Il8 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



blueberry industry and was thus able to devote a part of every 

 day to some one of the packers for a few hours at least. The 

 result of this inspection work has been most encouraging. 



At about the height of the season — ^the middle of August — the 

 writer accompanied the chemist of the National Canners' Asso- 

 ciation — W. D. Bigelow of Washington, D. C. — on a tour of 

 inspection, visiting practically all of the blueberry canning estab- 

 lishments in operation. We were glad to note the willingness 

 of the canners to accept the recommendations made by the 

 inspector, and their avowed intention to comply with the regu- 

 lations, with the idea of the betterment of their product. In 

 many cases we found additional help had been put on for the 

 express purpose of picking the berries cleaner than they have 

 ever done before, and this will go a long way toward the general 

 improvement of their product. This seems to be the only way 

 of insuring clean berries, as no system of winnowing has yet 

 been devised that will produce berries absolutely clean from 

 sticks, leaves and other foreign substances, in preparation for 

 canning. During the busy season — ^particularly on the old 

 burns — that is, barrens where it will be necessary to burn the 

 following season — the fruit is gathered by raking. The imple- 

 ment used for this purpose is very similar to a cranberry rake, 

 resembling a dust-pan, with the bottom composed of stiff, 

 parallel wire rods. The berries may be gathered much more 

 quickly and cheaply by this means, but by the use of the rake 

 the fruit is considerably mixed with leaves, sticks, chokeberries, 

 bunchberries and other foreign substances. Before being crated 

 for transportation to the factory, they are passed through a 

 fanning mill and then, again, at the factory are submitted to 

 another winnowing, but this is not all that is necessary to insure 

 a clean, attractive product ; an individual picking is necessar)' 

 and, to this end. the regulations requiring particular care with 

 this specific branch of the work have been recommended. 



The possibilities of the industry are wonderful, and the fig- 

 ures previously given will show the unique qualifications of the 

 industry to Maine as compared with any other section of the 

 United States. Growing, as they do, on land that is practically 

 unfit for any other purpose, they furnish employment to the 

 inhabitants and are a source of revenue for the whole com- 

 munity. As yet, there has been practically no attempt made to 



