DELIGHTFUL BERRIES 339 



the wild state. My experiments did not justify 

 this belief, as the bushes brought from the East 

 were if anything overproductive. I have never 

 seen plants of any kind produce a greater quan- 

 tity of fruit in proportion to the weight of the 

 plant. 



During the ripening season the bushes seemed 

 to be a solid mass of berries. This overproduc- 

 tion of fruit greatly restricted the growth of the 

 plants themselves. 



One season, by way of comparison, all the 

 fruit was removed from a certain number of 

 bushes. Relieved of the burden of fruit produc- 

 tion, these plants made a large growth, quite 

 outstripping the others; and the second year 

 they produced an unusual crop. Under proper 

 conditions, the blueberry may become profitable 

 under cultivation in California and no doubt 

 will, sooner or later, be largely grown. 



The same may be said about a collection of 

 huckleberries, bilberries, and other blueberries of 

 various kinds that I had gathered from British 

 America, Oregon, Washington, and even Nor- 

 way, and of an allied plant said to be of unusual 

 value, that I received more recently from the 

 mountains of central Japan. No important re- 

 sults from the development of this plant have as 

 yet materialized, however. 



