The chief object of this discussion has been to indicate the numerous 

 factors that are involved in determining the size of sprayer that is needed 

 for a particular orchard and that a sprayer which may not be adequate under 

 existing conditions may be fully adequate if the output per minute can be 

 increased and the time of reloading reduced. 



— 0. C. Roberts 



BUYING CULTIVATED BL UEB ERRY PL.WTS 



Anyone starting to grow cultivated blueberies wants to get good, 

 healthy, vigorous plants of the right varieties. The prospective purchaser 

 wants to know what varieties are best for Massachusetts, what age or size 

 of plants to order, how they should be handled, and where to purchase. (For 

 information on varieties see Fruit Notes for March 8, 1945.) 



plants used to be sold by age classes, that is, one, two, or three- 

 year-olds, and so on. In the terms of the nursery trade a one-year-old is 

 a rooted cutting. These are usually not large enough nor vigorous enougli 

 to be set directly in the field but need to be grown in the nursery a year. 

 A two-year-old has been grown in the nursery a year and, if well grown and 

 properly handled, will v/ithstand the shock of transplanting very well. 

 Three-year-olds are larger and better but the price is correspondingly higher. 



Recently there has been a marked tendency for nurseries to sell by 

 height rather than age. Vrtiere this is done the 12" to 15" grade would prob- 

 ably be satisfactory for varieties of lower, more spreading habit, like Cabot 

 and Pioneer, but 15" to 18" or 18" to 24" vrould be better for the tall var- 

 ieties like Rubel and Jersey. The more vigorous the plants, the better they 

 will start and the sooner a crop will be produced. Vj'eak plants at a low 

 pric^ are usually more expensive in the end. 



Some nurserymen ship plants with bare roots; others ship them balled 

 and burlaped or "B & B" as it is expressed in the nursery trade. "B & B" 

 means that a ball of soil is retained around the roots and held in place by 

 a piece of burlap. This is a more expensive way of handling plants and, 

 therefore, the purchaser should expect to pay a higher price for plants 

 handled in this v/ay. Tv/o- year- olds and perhaps three-year-olds can be handled 

 successfully either way, although "B & B" is preferable. Plants over three 

 years old should always be balled and burlaped. If plants are handled with 

 bare roots care must be taken to see that they do not dry out# 



It is more desirable to purchase plants from a nursery which propa- 

 gates its avm plants than from one which buys plants for resale. There are 

 several nurseries in Massachusetts, Michigan, Nev/ Jersey and New York which 

 produce cultivated blueberry plants for sale. 



Since blueberry stunt, a serious virus disease, is prevalent in 

 New Jersey and North Carolina, anyone buying plants from nurseries in those 

 states should insist on plants certified to be free from stunt. This dis- 

 ease is present in Massachusetts to a limited extent and probably has been 

 for a number of years with little or no signs of spreading. Nurseries in 



