land after mowing and without plowing. If the soil lacks acidity the use of a mulch 

 or sulfur or both vdll help. The home gardener ^irill do well to dig a hole large 

 enough so that a half bushel of sawdust, peat, rotted wood, rotted leaves, or some 

 similar material will half fill it. Then set the plants in good soil on top of this 

 material , Fall planting has been practiced successfully by some growers but spring 

 plainting is preferable. Various planting distances have been tried and the tendency 

 is toward more space per plant. The distance will depend on variety, type of soil 

 management, type of equipment, fertility of soil and severity of pruning. Never plant 

 closer than 5' x 8', Set two or more varieties for pollination insurance. 



Blueberry fields are handled under a variety of cultural systems varying all 

 the \i7ayf rom sod to clean cultivation, liulching systems are increasing in popularity, 

 Ilulches conserve moisture, reduce fluctuation in soil temperature and add nutrients, 

 Sav;dust is an especially good mulch for blueberries. Leaf analysis indicates that 

 blueberries gro?; well at a low level of nutrition. Yet they respond vrell to fertili- 

 zation, A complete fertilizer gives better results than straight nitrogen, A 7—7-7 

 or other 1-1-1 ratio is recommended, but any good garden fertilizer such as ^-8-7 

 will do, Vifhere mulches are used nitrogen should be doubled for a couple of years. 

 Recent investigations shoTj- that under conditions of extreme acidity and low magnesium, 

 an application of high magnesium lime at one to tv;o thousand pounds per acre (2^-50 

 pounds per 100 square feet) is beneficial, 



Pruning is ai other extremely important practice which should be repeated an- 

 nually, Unpruned bushes become a tangle of short, weak branches bearing very small 

 fruit. Pruning induces the growth of vigorous new shoots, prevents over-bearing and 

 stimulates the production of large berries. Some pruning is necessary but the amount 

 Tfill depend on what the grovxer vrants. Light pruning results in heavier yields, 

 smaller berries, and later matux-ity, Convereely, heavy pruning results in lighter 

 yields, larger berries, and earlier maturity. Pruning needsto be balanced vath soil 

 fertility and water supply, A bush on a fertile, moist soil can carry more fruit and, 

 therefore, needs less pruning than one on a poor, dry soil. Small bushes need little 

 pruning during the first tv/o or three yearsin the field, only the removal of diseased 

 or dead vrood, A commercial crop v/ill be produced sooner if fruit buds are cut off 

 during this early period, 



— J,S,Ba.ley 



■>/<r ^;- 4;- rr -;'r -if- ■){• ■?!• ^;- -;<• •;;- -;;- Vr 



National Fire Prevention Vfeek October 3-9, 19$h - President Eisenhower has proclaimed 

 October 3-9 as National Fire Prevention l.J"eek, 



Secretary Benson says s "Farm fires continue to be a costly drain on the Ameri- 

 can farmers' income. During the past year, farm fires have caused a loss of about 

 $jl39,000,000 worth of property ard the death of about 3,000 farm people. Host of 

 these fires vrere preventable, but vre continue in our personal attitude to be careless 

 and negligent. Therefore, I urge every employee of the Department to stress farm 

 fire prevention at every opportunity throughout tiie year. The Extension Service with 

 the cooperation of the Office of Information will furnish educational and inf ormationf 

 al leadership for the Department's farm fire prevention work. The extent of our ef- 

 fectiveness v/ill depend upon the integration of our activities vri.th those of local 

 people and national organizations who are striving to r educe farm fires. By constant 

 vigilance and T/holehearted support throughout the year we can greatly reduce the 

 drastic toll of fires on American farms," 



■K- •«■ * -ii- "/!■ -)(■ a- ^ -;;- i!- -;c- ■»;- -Ji- 



