1904 
Vol. LXIII, No. 2845, 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 6, 1904. 
SI PER YEAR 
PROPAGATION OF THE HUCKLEBERRY. 
Experiments With a Useful Fruit. 
ATTEMPTED CULTIVATION—The huckleberry, 
using that term in its larger sense, is one of our most 
useful and important wild fruits. The sale of wild 
berries brings very considerable money returns to many 
parts of our country, but as yet the fruit has attained 
no commercial importance in cultivation. A few men, 
who have wild land favorably situated, have taken some 
pains to give the berries a chance, and have thereby 
increased their returns. On the other hand, a few ama¬ 
teurs have succeeded in growing the fruit in their gar¬ 
dens successfully, but their number is small. Nearly 
all agree that there is little difficulty in transplanting 
wild plants to the garden, but oftentimes these plants do 
not thrive under cultivation as they do in the wild. 
The conclusion is often reached that they are ill-adapted 
to garden culture. They seem to have certain needs, 
which are not always met under cultivation. 
VARIETIES.—Many species of the two genera 
which form the huckleberry family are found in differ¬ 
ent parts of the country. Here in Rhode Island, near 
the shore, but three arc of importance; two of these, 
Vaccinium atroeoccum and Vaccinium corymbosum, are 
known as blueberries, though the former species is 
nearly black. The term huckleberry, as used here, ap¬ 
plies to the third species, Gaylussacia resinosa. Of 
these three, the first mentioned, which until recently 
has been considered only a variety of the second, is the 
least important. It bears smaller flowers and smaller 
fruit, which ripens earlier than the other species, and 
is black or very dark, dull blue in color. Gaylussacia 
resinosa, the “huckleberry" of New England, ripens 
later than the others, is black, of more pronounced 
flavor and, like the others belonging to this genus, con¬ 
tains 10 sharp, hard seeds, which are much more no¬ 
ticeable than the more numerous seeds of the other 
genus. It spreads from the roots and forms dense 
patches of bushes everywhere in the neglected pastures 
of this region. The fruit forms a richer preserve than 
does that of the blueberries, and is preferred fresh by 
some, though to most tastes the blueberries are prefer¬ 
able in their fresh state. The second species mentioned, 
CUTTINGS AND GRAFTS FROM SAND AND SOU.. 
Fig. 256. 
Vaccinium corymbosum, known as the Swamp blue¬ 
berry here, and as High huckleberry in other parts ol 
the country, is the most promising one for cultivation. 
The fruit, as found wild, varies somewhat in size, but 
averages well, often being unusually large. It is bright 
blue, of sprightly flavor, and in every way a most desir¬ 
able fruit. The plants are found growing everywhere 
in old pastures, swamps and along the roadside. Al¬ 
though known as the Swamp blueberry, it is by no 
means confined to swamp land. Under favorable condi¬ 
tions plants of this species make large, strong bushes, 
some reaching the height of eight feet or more, but 
more often ranging from four to six feet in height. 
When transplanted to garden land, we have found that 
few of the plants die, hut they are apt to he slow in 
growth, and make little progress during the first years 
FUNGUS COATING OF HUCKLEBERRY ROOTS. 
Fig. 257. 
in their new location. As time goes on they seem to 
improve in growth and vigor. 
A FUNGUS FRIEND.—While New England people 
may see but little reason to propagate this fruit, since it 
is so common, people outside its natural habitat would 
be very glad indeed to grow it, if the plants were 
available and if they could make them succeed. Un¬ 
fortunately, it seems to be difficult to propagate it. 
