North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

   In it's third year, my "Doyle" thorneless blackberry is bearing fairly
well, with very large berry trusses, and finally getting well
established.  It seems the way to get the best fruit, at least  in Oregon,
is to grow it without water.   In our dry
summers, the fruit is smaller than the fruit I saw on the irrigated plots at
the local experiment station, but the flavor is much more pronounced and the
berries are very firm, such that they would stand up to handling well.  
However,  the druplets are also smaller, so that the berry seems seedier as
a result.  That might change as the plants get older.   The flavor is
different than the local blackberries, though I don't know how to explain it
- you would have to taste them to understand.  This year, at least, the
Doyle is ripening fairly late, actually a little later than the Evergreen
Thornless that is grown commercially for late season fruit here..  That
would make it useful for extending the season.   
    Oh yes, in the dry conditions the new canes are less vigorous, being
only about 10 to 12 feet long so far, compared to the 40 feet and more they
are supposed to be able to do in the eastern U.S.  However, there are new
shoots coming
from the roots four or five feet from the crown.  That's something the local
berries don't do - they only put up shoots from the roots if the roots are
cut or otherwise disturbed.  The plants have been very healthy, and are
completely thornless.
-Lon Rombough

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