8 BULLETIN 974, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
been produced the first year from a single valuable bud. In field 
practice at Whitesbog about 10 cuttings on the average are produced 
the first year from a single.inserted bud, and in individual cases 
as many as 30 have been produced. (Pl. VI.) 
STUMPING. 
The easiest way to propagate the swamp blueberry is by a special 
process of layering called “stumping.” The directions are as 
follows: . 
_. (1) In late fall, winter, or spring, preferably in early spring before the 
buds have begun to push, .cut off at the surface of the ground either the whole 
of the plant or as many of the stems as it is desired to devote to this method 
of propagation. The stems that are cut off are discarded, or they may be used 
for cuttings, as described under “ Tubering” or “ Winter cuttings.” 
(2) Cover the stumps to the depth of 2 to 3 inches with a mixture of clean 
sand and sifted peat, two to four parts of sand to one of peat by bulk. A rough 
box or frame may be built on the ground to keep the sand bed in place. 
(3) Care must be taken that the sand bed be not allowed to become dry 
except at the surface during the summer. 
(4) The new growth from the stumps, which without the sand would consist 
of stems merely, is transformed in working its way through the sand bed into 
scaly, erect or nearly erect rootstocks which on reaching the surface of the sand 
continue their development into leafy shoots. (Pl. VII.) Although roots are 
formed only sparingly on, the covered bases of stems, they develop abundantly 
during spring and early summer on these artificially produced rootstocks, and 
by the end of autumn all the shoots should be well rooted at the base. They 
should remain in place in the sand bed till late winter or early spring, undis- 
turbed and exposed to outdoor freezing temperatures; but the sand should be 
mulched with leaves, preferably those of red oaks, to prevent heaving in freez- 
ing weather and to maintain an acid condition of the soil. 
(5) Early in the following spring, before the buds have begun to push, open 
the bed and sever each well-rooted shoot carefully from the stump. Discard 
the upper portion of the shoot, making the cut at such a point as to leave on the 
basal portion about three buds above the former level of the sand bed. If the 
cut at the basal end of the rooted shoot is not smooth or the wood is cracked, 
recut the surface with a sharp thin-bladed knife. The discarded upper portion 
of the shoot may be used for winter cuttings, as described on pages 12 to 14. 
(6) Set the rooted shoots in a coldframe or a cool greenhouse in a soil 
mixture consisting of two parts, by bulk, of rotted upland peat and one part of 
clean sand. The plants may be set in individual pots if the propagator prefers, 
the pots being bedded to the rim in the sand. 
(7) Cover the frame with muslin or other white shade suspended above the 
glass, giving the plants plenty of light but little or no direct sunlight, and for the 
first two or three months keep the temperature at not to exceed 65° F. if prac- 
ticable. When subjected to high temperatures the newly cut shoots are liable 
to die and rot from the base upward. 
(8) Watering should be as infrequent as practicable, only sufficient to keep 
the soil moist but well aerated, not soggy. 
(9) The frame should receive ventilation, but not enough to cause the new 
twigs to droop. ‘These are most susceptible to overventilation and to over- 
heating when they have nearly completed their growth. (Pl. VIII.) 
