-8- 



long season. Tests at the University of Massachusetts are too preliminary to 

 know how It will behave here. 



Few blackberries are grown In Massachusetts. To frequently nursery plants 

 have turned out to be a worthless sterile seedling, a varietal mixture or a 

 combination of these. The softness of the ripe fruit has made It Impossible to 

 market It In good eating condition. The thornlness of the canes, which makes 

 picking difficult, has discouraged some. The rapid spread of the plants after 

 they get established can be a problem. 



Oarrow appears to solve some of these problems. It should be worth a trial 

 for anyone Interested In blackberries. It Is unfortunate that a fruit which has 

 such fine flavor and makes such excellent jelly should be so long neglected. 



-—John S. Bailey 



I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



GROWTH STUDIES OF THE CULTIVATED BLUEBERRIES 



Studies concerned with some of the growth characteristics of the blueberry 

 plant and Its fruits were made by V. G. Shutak, R. Hlndle, Jr., and E. P. 

 Christopher and reported In the University of Rhode Island Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station Bulletin 339 titled "Growth Studies of the Cultivated Blueberry". 

 The following material was taken from that bulletin and should be of Interest to 

 the cultivated blueberry growers of Massachusetts. 



In the study to determine the relationship of blueberry wood thickness to 

 other characteristics, measurements of one-year-old wood were taken just above 

 the basal swelling. The wood was classified as follows: (a) thin - diameter 

 less than 0.1 inch; (b) medium - from 0.1 to 0.2 inches; and (c) thick - over 0.2 

 inches . 



With the five varieties studied (Dixi, Atlantic, Pemberton, Rubel and Pioneer) 

 it was found that blueberry blosscnns on thin wood normally opened before those on 

 thick wood. Blossoms on mediimi wood usually opened scnnetime between the other two« 



In other wood thickness relationships, flower bud development in the fall was 

 found to occur earliest on thin wood and latest on thick wood. There appeared to 

 be no significant relationship between wood thickness and days required for a 

 berry to mature. Fruit and leaf size appeared to be positively correlated with 

 wood thickness. Since thick wood contains more and larger conducting vessels, the 

 authors suggest that this greatly increased water conducting capacity results in 

 the Increased fruit and leaf size. 



The authors report that berry growth as measured by calculated volume may be 

 divided into three stages - a period of rapid growth followed by a period of less 

 rapid expansion, and finally a period of very rapid increase. The last stage of 

 growth was found to occur mainly after the berries turned blue. Their data suggest 

 the Importance of delaying harvest as long as practical after blue coloration appean 

 However, as stated by the authors "Some varieties begin to drop berries a few days 

 after blue color is obtained and waiting for maximum size may result in harvesting 

 a small crop." 



Ripening studies showed that the largest berries ripened in the shortest time 

 and the smallest berries took the longest. "No correlation between size and 



