Blueberry Culture 



ADAPTABILITY— Cultivated blueberries are be- 

 ing successfully grown from North Carolina to the 

 Northern boundary of the country, and are gen- 

 erally adapted wherever wild blueberries and 

 huckleberries are found. As cultivated blueberries 

 are now being grown only in limited areas, we do 

 not feel any exact limit of their adaptability has 

 been established, and would suggest small plant- 

 ings anywhere except in the deep South or where 

 the soil is alkaline or very dry. 



SOILS — On natural blueberry soils having an 

 abundance of humus and a fairly constant high 

 water table, blueberries grow well under clean cul- 

 tivation. Such soils must have good surface drain- 

 age, or the plants may be injured, while small, 

 from too constant flooding after heavy rains. Plant- 

 ing on wide ridges, six or seven inches high, will 

 greatly reduce the danger of injury. This practice 

 of ridging is now generally followed on this type 

 of soil. On regular soil, the site selected for the 

 blueberry planting should also have good surface 

 drainage, be well supplied with humus and re- 

 tentive of moisture. It should be borne in mind 

 that the productiveness of a blueberry planting 

 depends largely on the moisture supply in the up- 

 per soil, which may be maintained by applying a 

 heavy permanent mulch. Blueberries require a 

 somewhat acid soil, growing well on soils ranging 

 from p. h. 3.8 to 5.5. Soils having a lighter p. h. 

 value should not be used. For small plantings, 

 large holes may be dug and filled with soil having 

 the desired p. h., with humus in the form of peat 

 or leaf mold added. 



PLANTING — For commercial planting, plants 

 are set every four feet in rows eight to ten feet 

 apart. Where mulching is to be practiced, the wide 

 row is desirable, as many varieties of blueberries 

 reach a height of six to seven feet and a width of 

 five to six feet. Plants should be set sligh.tly deeper 

 than they grew in the nursery, with the roots well 

 spread out. When planting, we place a thin layer 

 of pulverized peat and sand, which has been soak- 

 ed and mixed half and half, below and above the 

 roots. We feel this makes an ideal rooting med- 

 ium, and will keep the plant well supplied with 

 moisture until it becomes established. Before 

 planting, one-half to two-thirds of the top growth 

 should be pruned off. For the home planting, 

 plants may be set in whatever manner is conven- 

 ient, giving them about thirty-two square feet of 

 space to each plant. 



MULCHING— On all but 

 natural blueberry soil, 

 mulch should be applied 

 as soon as the plants are 

 set. Such materials as 

 straw, salt hay, s u d a n 

 grass, pine needles, or 

 leaves may be used, ap- 

 plied at the rate of six 

 to eight tons per acre. 

 Further applications 

 should be made each year 

 in such quantities as are 

 required to maintain the 

 mulch. With individual 

 plants, mulch should be 

 applied over an area six 

 to eight feet square. 



FERTILIZER — The ap- 

 plication of commercial 

 fertilizer has given a very 

 marked increase in the 

 yield and size of fruit. Ap- 

 plications up to 600 lbs. 

 per acre have been very 

 profitable, and indicate 

 that even heavier appli- 

 cations would pay. A mix- 

 ture of 100 lbs. nitrate of 

 soda, 100 lbs. dried blood, 

 400 lbs. rock phosphate 

 and 66 lbs. sulphate of 

 potash has given good re- 

 sults on soils with a p. h. 

 value below 5.0. On less 

 acid soils, sulphate of Am- 

 monia should be used in 

 place of nitrate of soda. 



In Michigan a standard 5-10-12 fertilizer has been 

 used successfully. 



POLLINATION— It is generally conceded that 

 many or all of the cultivated blueberries tend to 

 be self-sterile. Therefore, two or more varieties 

 should be planted to insure g-ood pollination; usu- 

 ally one or two rows of each variety, alternating 

 across the field. 



YIELDS — Cultivated blueberries are verv pro- 

 ductive. According to observations by one Experi- 

 ment Station, yields that may be e'xpected after 

 the first two years are as follows : 



3rd year 960 qts. per acre 



4th year 1.920 qts. per acre 



5th year and thereafter 2,560 qts. per acre 



We have reports of yields of 4,000 quarts per acre, 

 but this was made on very good soil in the eighth 

 year, and weather was very favorable. Given pro- 

 per care, a blueberry planting will be profitable 

 and productive for fifty to seventy-five years, and 

 possibly longer. 



PROFITS — Since the introduction of the large,, 

 delicious, cultivated varieties of blueberries, prices 

 have been very high, ranging from about 30c to 

 $1.00 per quart. There is never sufficient fruit 

 available to supply the ever increasing demand, 

 and. so far, the potential market for cultivated 

 blueberries has only been scratched. Recently, one 

 of the largest receivers of fresh fruits on the New 

 York market told us they were only receiving a few 

 crates a day in the peak of the season, while they 

 could use at least 300 crates daily at practically 

 the same price. While on many of the smaller 

 wholesale markets, cultivated blueberries have 

 never been offered. 



We have been watching the progress of the cul- 

 tivated blueberries for the past nine years, and 

 with the development of better varieties and im- 

 proved cultural practices, we decided "there was 

 gold in them thar blues" for most fruit growers,, 

 and we felt it our duty to our customers to tell 

 them about it. We have a limited supply of plants 

 of the best varieties and although plants are still 

 quite scarce, our prices are very reasonable. Plant 

 some this year and get started in this new and 

 profitable business. 



Harvesting fruit below from Rayner's early heavy 

 bearing strain Blueberries. Over 3 pints were 

 picked at one picking from this plant. 







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