_ o _ 



almost as high as the rate of accumulation. This is especially true where cover 

 crops and cultivation alternate. 



In a permanent sod, the storj- is different. Here the soil is less v;ell 

 aerated, and v;ith plants grovri.ng throughout the season, at no time is an accumula- 

 tion of plant residues turned under and allowed to decay. The net gain in organic 

 natter on a sandy soil where one cover crop after another is grovm and plowed 

 under, is relatively snail. But that does not mean a lost investment as regards 

 seed, fertilizer, labor, etc. In the process of decajring, the organic matter has 

 greatly benefited the crop which happened to be growing on the soil while decompo- 

 sition v/as taking place, since mineral elements in available form were being 

 released and t^e physical texture of the soil was greatly improved. 



It is a mistaken notion that the actual content of plant residues must be 

 increased markedly if benefits are to be obtained. If that vrere essential, we 

 v/ould probably plow under, or apply as a mulch, woody materials v/hich are more 

 resistant to decay. A material such as cranberry vines, for example, i-vould tend 

 to remain intact much longer than alfalfa. And if the sole purpose of the 

 organic matter were to provide a bulk of material resistant to decay, we vrould 

 certainly seek out those plants of lavi nitrogen content, such as savirdust, because 

 a fair amount of nitrogen in the organic matter tends to speed up decomposition. 



Since an actual buildup of organic matter, except in a permanent sod or vihere 

 drainage and aeration are poor, is out of the question, the real value is found 

 not in conserving it, but in using it. Viihile it is in the process of disappearing, 

 the chemical and physical properties of the soil are greatly improved. The 

 decaying material not only supplies a reservoir of fertility, but it acts as a 

 soil conditioner, a stabilizer, a moisture conserver. In short, the decaying 

 organic matter makes the difference between a fertile, productive soil and an 

 unproductive conglomeration of rocky material of assorted sizes, co;^imonly knovm 

 as stones, sand, silt, and clay. Organic matter should be used, not hoarded. 



NOTES ON Sy^LL FRUITS 



Blueberries and Soil Ac idity . Ask any amateur gardener what he considers 

 to be the most importarit~factor in blueberry growing and he ' 11 ansv/er without 

 hesitation, "an acid soil". Acidity is important, and blueberries are a little 

 more sensitive to a lack of it than some other fruit plants. But it isn't so 

 unportant that we can forget about fertility, water supply, weeds, etc., if only 

 we can establish the optimum plane of acidity. If other factors are favorable, 

 blueberries can be grovm on most garden soils. And while we strive to maintain 

 an optimum pH, let's not neglect the other things essential to the development 

 of good vegetative grovrth. 



Are YJild Blueberries Sweeter than Cultivated ? This question is frequently 

 asked. The answer, in terms of the vray in which cultivated blueberries are picked 

 in the average garden, is necessarily, "Yes". But fundamentally, the tvro are 

 equally svreet. Vifhere one has only a few shrubs in the backyard, he is likely to 

 pick most of the berries soon after they have turned blue, to avoid losing them 

 to the birds, particularly catbirds. But when one goes out to pick ;Yild blueberries, 

 many of the berries have been ripe for two or three v/eeks, time enough to develop 

 considerable sugar. Leave the cultivated berries on the plant the same length of 

 time and they mil be, on the average, as sweet as the vdld berries. 



