Narrative
As we have seen' in previous chapters,' Lucretia' was one of the first cultivated dewberries to make its way into popular favor. Perhaps it is not too much to say that it is still the best known and most widely grown of all dewberries, if the loganberry, here included with dewberries, be excepted. At the same time it is probable that it is past its prime in popular favor and that it is being superseded by other sorts. This dewberry came to its high estate in the small fruit culture. of the country because the plants grew splendidly on a great diversity of soils and in a range of latitudes from the coldest to the warmest in which, this fruit can be grown *L 'o plants have the faults of being susceptible to anthracn-ose, and of producing many double blossoms of which' 1 are sterile. The fruits are large, jet black, very handsome, not of the highest quality, and are often variable in size. To have them at their best they must be permitted to become fully mature before picking. Unfortunately several other varieties are commonly substituted by nurserymen for Lucretia, so that many growers who think they have it do not have it. The American Pomological Society added Lucretia to its list of recommended fruits in 1889. (For a fuller discussion of Lucretia, see page 197.) Plants vigorous, trailing, require protection in the winter, almost immune to orange-rust, susceptible to anthracnose and double-blossom especially in the South, very productive; canes slender, cylindrical, long, numerous, dull green mingled with brown, pubescent, eglandular; prickles small, slender, numerous, greenish; leaflets 3-5, sometimes 7, small, oval, dull, attractive, dark green, smooth, pubescent, with dentate margins; petiole slender. Flowers early, self-fertile, large, few, in short, open, leafy, prickly clusters; petals white, oblong; pedicels very long, slender, eglandular; calyx eglandular. Fruit early; large although variable in size, long-cylindrical, tapering slightly, jet black; drupelets large, round, with good coherence; core soft; flesh juicy, firm, pleasantly sprightly when fully ripe, otherwise rather tart, rich; quality very good. Hedrick, 1925.
Found in West Virginia
NAMED FOR= named for Mrs. Lucretia Garfield