Stem cuttings will rapidly throw out shoots and appear 
to be starting well, but after a time the shoots are likely 
to wither and it will he found that no roots have ap¬ 
peared. Root-cuttings likewise make roots readily, but 
root with difficulty under average cutting-bed con¬ 
ditions. The apparent reason for this difficulty in prop¬ 
agation is an interesting one. In the farming world we 
have come to understand well the partnership existing 
between bacteria and plants of the clover family, which 
enables these plants to get nitrogen from the air. An 
equally interesting partnership exists between many 
other plants and low forms of fungi. The blueberry 
forms such a partnership. There is a fungus which 
enwraps its roots with a network of threads. This 
fungus gets its food from the roots of the huckleberry, 
but in turn assists the huckleberry in absorbing food 
from the soil. This fungus coating of the roots is 
known to botanists under the name of Mycorrhiza. 
Strange as it may seem, the plants cannot thrive well it 
this partnership does not exist. Fig. 257 shows portions 
of the tiny rootlets of a blueberry plant about as they 
appeared under the microscope before me when the 
drawing was made. 1 he cell walls of the rootlets are 
not shown. Under the microscope it is somewhat diffi¬ 
cult to distinguish between them and the fungus threads. 
Now when we insert a stem-cutting into sand in the 
greenhouse there is little probability that any of this 
fungus will be present. If the roots start they do not 
find their accustomed helper at hand to aid in their 
growth. The same may be true of root-cuttings, for 
these fungus threads are doubtless very delicate and 
easily destroyed by exposure to the air. 
INOCULATING THE SOIL.—In our experiments 
here we have found that by using sphagnum moss, and 
mixing with it soil taken from about the roots of wild 
huckleberry plants, we are able to have much better 
success in rooting the cuttings. Seee Fig. 258. If sand 
is used it is best to mix with that some soil taken from 
about the roots of plants where they grow in the fields. 
Fig. 256. In this way we probably introduce the fun¬ 
gus, which is needed in the growth of the roots. We 
find that root-grafts also produce plants readily under 
these conditions. They may be less desirable, however, 
in practice, since there is likelihood of sprouts being 
thrown up from the root, and if these roots are taken 
at random, poor types are likely to be included. Care 
is needed when these young plants are removed from 
the cutting-bed, for if put out where conditions are not 
favorable for the growth of the fungus on their roots 
they arc very likely to perish. A huckleberry soil should 
he chosen, or such soil should be put in the rows where 
they are set. We can only judge of the conditions 
needed for this fungus by the conditions under which 
wild plants arc found. Nearly all of the wild land here 
in Rhode Island is acid. It is certain, therefore, that 
in acid soil is not injurious and may be necessary. The 
cranberry, which belongs to the same genus, will not 
thrive at all in a soil which has been limed to correct 
its acidity. Perhaps the same thing may be true of the 
High huckleberry. Apparently a soil rich in vegetable 
matter, such as leaf mold, is most desirable. It is 
greatly to be hoped that the time will soon come when 
in many parts of the country we can grow huckleberries 
as well as other berries. fred. w. card. 
TOMATOES AS A FIELD CROP IN INDIANA. 
GOOD CARE NEEDED.— The growing of toma¬ 
toes as a field crop for the cannery has become quite an 
important industry in this (Washington) and adjoin¬ 
ing counties, not less than 800 acres having been planted 
in this county the present season. The tomato is not 
a friend of the slipshod farmer, nor the one with -soil 
so poor that it will not produce anything else, although 
some paying crops are grown on white or clay soils that 
do not as a rule yield profitable returns irom ordinary 
farm crops. My tomato field for this season consists of 
11 acres of clay loam, producing about 25 bushels of 
'; * 
CUTTINGS AND GRAFTS FROM MOSS AND SOIL. 
Fig. 25S. 
wheat or 50 bushels of corn per acre an average season. 
A rather light clover sod was turned under on half this 
field early in May, the remainder of the field having 
heen in corn on clover sod last year. The plow was 
followed by a drag, and the ground was twice har¬ 
rowed; then a fertilizer made by mixing 600 pounds 
muriate of potash with 2,000 pounds 14 per cent acid 
phosphate was applied with a wheat drill at the rate ot 
