THE BLUEBERRY IN MAINE. 169 



is regarded as superior to the lamp or torch as it is more easily 

 handled. 



As alread}' indicated, most of the fruit from the barrens is 

 taken to the factories for canning". Early in the season, how- 

 ever, before the factories are opened, a considerable amount is 

 shipped to Portland, Boston and other points for use while 

 fresh. This fruit is usually shipped in quart boxes — shown in 

 fig. 2. 



All of this early fruit is picked by hand, and only the ripe 

 fruit is gathered. Later in the season, particularly on "old 

 burns," i. e., on areas which will have to be burned over the next 

 year, the fruit is gathered with a "blueberry rake." This is an 

 implement somewhat similar to the cranberry rake in use on 

 Cape Cod, and may be likened to a dust pan, the bottom of 

 which is composed of stiff parallel wire rods. The fruit may be 

 gathered much more quickly and more cheaply by means of the 

 rake. The bushes are, however, seriously injured by the treat- 

 ment. In no case should the rake be used in gathering the high 

 bush blueberries. 



The canning of blueberries is mainly in the hands of the fol- 

 lowing companies : J. & E. A. Wyman, Cherryfield ; A. L. 

 Stewart, Cherryfield ; the Columbia Falls Packing Company, 

 Columbia Falls ; J. A. Coffin, Columbia Falls, and Burnham and 

 Morrill, Flarrington. At the Wyman cannery, which has a 

 daily capacity of 600 bushels, the average annual output is about 

 8,300 cases of two dozen cans each ; representing 6,250 bushels 

 of fresh fruit. The average price per case for the canned fruit 

 is $1.90. In other words, the value of the annual product of 

 this one factory is more than $10,000. The total canned prod- 

 uct of the blueberry barrens in 1898 was about 15,000 cases 

 valued at about $28,500. This was but little more than one-half 

 of the average season's production, which is said to be not far 

 from 30,000 cases of twenty-four cans each. 



POSSiniLITIES OF CULTURE. 



The distribution of the blueberry is not confined to a few 

 thousand acres in Washington county, but all over the southern 

 and western parts of the State are vast areas which, while bear- 

 ing a considerable number of bushes and yielding a profitable 

 return to the few people who make a practice of gathering the 



