HUCKLEBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES. 35 



dry weather, and shaded by lath screens during the brightest 

 sunshine, but these must be removed at night and in cloudy 

 weather, and when the plants are well established the screening 

 may be gradually discontinued. 



Toward the end of August watering must be reduced and finally 

 withheld, that the wood may become ripened. As winter 

 approaches the addition of a few inches of fresh soil, between the 

 rows, will afford all needed protection, and in the following spring 

 they can be planted out permanently. 



Mr. Dawson has sown seed from September to January, and 

 while most of it grew the first season, some delayed until the 

 second year and then came up well. Seed washed as soon as 

 gathered, sown at once, and exposed to a slight frost, germinated 

 the first season, while seed kept until dry and then sown, even in 

 autumn, and kept in heat all winter, did not start until the second 

 year. The low blueberry and the huckleberry will fruit in from 

 three to four years from the seed, but the high-bush blueberry 

 requires from four to six 3-ears. 



He had known several who had made plantations in low moist 

 ground with success, but the High Bush Blueberry although 

 naturally growing in swampy low grounds, grows well in any 

 ordinary soil ; in fact he had seen plants well fruited although 

 growing in pure sand. 



Vacdniian corymhosxim and its varieties seem to be the best for 

 experiments. They are much easier to transplant either from the 

 swamp or upland than other species. Thej' are more prolific and 

 the varieties are numerous, and by selection many fine berries can 

 be had. Vaccinium, corymhosum var. amcenum is a fine dwarf 

 form of the species, with very large fruit, and does well on upland. 

 After V. corymhosum, he thinks that V. vacillans is the next 

 best. Where the woods or pastures containing the blueberry 

 have been burnt over, the bushes produce immense crops the 

 second year following. This being noticed repeatedly has led 

 several parties to buy old berry pastures and systematically burn 

 over a portion each year, thus securing a large crop of fruit from 

 some portion of this land every year. There are many acres in 

 this State that might be treated in this manner, and be more 

 profitable than many other farm crops. 



Mr. Dawson said that the varieties in the pastures that are 

 burnt over, and produce such immense crops, are not the common 



