BLUEBERRY CULTURE IN MASSACHUSETTS 



By John S. Bailey 1 , Assistant Research Professor of Pomology, and 

 Henry J. Franklin, Research Professor in Charge of the Cran- 

 berry Station at East Wareham 



Blueberries, although not peculiar to the New England States, grow wild here 

 in great profusion. Massachusetts has received her share of this gift from the 

 hand of Mother Nature. 



But man, being hard to please, was not satisfied with Nature's gift. He 

 wanted sweeter and larger berries. To satisfy this desire Dr. F. V. Coville of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture started his pioneering experiments 

 on culture and breeding of blueberries, which laid the foundation for their 

 commercial production. His breeding work produced several named varieties 

 with fruit larger and more handsome than that of wild bushes. These varieties 

 were developed from the highbush or swamp blueberry, V actinium corymbosum 

 L., and therefore have the growth habit and soil and climatic requirements of 

 that species. Dr. Coville received valuable assistance from Miss Elizabeth C. 

 White of New Lisbon, New Jersey, who provided much of the foundation stock 

 for his breeding work and was a pioneer in developing production on a com- 

 mercial scale. 



Although relatively few acres of these named varieties of blueberries have 

 been planted in Massachusetts, there is a growing interest in their culture which 

 has led to an increased demand for information about them. This bulletin is 

 meant to serve as a guide to those interested in blueberry growing. To make 

 it more serviceable a section is included which contains suggestions for the more 

 profitable management of wild blueberry lands. 



Soil Requirements 



The fact that the highbush blueberry commonly grows in low, swampy places 

 has led many people to the erroneous conclusion that this species of blueberry 

 will do best under such conditions. Blueberries grow in low, swampy places 

 because they tolerate such conditions better than many other plants and hence 

 have less other vegetation to compete with than on more fertile soils. But 

 removed from the competition of other vegetation, the swamp blueberry thrives 

 much better on a fertile soil than on a poor one. 



The ideal blueberry soil is fertile, has a plentiful and continuous water supply, 

 is well drained and aerated, is well supplied with organic matter, and is acid. 



Since success with cultivated blueberries depends on growing large berries, 

 it is essential that the plants be kept in a highly vigorous condition. Because 

 of the severe pruning required, as will be explained later, the necessity for vig- 

 orous growth cannot be overemphasized. A fertile soil is therefore important. 



'The authors wish to thank Mr. J. L. Kelley of the United States Department of Agriculture for 

 helpful criticisms and suggestions, particularly in regard to the section on propagation, and also 

 Mr. !''■ 1*^. Cole of the Worcester County Extension Service for supplying the information for the 

 section on the improvement of wild highbush blueberries. This information was obtained from 

 experiments started by Mr. Herbert Reiner, formerly with the Worcester County Extension 

 Service. 



