NEW ENGLAND STATES 



PREMIER, FAIRFAX, TEMPLE. CATSKILL, 

 ROBINSON. SPARKLE. MIDLAND. REDSTAR, 

 FAIRPEAKE. FAIRLAND. STELEMASTER and 

 all Everbeariiifj:. Also Ambrosia, Redcrop, Emjiire, 

 Armore, Sen. Dunlap. 



ALL OTHER STATES— Consult listing of State 

 or climate nearest you. 



Growing 

 Blueberries 



Adaptability — Cultivated blueberries are being 

 successfully ^rown from North Carolina to the 

 Northern boundaries of the Country. The best 

 indication that blueberries may succeed on a soil 

 is that they or some related plants, such as huckle- 

 berries, azaleas, or laurel, are found jTrowinj? there 

 naturally. We do not feel any exact limit of adapt- 

 ability has been established and would suggest 

 trial plantings anywhere except in the deep South 

 or where the soil is alkaline or very dry. 



Soils— VERY IMPORTANT— Natural blueberry 

 soils have :i pll value from 3.8 to 5.5 Avith best 

 growth occurring betw^een pH 4.1 to pH 5. These 

 soils have an abundance of humus and a fairly 

 constant high water table. Such soils must have a 

 good surface drainage, as flooding during the grow- 

 ing season may cause serious injury. Planting on 

 this type soil is usually done on wide ridges, six 

 to seven inches high. DO NOT PLANT BLUE- 

 BERRIES IN RICH GARDEN SOIL THAT HAS 

 HAD THE BENEFIT OF LIME, STABLE MA- 

 NURE OR OTHER SOIL SWEETENERS. If you 

 set blueberry plants in your garden or lawn the 

 best method is to dig a large hole where each plant 

 is to be set and fill with Avoods leaf mold (the de- 

 cayed leaf and straw matter found in woodsland). 

 If this material is not readily available mix your 

 soil with generous proportions of peat, sawdust 

 (preferably rotting hardwood sawdust), or similar 

 humus materials. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES 

 should lime or stable manure be permitted to come 

 into contact with the area in which plants are set. 

 It should be borne in mind that the productiveness 

 of a blueberry planting depends largely on the 

 moisture supplied in the upper soil. 



Mulchiiig^ — On all but natural blueberry soil, a 

 permanent mulch should be applied as soon as the 

 plants are set. Such materials as straw, sawdust, 

 salt hay, sudan grass, pine needles or leaves should 

 be spread around the plants about six inches deep. 

 Further applications should be made each year in 

 sutlicient quantities to maintain the mulch. With 

 individual plants mulch should be applied over an 

 area six to eight feet square. 



Fertilizer — The application of commercial ferti- 

 lizer has given a very marked increase in the yield 

 and size of fruit. Applications of i/i to % lb. per 

 bush have been very successful. We are using a 

 standard 5-10-5 fertilizer with very good results. 

 Application should be made in a wide band spread 

 evenly around the plant about 10 inches from the 

 plant. Where sawdust mulch is used. 2 oz. sul- 

 phate ammonia per bush should be added the sec- 

 ond and third years to supplv necessary nitrogen. 

 Also note paragraph 2 on bottom of this" page. NO 

 FERTILIZER SHOULD BE APPLIED THE 

 FIRST YEAR PLANT IS SET. 



PLANTING — For commercial planting, plants are 

 set every four feet in rows eight to ten feet apart 

 as many varieties of blueberries reach a height of 

 SIX to seven feet and a width of five to six feet. 



CENTRAL STATES 



KENTUCKY — ILLINOIS — INDIANA — IOWA 

 KANSAS — MiSSOlRI - AROMA. BLAKE- 

 MORE. ROBINSON. PREMIER. FAIRFAX. 

 TENNESSEE BEAITV. SHIPPER. TEMPLE. 

 CATSKILL, TENNESSEAN, POCAHONTAS, 

 DIXIELAND. SEN. DUNLAP, STELEMASTER, 

 VERMILION. 



TENNESSEE — ARKANSAS — OKLAIIO.MA — 



BLAKEMORE. TENN. BEAUTY. SHIPPER, 

 FAIRFAX, ROBINSON. TENNESSEAN. POCA- 

 HONTAS, DIXIELAND. VERMILION. AR- 

 MORE. 



Plants should be set slightly deeper than they gr<'\v 

 in the nursery, with the roots well spread out. 

 When planting, Ave place a thin layer of pulver- 

 ized peat and sand. Avhich has been soaked and 

 mixed half and half. beloAv and al)ove the roots. 

 We feel this makes an ideal rooting medium, and 

 Avill keep the plant Avell sui)plied Avith moisture 

 until it becomes established. Before planting, one- 

 half to two-thirds of the top growth should be 

 pruned off. Should some of the buds be missed the 

 blossoms may be pinched off first year as they 

 appear. For the home planting, plants may be 

 set in Avhatever manner is convenient, giving them 

 about thirty-tAvo square feet of space to each plant. 



Yields — On good blueberry soil, yields of to 8 

 pints per plant may be expected from mature 

 plants and Avith medium pruning plants may pro- 

 duce 12 to 20 pints. HoAvever. most varieties Avill 

 tend to overbear and after the third year it is the 

 practice of commercial growers to prune the plants 

 to keep up the size of the berries and encourage 

 vigorous neAv groAvth for the next year's crop. In- 

 dividual bushes will produce some fruit after being 

 planted I year. A good rule of thumb is to esti- 

 mate 1 pint per year of age of well established 

 bushes ; for example, pints from a year bush, 

 etc. Present records indicate that blueberry plant- 

 ings, Avith proper care, Avill be profitably produc- 

 tive for fifty to seA-enty-five years, and possibly 

 longer. 



IMPORTANT POINTS 



1. Plant at least two varieties to provide for cross 

 pollination. Cultivated blueberries are consid- 

 ered self-sterile. Do not permit to fruit first 

 year. Be sure to follow instructions in plant- 

 ing paragrraph above. 



2. Blueberries should not be planted on soils limed 

 in recent years unless actiuil tests show soils 

 are still acid enough for blueberries. For less 

 acid soils, decaying leaves or acid peat, rotting 

 straw, sawdust, etc., may be mi.ved into soil t«» 

 make conditions suitable. This is important if 

 you are planting in your garden or on your 

 lawn. Aluminum sulphate at rate of .'i lbs. per 

 100 sq. ft. and up to 10 lbs. on heavy loams Is 

 excellent for garden plantings. See page 36. 



3. Do not permit lime or stable manure to come 

 into contact Avith immediate area in which 

 Blueberry plants are set. See directions on 

 Soils and Fertilizers on this page. 



"Plants referred to as "virus-free" in this catalog have been field groAvn by us from virus free 

 foundation stock furnished by the U. S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry. Soils 

 and Agricultural Engineering. Beltsville. Maryland. Our field-groAvn stock has been dusted with 

 parathion to control aphids Avhich transmit "the A'irus diseases. It has also been grown at consider- 

 able distances from any other straAvberry plants. Since viruses do not produce clear-cut symptoms 

 in most straAvberry varieties, but simply weaken and devitalize the plants, no guarantee can be made 

 that these plants are 100 percent f ree * of viruses. Because of the measures that Ave have used to 

 protect these plants from virus infection, we believe them to be substantially virus-free." 



PLANTING SUCCESS BEGINS WITH PLANTS FROM RAYNER BROTHERS 



23 



