18 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 317 



Birds, particularly robins, are among the worst pests of cultivated blueberries. 

 In small plantings they sometimes take a large portion of the crop. In large 

 plantings their depredations are not so noticeable. A few bushes can be pro- 

 tected by covering with netting, but no method has been developed for protect- 

 ing large fields. 



Marketing 



Most of the wild blueberries marketed come from five states. The areas in 

 blueberries and the production given by the 1930 Census are as follows: 



Area in acres Yield in Quarts 



Maine 13,888 3,810,806 



Florida 2,014 366,585 



Massachusetts 1,374 121,561 



New Hampshire 902 171,268 



Michigan 875 200,471 



In all of these states there are undoubtedly large areas of blueberry land which 

 are not included in farms and therefore not reported in the census. The yield 

 figures are for 1929 only and do not give as accurate an idea of production as 

 would an average over a period of years. 



At present cultivated berries are produced mostly in New Jersey, which has 

 about 500 acres. There are also small areas in Massachusetts, North Carolina, 

 Washington, and Michigan. 



New Jersey produces enough cultivated blueberries to ship them freely into 

 most of the principal eastern markets. It is probable that the production in that 

 state will double in the next five years as the many young f lantings come into 

 bearing. Also a considerable expansion of present plantings is anticipated, 

 mostly of late varieties to minimize competition with fruit from North Carolina. 



In North Carolina there is a small acreage of cultivated blueberries which 

 probably will be increased considerably in the next few years. Most of the new 

 plantings are of early varieties. 



Although there is not yet a very large acreage of cultivated blueberries in 

 Michigan, the industry is developing there and will more and more supply the 

 demands of the Middle West, tending to limit the shipments from New Jersey 

 to that section. 



As production of cultivated berries increases, prices will probably fall nearer 

 to those of wild berries. The producers of wild berries may attempt to improve 

 the quality and attractiveness of their pack to meet this competition. This 

 tendency has already been observed in certain markets where wild berries of 

 good quality have been offered for sale in attractive packages. 



Furthermore, cultivated blueberries are, for the present at least, distinctly a 

 luxury crop. They have sold at from twenty to sixty cents a quart, the average 

 price for 1934 being about thirty cents; while wild berries sold mostly from ten 

 to twenty cents a quart. As long as the present general economic situation 

 continues, the cultivated berries will not command the price premium which 

 could be expected in more prosperous times. 



Although the high prices received in the past will probably not be obtained 

 in the future, the experience of those now growing cultivated blueberries indi- 

 cates that they will yield a reasonable return on the investment if the grower 

 uses care in establishing and managing his plantation. In addition to the points 





