BLUEBERRY CULTURE 5 



likely to suffer in the market from competition with cultivated berries shipped 

 from the South. 



Pioneer is an excellent commercial variety ripening a week to ten days after 

 Cabot. It produces large crops of berries which are superior in appearance, 

 flavor, and keeping quality. The bush is medium in height and of fine appear- 

 ance for ornamental planting. It is more costly to prune than many of the 

 other varieties. 



Rubel is a late variety ripening a few days after Pioneer. It is a good pro- 

 ducer. The berries are only fair in size, but their quality is good and they ship 

 well. The bush is tall, upright, well shaped, vigorous, and easy to propagate 

 and prune. Because of less competition from the South, this will probably be 

 the most profitable of the commercial varieties in this State. 



The following varieties are recommended for trial: 



Concord is a mid-season variety. The vigor of the bush is good but the yield 

 is only fair. The berries are very large, handsome, and excellent in quality. 

 They hang on the bush better than those of most varieties. This may lead to 

 delayed picking and result in reduced keeping quality. 



Rancocas rip e ns with Rubo l. The bush is upright, and fairly vigorous and 

 productive. The berries are good in quality but tend to run small the latter 

 part of the season and do not keep well. It is more costly to prune than some of 

 the other varieties. (Zi^t^^t a. f<^^r- -cL/t^p- <*fJz*- CoJo-^t~ , 



Wareham ripens somewhat later than Rubel. The bush is a vigorous grower, 

 but tends to grow so late that it is susceptible to winter injury. It requires 

 less pruning than some varieties and yields heavily. The berries are of good 

 size throughout the season and keep fairly well but, because of their dark 

 color, are not as fine in appearance as the fruit of some other varieties. 



Jersey ripens a few days after Rubel. The bush is very vigorous and produc- 

 tive but does not sprout from the base as freely as is desirable. The berries 

 have good color, size, and keeping quality. The stems are long, which makes 

 the cluster so open that the berries are easily picked. The calyx lobes protrude, 

 detracting somewhat from the appearance of the berries. 



Propagation 



The propagation of highbush blueberries depends mostly on the proper con- 

 trol of five factors: aeration of the propagating medium, moisture in the propa- 

 gating medium, humidity in the propagating frame, light, and temperature. 

 The first three of these factors are so closely associated that practically they are 

 controlled together. 



Lack of aeration in the propagating medium, because it is too compact or too 

 wet, will cause the cuttings to rot at the base and die. Aeration will be sufficient 

 if there is drainage below the propagating bed to allow excess water to drain 

 off and if ventilation is given over the bed. Under these conditions the moisture 

 in the propagating medium can be kept high enough to keep the cuttings from 

 drying out and to maintain humidity over the bed without interfering with 

 aeration. The bed can be watered heavily when necessary, for most of the 

 excess water will drain off through the bottom and ventilation will take care of 

 the rest. 



It is important to maintain humidity over the propagating bed because of the 

 nature of the rooting process in blueberry cuttings. They make a top growth 



