This fruit has received the least attention at the hands of fruit
growers of any of our small fruits. Plants are seldom inquired for, and
only a few hundreds are planted, where thousands of currants,
raspberries, and gooseberries, and millions of strawberries are set out.
Mr. Parry, of New Jersey, is an extensive cultivator of small fruits,
and for many years boasted a large number of acres of blackberries under
cultivation, and may therefore be considered good authority on the
cultivation of this fruit. In a paper read before the Pennsylvania Fruit
Growers’ Society, at its meeting in January, 1877, he states that this
fruit has sold readily in his markets at from twelve and a half to
fifteen cents per quart. The average received by him during the past
fourteen years is fourteen cents per quart, and the yield two thousand
two hundred quarts per acre.
The varieties to which he gives the preference are Wilson’s Early,
Dorchester, Kittatinny, and New Rochelle. The Hoosac Thornless he finds
to have no other merit than its freedom from thorns; and the Crystal
White, Col. Wilder, and Dr. Warder, with all white, red, and purple
blackberries, prove to be unprofitable. Sable Queen, Sinclair, Holcomb,
Cumberland, and many other varieties have been tested and found not to
be as valuable as the four sorts above named. He has found the Snyder to
be remarkably hardy and very productive, qualities which make it very
valuable in many localities, because it can be relied upon to produce a
full crop, but the fruit is smaller. Clarkson’s Early promises to
compete successfully with Wilson’s Early, ripening as soon, and very
productive, with fruit of fair size. The Delaware is a very large and
excellent blackberry, ripening at the same time with the Kittatinny, and
the bush a very vigorous grower, and seemingly perfectly hardy.
The blackberry should not be planted on very rich soil, lest the result
prove to be a large growth of canes and very little fruit. After
experimenting with many soils, from a firm clay to a light blowing sand,
Mr. Parry gives the preference to a light moist sandy loam, and if water
would otherwise stand near the surface that which has been thoroughly
underdrained. He states that a fruit grower who had forty acres devoted
to the growing of blackberries bought a tract of light sandy land at
thirteen dollars per acre, and planted it with them; but in order to
have a model patch he purchased a few acres of the best and richest land
in the vicinity, at three hundred dollars per acre, and planted it with
the same kind of blackberries, gave it the best of care, obtained an
immense growth of canes; but never as much fruit as from the cheaper
land.
He highly recommends the practice of heading back the canes, during the
summer, to a height of from three to five feet, which will cause the
side branches to grow vigorously, and interlocking with each other,
enable the bushes to support themselves without stakes or wires. These
side branches should be shortened during the following spring, so as to
give the bushes a pyramidal form. The result of this pruning has been a
greater yield of fruit, and of better quality than when he had allowed
the bushes to go unpruned. The unpruned bushes would set a greater
number of berries, but could not ripen them. The best and earliest fruit
was upon the well pruned bushes.
A plantation set with plants propagated from cuttings of healthy young
roots will continue to yield good crops from twelve to fifteen years.
Mr. Parry says that he planted ten acres on this sandy land which bore
good crops of berries for thirteen years, yielding several seasons six
hundred and fifty bushels and once eight hundred bushels of fruit.
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THE GRAPE VINE FLEA BEETLE, _Haltica Chalybea_.