HUCKLEBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES. 37 



astonishing what enormous quantities of fruit can be had. A 

 square rod of bushes will furnish all that a family would care for. 

 He knew of one bush which yielded a bushel of berries. Some 

 years, however, there is a promise of a good crop, but from some 

 cause few ripen. 



Mr. Dawson confirmed Mr. Hersey's statements that the blue- 

 berry can be grafted. The method which he prefers is side- 

 grafting near the crown of the root, thereby getting plants free 

 from suckers. The grafting is done under glass from January to 

 April, on young plants that were potted the summer before. The 

 second year after grafting his plants begin to fruit. 



Alfred W. Paul said that while huckleberries and blueberries 

 grow so abundantly in the wild state, he doubted the probability 

 of their cultivation proving a financial success. 



Mr. Hersey suggested that we should not always consult 

 the financial aspects of experiments. Whatever we can do that 

 will make life happier, and our homes more pleasant will pa}". 

 There are many gardens in places where the owners cannot find 

 wild fruit easily, and a few of these bushes under cultivation 

 would be a convenience and also add much to the attractiveness 

 of the home. 



Mr. Paul said that Black Huckleberries and Swamp Blueberries 

 grow more abundantly in his vicinity' than he had seen anywhere 

 else. Low Blueberries are brought from New Hampshire, in large 

 quantities. When visiting a brother-in-law near Plymouth, in 

 that State, a year or two ago, after the berry season was over, he 

 was told that a neighbor had marketed S2300 worth of blueberries 

 in one season. Mr. Paul saw that a large quantity of this fruit, 

 estimated to be at least fifty bushels per acre, had been left 

 unpicked. With this showing of wild productiveness, would any 

 one think of cultivating the bushes, looking at the matter from a 

 financial point of view? 



John C. Hovej- held that the idea that the fruits under consider- 

 ation may be cultivated as easil}' as anything else, is a mistake. 

 Success may be won, but we should try to adopt natural methods. 

 That appears to have been the case where Mr. Dawson and Mr. 

 Hersey have succeeded in their experiments. 



Joseph H. Woodford said that Hon. William Freeman of 

 Cherryfield, Maine, controls a large district there, comprising 

 from thirty to forty thousand or more acres of land. On this 



