A LARGE-BERRIED BUSH. 81 



veins of the upper surface. They were of hirge size, on tlie fruiting 

 twigs reaching a length of 2 inches and a breadth of 1 inch and on 

 vigorous shoots having the corresponding measurements 2.5 and 1.5 

 inches. The character of the leaves is mentioned in detail because 

 of the remarkable variation shown in the leaves of the seedlings, 

 particularly in size, toothing, color, and pubescence. The large 

 flowers produced in the spring of 1909 were 0.4 of an inch (10 mm.) 

 long from the base of the ovary to the tip of the corolla; the sepals 

 were very short, and the corolla white and nearly cylindrical. 



The berries were of large size, reaching a diameter of over half 

 an inch. The color Avas an unusually pale blue, due to a dense 

 bloom or glaucousness over the nearly black surface. In form the 

 berry was not spherical, but somewhat depressed or tomato shaped. 

 The calyx in the ripe berry (PI. VI, fig. 1) was almost obliterated, 

 because it was small in the beginning and because of lateral stretch- 

 ing of the berry in acquiring its depressed form. Tliis smallness of 

 calyx is of importance, because in such a berry no shelter is aiforded 

 beneath the sepals for insects, and also because the amount of " rag," 

 or indigestible skin, is much less than in a berry with a large calyx. 

 In flavor the berry was exceptionally good. It was sufficiently acid 

 to be decidedly superior to the mild, sweet berry of Vaccinium penn- 

 sylvanicum^ yet not sour like the berry of V. canadense. It repre- 

 sents one of the best types of flavor in the variable T". corymhosum. 



The only unfavorable feature of this bush was the lateness in 

 the maturity of its berries, a characteristic of the species to which 

 it belongs. The earliest New England berries, which bring the fancy 

 wholesale price of 20 cents or more per quart for the first few days, 

 as described on page 12, are those of the dwarf Vaccinium penn- 

 sylvanicrim, which mature about two weeks earlier than those of 

 V. corymhosum. 



The size of the berry is of such importance as to warrant an exact 

 record of the measurement, not only of the largest berries but of all 

 the berries from an average picking. On August 2, 1908, an average 

 pint of berries was taken out of a clean picking of this bush and each 

 berry was measured. The measuring was done by means of a metal 

 plate containing a series of circular holes 5, 6, 7 nun., etc., in diam- 

 eter The pint of berries shoAved the following sizes : 



Diameter of berry. Number of berries. 



7 to 8 mm 2 



8 to mm 50 



9 to 10 mm 191 



10 to 11 mm 278 



11 to 12 mm 137 



12 to 13 mm 10 



13 to 14 mm 3 



671 



54708°— Bull. 10.3—10 



