the Crescent Seedling strawberry, it will grow anywhere, and under
almost any conditions. The laziest man on the continent can have its
fruit in abundance, if he can muster sufficient spirit to put out a few
roots, and hoe out all the suckers except five or six in the hill. It
is early, and in flavor surpasses all of its class; the fruit is only
moderately firm. Plant a few in some out-of-the-way place, and it will
give the largest return for the least amount of labor of any kind with
which I am acquainted. The canes are very vigorous, of a golden
reddish-brown, like mahogany, over which spreads in many places a
purple bloom, like that on a grape, and which rubs off at the touch. It
is almost free from spines, and so closely resembles the Southern
Thornless in all respects that I cannot distinguish between them.
The Turner is a fine example of the result of persistent well-doing.
After having been treated slightingly and written down at the East for
ten years or more, it is now steadily winning its way toward the front
rank. Mr. A. S. Fuller, who has tried most of the older varieties, says
that he keeps a patch of it for his own use, because it gives so much
good fruit with so little trouble.
I shall give its origin in Professor Turner's own words, as far as
possible:
"Soon after I came to Illinois, in 1833, I obtained, through a friend
from the East, some raspberries sold to me as the 'Red Antwerp.' I do
not know or believe that there was at that time any other red raspberry
within one hundred miles of this place. Indeed, I have never seen a
native wild red raspberry in the State, though it may be there are
some. I found the Antwerp would not stand our climate, but by extreme
care I protected it one winter, and it bore some fruit. I conceived the
idea of amusing my leisure hours from college duty by raising new
seedling raspberries, strawberries, etc., that would be adapted to the
climate of the State. I had only a small garden spot, no particular
knowledge of the business, and no interest in it outside of the public
good. I read upon the subject, as far as I then could, and planted and
nursed my seedlings. Out of hundreds or thousands sown, I got one good
early strawberry, which had a local run for a time; one fair
blackberry, but no grapes or raspberries that seemed worth anything.
The seeds of the raspberries were sown in a bed back of my house, and
the shoots reserved were all nurtured on the same bed. After I supposed
them to be a failure, I set out an arbor vitae hedge directly across
the raspberry bed, making some effort to destroy the canes so that the
little cedars might grow. Sometimes, when they were in the way of the
cedars they were hoed out. If any of them bore berries, the fowls
doubtless destroyed them, or the children ate them before they ripened,
until the cedars got so high as to give them protection. Then the
children found the ripe fruit, and reported it to me. I have not the
least doubt but this raspberry came from a seed of the plants obtained
from the East as the Red Antwerp. The original canes may have been
false to name, or a mixture of the true and false. Whatever they were,
they bore good, red berries, which I supposed to be Antwerps; but the
canes were so tender as to be worthless. It is wholly impossible that
the new variety should have come from any other seed than that sown by
me where the vitae hedge now stands."
This letter is very interesting in showing how curiously some of our
best varieties originate. Moreover, it suggests a dilemma. How is it
possible that an Antwerp--one of the most tender varieties--could have
been the parent of the hardiest known raspberry? How could a sort
having every characteristic of our native _R. Strigosus_ spring direct
from _R. Idoeus_?
I have been familiar with the Antwerps all my life, and can see no
trace of them in this hardy berry. Mr. A. S. Fuller writes to me, "The
Turner is a true native--_R. Strigosus_;" and Mr. Charles Downing holds
the same opinion. Hence I am led to believe that there was a native
variety among the plants the professor obtained from the East, or that
a seed of a native was dropped among the cedars by a bird, or brought
thither in the roots of the cedars. Be this as it may, Professor
Turner's good motives have been rewarded and he has given the public an
excellent raspberry.
In connection with this subject, Mr. Fuller added the following fact,
which opens to the amateur a very interesting field for experiment: "If
there is any doubt in regard to such matters, raise a few seedlings of
the variety, and if it is a cross or hybrid, a part of the seedlings
will revert back to each parent, or so near them that there will be no
difficulty in determining that there was a mixture of blood. If all our
so-called hybrid fruits were thus tested, we would then know more of
their true parentage." In the sunny laboratory of the garden,
therefore, Nature's chemistry will resolve these juicy compounds back
into their original constituents.
The Highland Hardy, or Native, also belongs to this species, and is
quite a favorite still in some localities; but it has had its day, I
think. Its extreme earliness has made it profitable in some regions;
but its softness, small size and wretched flavor should banish it from
cultivation as soon as possible.
There are others, like the Thwack, Pearl, and Bristol; they are but
second rate, being inferior in most regions to the Brandywine, which
they resemble.
In my opinion, the chief value of _R. Strigosus_ is to be found in two
facts. In the first place, they endure the severe Northern winters,
and--what is of far more consequence--their best representatives thrive
in light soils, and their tough foliage does not burn under the hot
sun. It thus becomes the one species of _red_ raspberry that can be
raised successfully in the South, and from it, as a hardy stock, we
should seek to develop the raspberries of the future.