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 to 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 slightly 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, sudan grass, 
pine needles, or leaves may be used, applied at the 
rate of six to eight tons per acre. Further appli- 
cations should be made each year in such quanti- 
ties as are required to maintain the mulch. With 
individual plants, mulch should be applied over an 
area six to eight feet square. 
FERTILIZER—The application of commercial 
fertilizer has given a very marked increase in the 
yield and size of fruit. Applications up to 600 lbs. 
per acre have been very profitable, and indicate 
that even heavier applications would pay. A mix- 
ture of 100 lbs. nitrate of soda, 100 lbs. dried blood, 
400 lbs. rock phosphate and 66 Ibs. sulphate of 
potash has given good results on soils with a p. h. 
value below 5.0. On less acid soils, sulphate should 
be used in place of nitrate of soda. In Michigan 
a standard 5-10-12 fertilizer has been used suc- 
cessfully. 
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 good pollination; usu- 
ally one or two rows of each variety, alternating 
across the field. 
YIELDS—Cultivated blueberries are very pro- 
ductive. According to observations by one Experi- 
ment Station, yields that may be expected after 
the first two years are as follows: 
3rd year 960 qts. per acre 
4th CV Oars 2e) a Seen cierataetsnalanso ealetareners 1,920 qts. per acre 
Sth year and thereafter ,060 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. 
ee ) 
Our blueberry plants are grown here on our nurseries, are propogated from carefully se- 
lected cuttings of the heaviest yielding plants. 
Plants are best, for vigor, yield and profit. 
This is your assurance that Rayner’s Blueberry 
This Blueberry planting represents 18 years of continuous profit. 
