RASPBERRIES IN MASSACHUSETTS 

 PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 



John S, Bailey 

 Department of Horticultural 

 Science 



A dish of raspberries with a little sugar and cream is a delight 

 to the palate whether you are a gourmet or not. Why are raspberries 

 not in larger supply in our markets? Is there any likelihood of their 

 becoming more plentiful? Let's take a look at the history of raspberry 

 growing in Massachusetts first, then sum up the present, and look in 

 our crystal ball to see what the future holds. 



In the late teens and early twenties, there was enough of a rasp- 

 berry industry so that Massachusetts berries were going to market in 

 considerable quantities. According to the census of Agriculture, in 

 1920 there were M-81 acres of raspberries in the state from which 934,656 

 pints were marketed. This industry was based mostly on the variety 

 Cuthbert, which is a high quality variety still grown to a very limited 

 extent in very favorable situations. It has two serious weaknesses. 

 It is very susceptible to virus and to cold injury. It was principally 

 virus infection, especially the mosaic type, which ruined most fields 

 of Cuthbert, By the late twenties, the raspberry industry in the state 

 was definitely on the decline. Growers, those who had the courage to 

 stick with raspberry growing, were looking for a variety to replace Cuth- 

 bert, Many varieties have been tried and are still under trial, because 

 the ideal variety has not been found. 



At present, most commercial growers depend on the variety Latham. 

 It was originated in Minnesota and selected because of its outstanding 

 cold resistance. It also is slightly more virus tolerant than most 

 other varieties. Unfortunately, it is very susceptible to spur blight, 

 a fungus disease for which there is no satisfactory control. The fun- 

 gus of spur blight often develops near the base of a cane, girdling and 

 killing it during the winter so that the injury looks like winter kill- 

 ing. Winter injury, virus and other diseases are not the only problems 

 of the industry. 



Picking raspberries is a slow and often disagreeable job. As the 

 economy went into an upward trend, pickers became more difficult to ob- 

 tain and they demanded higher wages, thus increasing the cost of pro- 

 duction. Also, raspberries are a very perishable fruit. A little mois- 

 ture in the container and the berries mold and break down in a few hours, 

 Tl-ie result is a messy, unsaleable product. 



All these troubles have harassed the industry to the point where 

 many growers have stopped growing raspberries. In 1960, the few who 

 still persisted had 68 acres which produced 78,768 pints, about 8,5% 

 of the 1920 crop. Thus, it is obvious that raspberry growing is at a 

 very low ebb in the state. Most of the plantings are small, an acre or 

 less. The demand for raspberries is still good but has to be satisfied 

 mostly by frozen fruit or fruit shipped in from other states. 



