VACClNIUM (classical Latin name of the European 

 Whortleberry ; etymology uncertain). EricAcvce. lu- 

 cluding BiLBERKvi Blueberry, Hucklebeuky, Whor- 

 tleberry, Cranberry. Braiichin;; shiul.s, ,T,-,|,injjr 

 vines or small trees, somctiijn'^ ,|ii|.li\ ir- ; l\>. alic-r- 

 nate, evergreen or deeiduoii^, loi LMr^ii- mi- iii.inlira- 

 naceous: fls. small, white, piukisli c.r i-rcMJNli. in hinrnl 

 racemes or terminal clusters, sonietinics solitary in the 

 axils, mostly nodding on sleuder-hracted pedicels and 

 hearing blue, black or red berry-like fruits, mostly edi- 

 ble; calyx 4-5-toothed, adherent to the ovary, persistent, 

 forming a crown-like appendage to the fruit; corolla 

 various in shape, usually campauulate, cylindraeeous 

 or uru-shaped, rarely subglobose, 4-5-toothed or cleft; 

 stamens twice as many as the lobes of the corolla, dis- 

 tinct, included within the corolla-tube or exserted; an- 

 thers often 2-awned at the back, the cells separate and 

 prolonged upward into tubes at the apex, opening by 

 terminal pores or chinks; pistil single, with a 4-5- or 

 8-10-loculed ovary, which is glabrous or hirsute. Flowers 

 borne in spring with or before the leaves; berries ripe 

 in summer and autumn, sweetish or sometimes acid, 

 mostly edible. The genus includes about 125 species of 

 wide geographic distribution, extending from the arctic 

 circle to the high mountains of the tropics ; most com- 

 mon in North America and the Himalayas. With very 

 few exceptions (e. g., I', enjthrinum in Java and Hiiiir- 

 nense in Madagascar) the genus is unrepresented in the 

 southern hemisphere and in the lower regions of the 



There is much confusic 

 plied to these fruits. The t 

 tleberry" usually mentiom 

 American writers an- s.-li 

 the common people in lii 

 berry" is often us.-, I in. I 

 this genus and for th.- ti 

 states the 



the popular names ap- 

 r' Bilberry " and "Whor- 

 s "common names" by 



or never heard among 

 iuitry; while "Huckle- 

 iiinately for plants of 

 -sii.-ias. In the central 

 usually applied to 



V. corymbosum, while "Blueberry" is given to the ] 

 growing species, like V. Canadensis and Pennsylvani- 

 <■«)». In New England, "Huckleberry" is reserved for 

 species of Gaylussacia, while " Blueberry " is applied to 

 the lower growing species as above, and "High -bush 

 Blueberry "to V. corymbosain. The red-berried species 

 are, in general, referred to as "Cranberries." 



Among the plants which lend tone to the landscape 

 in October and November by reason of their bright 

 foliage, many of the species of Vaccinium may be in- 

 cluded.— the brilliant red, crimson and orange colors 

 often persisting much longer than the bright-hued 

 leaves of a majority of other plants. Of the ornamen- 

 tal species none are more strikingly beautiful late in 

 the autumn than the common High-bush Blueberry, V. 

 corymbosum. When well grown it is a stout, thick, 

 spreading bush 8-10 ft. high. The plant is beautiful 

 when in flower; the fruit is attractive and of the best 

 quality, and the bright scarlet and crimson effects in 

 late autumn, rivaling the sumach in brilliancy, are un- 

 surpassed. As an ornamental plant the species deserves 

 a place in every garden. V. Pennsylvanicum also 

 lirightens waste places for a short time, but drops its 

 foliage too early to be worthy of planting as an under- 

 shrub. The same is true of V. Canadeiise, which is in 

 many respects similar. V. sfaminrttw , t}i.>ngh early 

 deciduous, is attractive when in bloom nn.I thr..n^'li.iut 

 the summer, by reason of its graceful li;.liil. Tli.inijh 

 usually found on gravelly soil, it will tliriv.- in :iuy 

 good garden soil, and it is one of tin- v.-ry f.-w ..nia- 

 mental shrubs specially suited for densely sluuled situa- 

 tions. It has the peculiarity of never forming a trm- 

 flower-bnd, the blossom being open from the first. I '. 

 arboreum- forms an irregular shrub too diffuse ami 

 straggling to be of value except in masses at the South. 

