called steel grey color. A number of F2 -bushes have been saved for possible 

 further breeding work, including several that produce stolons readily like 

 the lowbush. 



Another highbush species, Vaccinium constablei A. Gray, which is a native 

 of the mountains of Western North Carolina, has firm light blue berries of 

 fine flavor borne on bushes that are stoloniferous. This species, which has 

 been winter hardy at Durham, New Hampshire, is hexaploid (2n^72), 

 but crossed readily with the first-generation-hybrids of Pemberton x lowbush. 

 In 1956, some plants from this cross fruited for the first time. The complex- 

 hybrids all bore rather small berries of good light blue color, many with 

 fine flavor, and all were firm as contrasted with the berries of northern high- 

 bush X lowbush, many of which tend to be rather soft. Some of the complex- 

 hybrids showed strong formation of stolons. 



Backcrosses of the first-generation-hybrids (Pemberton x G-5 lowbush) 

 with cultivated highbush, Earliblue and Bluecrop varieties, were made and 

 of several hundred seedlings being grown, a few fruited in 1956. A sufficient 

 ]iumber have fruited to ascertain that relatively more bushes bearing blue 

 fruits are occurring than were found in the F^ of Pemberton x lowbush. 

 Bushes in the backcross vary markedly in height, but it is too early to make 

 selections for this characteristic. 



Hardy Highbush Blueberries 



The native highbush blueberry is at its northern limit in New Hampshire. 

 Hence, selections made in this area might have superior hardiness to those 

 from farther south. Two wild blueberries which have fruited when other 

 bushes nearby them have failed to crop following cold winters have been 

 used in crosses with the cultivated 

 highbush. One such wild plant is 

 called Sebatis after the locality in 

 Loudon, New Hampshire, where it 

 was found ; another. East Clarendon 

 No. 1 (P. I. 185436). came from East 

 Clarendon, Vermont. Sebatis may 

 have lowbush in its ancestry and is 

 thought of as being perhaps only 

 three quarters highbush. Crosses 

 were made in 1949 w^ith U.S.D.A. No. 

 DN76 (since named Coville), and 

 about 800 seedlings of Sebatis x 

 Coville were placed in a private com- 

 mercial planting at Rochester, New 

 Hampshire, the following year. Suffi- 

 ciently cold winters have prevailed 

 since so that it has been learned that 

 both Coville and Sebatis can with- 

 stand low temperatures of — 20 to 

 — 25° F. Their progeny are markedly 

 variable in plant types and other 

 characteristics. Seedlings were re- 

 moved as soon as they showed serious 



A highbush bkieberry selection made 

 from several thousand seedlings which 

 have fruited. Several selections are 

 being propagated for wider testing. In 

 addition to size and ({uality, they have 

 hardinejs enough to stand — 25° F. 

 without injury. 



