I 



-2- 



Berkeley - large, lightest blue, sweet 

 Herbert - largest, highest flavor, hardy 

 Coville - large, very good tart flavor, latest 



For Limited Use 



Jersey - dependable in Michigan and northern New England, but Coville 



larger and better in New Jersey 

 Pemberton - home garden and "pick-your-own", very vigorous, scar too 



wet for general market 

 Concord - still liked in New Hampohire, hardy there 



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It is not likely that Massachusetts growers will agree 100 per cent with these 

 conclusions, especially in regard to a "very good tart flavor". Variety recommenda- 

 tions for Massachusetts are contained in Special Circular 212-E, Varieties of Blue- 

 berries for Massachusetts which will be sent on request. 



Sometimes changes in cultural practice can have a profound effect on variety 

 selection. For example, the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station is develop- 

 ing a mechanical picker that shakes the berries from the bush. This picker is 

 being tried extensively by Michigan growers. The old variety Rubel seems to be 

 well adapted to the use of this machine. Therefore, Michigan is still planting 

 Rubel. Also, in Michigan, no varieties which ripen after Labor Day are being 

 planted. Since youngsters go back to school and itinerant labor moves on, it is 

 practically impossible to get pickers after Labor Day. 



So much fiar the present, nov/ what about the future? The blueberry breeding 

 and improvement program which was started by Dr. F. V. Coville many years ago has 

 been continued and intensified by his successors together with researchers in 

 several State Experiment Stations. Although the immediate objectives are not the 

 same in all states, the final objective, better blueberries for everyone, is the 

 same. 



Florida is attempting to develop a blueberry variety with a short chilling 

 requirement. The highbush blueberries with which we are familiar require about 

 750 hours of temperature below 45° F to break the rest so that they start growing 

 promptly in the spring and grow normally. Florida must have a variety which will 

 grow normally after far less chilling. 



In Georgia the breeding is aimed at improving the native rabbiteye blueberry 

 which is a different species from our highbush blueberry. In its wild state, the 

 berry is small in size, dark colored, rather seedy and flat in taste. Already, its 

 size has been increased materially, a nice blue bloom added and the flavor improved 

 markedly. It is quite possible that rabbiteye blueberries will appear on our north- 

 ern markets in a few years. 



In North Carolina the same species of cultivated blueberry is grown, that is 

 grown in New England but the varieties are better adapted to their conditions. 

 Their big problem is a disease called cane canker. This disease is so serious that 

 it can ruin a planting in a few years. Therefore, North Carolina's main objective 



