rampant  grower  on  good  soil,  but  the  foliage,  so  far  from
being  rank  and  large,  is  delicate,  and  the  under  side  of  the
leaves  has  a  light,  silvery  hue. After  once  getting  hold  of
the  soil,  it  suckers  immoderately,  but  is  no  worse  in  this
respect  than  other  vigorous  varieties;  and  this  tendency
rapidly  declines  after  the  second  year. Is  it  perfectly  hardy?
No ;  and  I  do  not  know  of  a  single  good  raspberry  that  is ;
except,  perhaps,  the  Turner,  which,  however,  is  inferior  to
the  Cuthbert. I  have  seen  the  latter  badly  winter-killed,
but  it  had  stood  eight  years  on  the  same  ground  without
injury  before. Then,  because  of  a  rank  growth  late  in  the
season,  that  especial  patch  was  hit  hard,  while  other  fields,
but  a  few  miles  away,  were  unharmed. If  planted  on  well-
drained  soil,  where  the  wood  could  ripen  well,  I  think  it
would  be  injured  very  rarely,  if  ever ;  but  I  have  no  faith  in
talk  about  "  perfectly  hardy  raspberries."  Those  who  ob-
serve closely  will  often  find  our  hardy  native  species  killed
to  the  ground,  and  I  think  many  varieties  suffer  more  from
the  mild,  variable  winters  of  the  Middle  States  than  from  the
steady  cold  and  snowy  winters  of  the  North. Moreover,
any  variety  that  has  not  the  power  of  maintaining  a  healthy
foliage  through  the  hot  season  will  usually  be  too  feeble  to
resist  the  winter  following. The  question  of  hardiness  can
often  be  settled  better  in  August  than  in  January. One  of
the  most  hopeful  features  of  the  Cuthbert,  therefore,  is  its
tough,  sun-enduring  foliage,  which  enables  the  wood  to  ripen
perfectly. It  has  never  received  winter  protection  thus  far,
either  in  this  region  or  in  Michigan,  where  it  is  largely
raised,  but  it  may  be  found  necessary  to  shield  it  somewhat
in  some  localities. It  is  both  absurd  and  dishonest  to  claim
perfection  for  a  fruit,  and  the  Cuthbert,  especially  as  it
grows  older  and  loses  something  of  its  pristine  vigor,  will,
probably,  like  all  other  varieties,  develop  faults  and  weak-


THE  RASPBERRIES  OF  THE  FUTURE. 243

nesses. We  cannot  too  much  deprecate  the  arrogant  spirit
often  manifested  in  introducing  new  fruits. 