FIELD PLANTINGS. 8*7 



promising results. It is true that out of one planting of 179 seed- 

 lings of 1907 made in a partially moist natural meadow at Green- 

 field, N. H., in early July, 1908, 97 per cent outlived the severe 

 drought of that summer and the rigors of the following winter, 

 and 6 per cent flowered and set fruit. The plants were not observed 

 during the ripening season. AMiile this record of flowering and 

 fruiting in plants 2 years of age may be regarded as satisfactory 

 in comparison with the several years supposed by the earlier experi- 

 menters to be required before fruiting, it nevertheless can not be 

 regarded as satisfactory in comparison with the pot cultures from 

 the seedlings of 1908, of which, as stated on page 73, 70 per cent 

 were prepared to flower in 1910, their second year. 



While the results of the field exi^eriments thus far made are re- 

 garded as in no wise approaching Avhat may confidently and reason- 

 ably be expected, they nevertheless may serve even at this early stage 

 to convey some useful lessons. 



The field planting of 179 plants already referred to contained 

 84 plants which had never been potted but were torn apart out 

 of their original seed flat while in full growth 'and set outdoors in 

 the place indicated. These plants after such severe treatment never 

 grew to be robust and none of them flowered. It was among them 

 that all but two of the deaths in the field occurred. That any of 

 the plants should survive such rough usage is of interest experi- 

 mentally, but in actual practice such a method should never of course 

 be followed. 



Most of the field plantings were made in areas where the natural 

 soil had been chopped with a mattock to the diameter of about 18 

 inches and the depth of about 8 inches immediately before the plant- 

 ing. It is evident from the comparison of certain plantings made 

 in 1909 that a growing plant when set out in such freshly chopped 

 soil receives a serious setback. On June 4, 1909, 216 seedlings of 

 1908 were set out in new holes prepared as described above, and 48 

 other seedlings of 1908 were used at the same time to* replace dead 

 or feeble plants set out in the preceding year. These 48 plants there- 

 fore went into soil that had rotted for a year, although it was in 

 part penetrated again by new roots from the surrounding native 

 vegetation. When next examined, on June 30, the two groups of 

 plants showed the most marked difference in growth. The plants 

 in the new holes showed the same purpling of the leaves and cessa- 

 tion of growth as did plants in the greenhouse when suffering from 

 excessive acidity due to potting in raw peat. (See p. (50.) The 

 plants in the old holes, on the contrary, were nearly all of good color 

 and growing well. It is inferred from this observation that blue- 

 berry plants will do better if the holes in which they are set are 



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