June, 1939] Agricultural Research in N. H. 7 



tions. Accurate time and expense budgets are kept to aid in deter- 

 mining the most practical methods of brush removal and also of 

 keeping the brush down once it is removed. 



Such a good cover of herbage has grown up on all plots where 

 brush has been removed that cows go straight to the improved part 

 of the pasture when they are let out in the morning and return there 

 so frequently during the day that the herbage is kept closely grazed. 



It is more practical to select for improvement the better soils and 

 the more open areas, for on poor soils reproduction of good pasture 

 herbage is slow without reseeding. Where the brush was so thick 

 that the pasture plants made up originally less than 25 per cent of 

 the ground cover, they grew in very slowly. Under such conditions 

 it seemed uneconomic to use large quantities of fertilizer, and yet on 

 good soils even small amounts of fertilizer produced a marked 

 response. 



Burning is cheaper and takes less time than pulling or cutting, but 

 is less effective (except in the case of gray birch and hardback) 

 because the dead brush remaining hinders close grazing. Unless 

 cutting is done close to the ground without leaving stubs, it, too, 

 hinders close grazing. Cutting, except in the case of juniper, has 

 been found least effective in brush control. Removal of juniper on 

 the plots was more or less permanent, and pasturing neither helped 

 nor hindered its reproduction. With hardback, gray birch and blue- 

 berry, better control was obtained by pasturing. With sweet fern 

 thorough killing by burning was effective, but pasturing does not 

 keep it in subjection. 



On the cleared plots weeds came in as well as grass and other good 

 pasture plants, but this is not entirely a loss for many weeds pro- 

 duce milk and can be later crowded out by proper fertilization. Dur- 

 ing the coming year analyses of herbage will be made and a fertilizer 

 program set up in cooperation with the department of agronomy. 

 (Purnell Fund) 



Market Good for Some Kinds of Small Fruits 



Apparently blueberries are the only native berries of which New 

 Hampshire hotels and camps can obtain a really satisfactory supply, 

 finds L. A. Dougherty, who has nearly completed field work on the 

 small fruit study. Records on prices, varieties, amounts sold and 

 places of sale have been obtained from individual producers. 

 Retailers in principal towns have been contacted for information on 

 sources of supplies and prices. Summer hotels, camps and tourist 

 homes have also been interviewed for information on sources and 

 prices of small fruits. 



Late berries will usually average higher in price than early berries 

 although the latter usually reach a higher price for a brief period. 

 Records from one strawberry grower covering the past five years 

 show that berries sold during the last five days brought an average 

 price of almost 3 cents a quart over those sold during the first five 

 days of the season in spite of the fact that the later berries were 

 smaller. The strawberry season usually runs from three to four 

 weeks. Growers have long sought for a good late strawberry 



