NO BERRIES: We expected a lot of feedback on
our question about the apparent dearth of blackberries and
blueberries but only heard from a couple readers.

Nancy Reynolds of South Kendall Avenue phoned Aug. 24 to
tell us she’s been picking blackberries but they weren’t very big,
and those growing in the sunshine were seedy and not as sweet. They
had done better in the shade.

As of her call, the berries were just about done, she said. In
all, they picked two gallons. Maybe the bears got them, she
suggested. Perhaps, too, the lack of honey bees had meant an
absence of pollination and, thus, fewer berries.

Nancy hasn’t seen any honey bees this year or even the yellow
jackets normally hovering around the berries.

We also heard from “Gus” Gocella of Crossville, Tenn.: “Living
here in Tennessee, the temperatures have been in the high 90s and
triple digits for quite sometime. Very dry with no rain for over
six weeks.’

“Our blackberry and raspberry crops were great. The
blackberries mature here in late June and early July and the
raspberries are currently being harvested.

“In fact, my neighbor just picked raspberries yesterday and they
were great on my cereal. So I don’t think the heat or dryness would
greatly affect the crop. Also we had a late freeze this past March
and that didn’t affect the crop either.”

FULL CIRCLE: Max Birtcil writes us Monday from
Glassboro, N.J.: “During my regular trips from the Philadelphia
suburbs to the Bradford area, I regularly check gas prices. It’s
interesting to see what they are through the state. Here in New
Jersey we have prices of ,2.43 per gallon while over in
Philadelphia it is ,2.80. Along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, it was
,2.74 while in the Harrisburg and State College areas it was
,2.67.”

“In St. Marys, it was ,2.59 and, of course, by the time
I made it to Bradford, it was back up to ,2.80. It should be noted
that in the Philadelphia area however they use a special formula
for gasoline in an effort to cut emissions.

“On Saturday though, I drove to Erie where gas was ,2.53.”

TODAY’S QUOTE: “I want to know the facts as
they are, not as you think they are, not as you hope they are, not
as someone tells you they are,” said syndicated columnist Jack
Anderson, 1999.