 V. hirsHtnm is as beautiful in its autumn coloring as is 

 V. corymbosum and, like that species, retains its foliage 

 late in the season. V. Vitis-Idma and uliuitiosum, with 



their shining box-like foliage, are effective as edging 

 for the shrubbery border. 



In the wild state the Blueberry was originally wor- 

 thier of notice than was the blackberry, raspberry or 

 currant, but the natural supply is so abundant that 

 little attention has been given to garden cultivation. 

 At the Maiue Agricultural Expc-rinient Station syste- 

 matic work is in progress, and s.-\-(-r;il iiist;iii.-.'s of suc- 

 cessful amateur cultivation an- r.-.-..i-.l(-.l ii..ni Massa- 

 chusetts. The plants of .some sp.-.-i.-s :.i. \ . ly suscep- 

 tible of improvement under go...l .-iilii\ ai ion ; the best 

 in order of merit being V. coryinbvsiun, viciUans and 

 Canadense. The bushes should be transplanted in the 

 fall and treated much the same as currants. Any good 

 garden soil is suitable. 



Of all the Aui.-ri.-an spe.-i.-s usi-,1 f.n- food, the most 

 important arc, I ,., .n., '.,-,:,„ , I'f ,' .ii/r,i in<iiiii , Cana- 



den 



Blueberry, ..i- ~ 



the middle w. -i, i- - . : 



cellent flavor. Thesiim 



rapidly on any good soil 



cies shows a marked t 



shape and quality of IN 



point in attempts t.> .-.,1 



cultivated frnii - I 'u . ,. 



ceived consi.l. : i 



i-bush 

 ry"of 



iiisplalited, grows 

 laii any other spe- 



ary in the size, 

 .- natural starting 

 T-ry to the list of 

 n years it has re- 

 ir.len fruit, espe- 



.-i.-s named grow 

 "1,1, especially, on 

 l>ulk of the Blue- 



the canning fac- 



cially in N.-w I -i t 

 mostly on uplan.l-. I/' ,>.. 

 dry sandy "barrens "—and f. 

 berry crop as seen in the cit 



In many of the northern and eastern states — particu- 

 larly in New England, New Y..rK. N. a -T. r. \ . Michi- 

 gan and the mountain distri.-t ' 1';: ' ania and 

 West Virginia— there are many 1 i i ..f land, 



worthless for agricultural pur|i.i-. , ,.i,:. i, ,.i:. r ihepine 

 is removed send up an ahun.UuiL j;n.v, ili ..f Blue- 

 berry bushes, alders, poplars, gray birches and spireas. 

 These lands are, for the most part, considered as public 

 property and are recklessly burned over by irresponsi- 

 ble parties to promote the growth of the Blueberries. 

 In New England, particularly in Maine, the manage- 

 ment of such lands has been systematized and Blue- 

 berry canning has become an important industrial 

 operation. In some instances the whole business is un- 

 der the management of the landowners, but in most 

 cases the land is divided into several tracts, each of 

 which is leased to some resjionsible party who assumes 

 the whole care of burning, keeping off trespassers, har- 

 vesting and marketing the fruit; the owner, in such 

 cases, receiving as rental one-half cent per quart for all 

 fruit gathered. Pickers receive 1/^-3 cents per quart. 

 Those who lease the land and haul the fruit to canning 

 factory or station for shipment receive M-1 cent per 

 quart. These rates are determined in accordance with 

 the market value of the crop. 



Every year a certain section of each lease is burned 

 over. This burning must be done very early in the 

 spring, before the soil becomes dry; otherwise the fire 

 goes too deep, the humus is burned from the ground 

 and most of the bushes are killed. Mauy hundred acres 

 on what should be the best part of the Bhieliorry plains 

 have thus been ruined. The mi-tli...l m.-^t .■oiii.iionl\' 



used in burning a given area is I . ' i - r ,1,,, 1,, |. ,. . 



around the section to be burni. I. 1 ,, . 



ordinary torch or mill-lamp. 11. i ' , 



and follows over the burned ai-.a, -. in. ■_ n.v, lii . - it, 



il. .-]-.- i< .langer of spreading unduly over areas which 

 ii is ,1, sii-.-.l to leave unburned. A device occasionally 

 ns.-,l .-..nsists of a piece of J^-inch gas-pipe, bent near 

 tlie end at an angle of about 60°. The end opposite the 

 bent part is closed with a cap or plug and in the other 

 end, after filling the pipe with kerosene, is placed a 

 plug of cotton waste or tow. This device is by many 



