114 
AMEEIOAIM' AaEIOULTUEIST. 
[March, 
Huckleberries and Blueberries. 
Few not engaged in it are aware of the extent 
of the berry trade. There are communities in 
which it is the chief source of income ; flideed we 
have an account of one family of seven in New 
Jersey, which, by picking berries, earned twenty-live 
dollars a day throughout the berry season. "Wher- 
Fig. 1.— THE BLACK 
IIUCKLEBERKT. 
ever there is a favorable 
berry locality, it allows 
boys and girls, women 
and feeble persons, to 
earn something, in an 
easy and healthful em¬ 
ployment. The market 
names of these berries 
vary in different cities. 
In some places they are 
all called huckleberries, 
and are distinguished by 
their color as black and 
blue. Those wishing to 
be very precise say, 
“ whortleberries,” but as 
both this and| “ huckle¬ 
berry ” are corruptions of the ancient “ myrtle- 
berry,” both of these names are proper. The great 
bulk of the berries sent to market is the product 
of four distinct species, though two or three others 
afford small quantities. Formerly these plants 
were all placed in the genus Vaccinium (the ancient 
Latin name), but modern botanists divide them ac¬ 
cording to the structure of the fruit. If the berry 
be cut across, especially before quite ripe, it will 
be found divided into several cells or compart¬ 
ments. The berries having four or five cells.with 
numerous seeds in each, remain in the old genus, 
Vacdtdum, and those with e’ght or ten cells, and a 
.single, seed-like little nut in each, belong to Oay- 
tesada, a genus scrnamed in honor of a distinguisljed 
French chemist. Both genera furnish important 
market supplies. In order of ripening, the earliest 
23 the Dwarf Blueberry ( Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum), 
common on dry hills, especially in northern locali¬ 
ties. The bush is from six to twelve inches high, 
and often so laden with fruit as to lie prostrate on 
the ground. The berries (fig. 2), are large and 
sweet, but too tender to carry well. The earliest 
berry of importance, and ripening a little later than 
the above, is the Low Blueberry (V. vacillans). 
This is also a plant growing on high lands; the 
shrub is rarely over two feet high, with yellowish- 
green branches, and pale, dull leaves. The berrj’ 
is rather small, very sweet, and covered with a 
handsome blue bloom. It is hard, carries well, 
and is a popular market fruit. The Swamp Blueberry 
( V. cm-ymbosum), is the tallest of all the northern 
species, being often ten feet or more high. Though 
its common name would indicate that it is only 
found in swamps, yet it often occurs on dry soil. 
The shrub is very variable in its leaves and fruit. 
The berries are usually blue, and covered with 
a very thick blue bloom, 
though one form has a 
black fruit without the 
bloom. This is the latest, 
the largest and sweetest 
of the blueberries, and 
is known to the New 
York market men as 
“swamps.” It is very 
tender, and does not 
carry well, especially if 
sent in too large boxes. 
The huckleberry of some 
markets, and black huc¬ 
kleberry of others (Gay- 
lussacia resinosa), is pro¬ 
duced by a bush one to 
three feet high. The 
leaves are thickly cover¬ 
ed with small dots of 
resin (whence the specific 
name), and if held in the 
hand, they become very 
sticky from softening of the resin. The fruit (fig. 
1 ), of medium size, is very biack and shining, very 
firm, and can be shipped to distant markets. As the 
large seeds crack under the teeth when the berry is 
eaten, they are often called in the market, “ crack¬ 
ers.” Bushes of this species occasionally occur with 
fruit of a pale reddish, and even a creamy white 
color. These are the leading market berries, but 
limited quantities of the Dangleberry, ( G. frondosa), 
and the Hogberry (G. clumosa), are occasionally 
met with. The great berry district in New Jersey, 
is in the coast-wise counties, where there are im¬ 
mense tracts covered with stunted forests, among 
which the beriy bearing shrubs are abundant as an 
undergrowth. Numerous families resort to these 
the root, and in a few years bear more abundantly 
than ever. While these fruits are found in such 
abundance in the wild state, it is not probable that 
their cultivation can be profitable : still, those who 
have “ huckleberry pastures,” may do something 
to improve them by grubbing out other shrubs, 
thus giving the berry-bearing ones the whole 
ground; and, taking a hint from the improvement 
resulting from accidental fires, by cutting over 
the bushes once in a few years. From what has 
been done with other plants, it is not unreasonable 
to suppose that cultivation and careful selection 
would produce improved varieties of huckleberries 
and blueberries, as is has with the blackberry. This 
is a good field for some patient amateur to work. 
Kerosene to Kill Insects.—An Emulsion. 
Since the illuminating oil obtained from petro¬ 
leum, known in this country as kerosene, and in 
England as paraffine oil, came into general use, it 
has been employed with variable .success as an in¬ 
secticide. That it would destroy insect life was 
long ago established; that it would also destroy 
plant life was sometimes demonstrated in a manner 
more convincing than pleasant. The oil in its con¬ 
centrated form, can be tolerated by but few plants. 
The first improvement in its use was to add a very 
small quantity to a bucket of water, enough to 
make but a mere film upon the surface : then dif¬ 
fuse it through the water by violent stirring, and 
apply before the oil and water had time to separate. 
This answered fairly well, but was troublesome. 
The next step was to divide the kerosene, not by 
dissolving it, but by diffusing it in the form of an 
emulsion. It is well known that oils may be sus¬ 
pended in water by means of gum, sugar, etc., and 
may be kept thus for some hours br even days. It 
has been discovered that milk, either fresh or 
soured, is a convenient medium to unite kerosene 
and water. Mix together kerosene and half as much 
milk, stirring them thoroughly to form a cream¬ 
like mixture. When the two are so completely 
united that no oil is visible, dilute the mixture 
with twelve times its bulk of water, adding the 
water gradually, and stirring thoroughly. This 
THE DWARK BLUEBERRY. 
places, build a shanty, and camp out during the 
picking season. The fruit is sold to “ carters,” 
who have their regular routes, and at established 
points take up the fruit and ship it to market. 
When an occasional fire sweeps these forests, the 
berry bushes are not destroyed, but spring up from 
emulsion has been found especially useful in the 
treatment of the various scale insects, so difficult 
to destroy by ordinary inseeticides, and is used for 
various other insect pests. For trees use a syringe 
or foree pump, and for house-plants, often injured 
by scale insects, apply with a sponge or swab, 
