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This section is in advanced English and is only intended to be a guide, not to be taken too seriously!
English folklore warns about picking blackberries after Michaelmas Day, for then they belong to the Devil. It is said that when Satan fell from Heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush. He was so angry with the bush that he spat on it and cursed the blackberries still remaining.
It is true that, by this day, flies may have attacked the fruit, and maggots and early frosts will probably have spoilt the crop!