The berry patch is shared with many Ozark critters, namely ticks, chiggers, snakes, and worst of all, poison ivy. Wise hillbillies avoid these.
I forgot to mention "thorns". You have to reach through the briers to get the ripe berries. If a ripe berry falls to the ground, it is always the biggest one.
One question really bothers me: why are the best berries always guarded by sturdy clumps of poison ivy?
