BLAKEMORE 



The Great Southern Shipping Berry 



n 



Blakemore responds wonderfully to good conditions and good 

 care but with good stock it will stand more abuse and neglect in 

 growing, picking and shipping than any other variety known and 

 still make money for the grower. This may partly account for the 

 fact that more acres of Blakemore are grown than any other variety 

 in the world. It is the best early shipping berry the southern states 

 have ever had, and probably the best money maker. Blakemore 

 territory reaches into all the southern states and as far north as 

 southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the coastal areas of New England and the 

 southern, half of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. With few exceptions it is not recom- 

 mended farther north. 



The great popularity and wide acceptance of Blakemore over the southern and lower 

 middle states was due to performance alone. In some areas it revived a lagging berry 

 industry. Blakemore is a strong, vigorous grower which makes a good fruiting bed 

 under almost any conditions. The berries are very firm, ideal for long distance shipping. 

 Berries ripen uniformly all over, and have a bright, attractive color which they retain 

 even after they get quite ripe. Small berries of Blakemore are more generally accepted 

 and bring a better price than small berries of any other variety we have ever handled. 

 Blakemore berries run medium to large in size when the plants are not too thick. Some 

 thinning of plants helps eliminate the small berries which very thick beds and dry 

 weather tend to produce. 



Blakemore is the earliest real good variety for commercial shippers and is very 

 popular also with processors, either freezing or canning. At times they will take no 

 other variety. The fact that the berries are quite tart as well as very firm may partly 

 explain this demand. As fresh fruit Blakemore must have sugar added to be real good. 

 All our Blakemore plants are grown from virus free sources which have shown 

 tremendous vigor and vitality from the start. Not only that but we have never seen any 

 Blakemore yellowing in this stock. Growers in sections where Blakemore is not as 

 good as it used to be, in fact all Blakemore growers everywhere, should get this virus 

 free stock to make more money from Blakemore. Price list page 32. 



DIXIE LAN D It my Replace Blakemore 



Dixieland (Tenn. Shipper x Midland) berries ripen 

 early, about with Blakemore. Compared with Blake- 

 more Dixieland berries rate as follows: Berries are 

 equally good in quality, both being somewhat tart; 

 Dixieland berries are equally firm, both being ex- 

 cellent shippers; Dixieland and Blakemore berries 

 both have a light, attractive red color which holds 

 well after ripening, Dixieland very slightly darker 

 than Blakemore. Above all, and it is important on 

 any market, Dixieland berries will average much 

 larger than Blakemore. They have sold well ahead 

 of Blakemore on different markets. 



Dixieland plants are vigorous and productive. 

 They have not shown any yellow variegation. Ac- 

 cording to reliable reports yields have been better 

 than most other varieties from Washington, D. C. 

 to southern North Carolina and west to Missouri. 

 In replicated plots at Beltsville, Md. Dixieland 

 averaged at the rate of 403 crates of 24 quarts per 

 acre as compared to 241 crates for Blakemore in 

 1952 and 1953. If you are a commercial grower 



from the latitude of Maryland south by all means 

 try Dixieland if you can get it. We have a limited 

 supply of very nice plants. 



In 1955 Dixieland produced for us about 8,000 

 quarts per acre — large, beautiful berries. In mid 

 picking season we got behind with picking. This 

 one-half acre of Dixieland, being a small patch, 

 was neglected for one week in hot weather. Finally 

 it was picked by an average crowd of pickers. 

 The results were positively amazing. After this 

 ordeal of over-ripeness and then handling we saw 

 no leaky berries of Dixieland. Dixieland, except 

 possibly for Tennessee Shipper, is the firmest ship- 

 ping berry we have ever seen. The richness of the 

 color of these one week ripe Dixieland berries met 

 our ideal of what a processor would want. For 

 shipping long distances or selling to processors, 

 where picking labor is short, Dixieland should prove 

 a bonanza — maybe even a gold mine. Price list 

 page 32. 



