THE BLACKBERRY.
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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