Pointers of Interest 
TO PROSPECTIVE BLUEBERRY GROWERS 
Blueberries and their family grow wild and thrive 
here. The conditions for their growth are ideal, and 
yet — the commercial production of Eastern high 
bush blueberries is a comparatively new industry on 
the West Coast. The total acreage planted to this 
fruit is small. We have one of the oldest plantings 
of blueberries on the West Coast, consisting of about 
seven acres of different ages. 
SOIL 
The high bush blueberry, V. Corymbosum, thrives 
best on an organic type of soil, such as peat or a 
mixture of sand and peat. Mineral soils containing a 
large amount of humus have also proven suitable for 
blueberries, providing such soils are naturally or 
artificially well supplied with moisture. 
If your soil is clay, sand, or gravel, ideal blueberry 
soil can be made, with the addition of peat, leaf mold, 
sawdust or other refuse of a vegetable nature. To 
grow blueberries as a commercial crop, only soil 
suitably prepared for blueberries should be chosen. 
Along the Atlantic Coast the high bush type of 
blueberry thrives as far south as the Carolinas and 
Georgia; therefore, it is our opinion they should grow 
in California, providing that soil and moisture con¬ 
ditions are suitable. 
The initial investment in a blueberry planting is 
rather high in comparison to other bush fruits. 
Therefore, in localities where a beginner is not sure 
as to climate and soil for producing blueberries on a 
commercial scale, it is sometimes advisable to start 
out with a planting of seedlings from improved varie¬ 
ties. If these lower priced seedling plants thrive, 
the best of the named varieties should do well also. 
A seedling planting, now five years old, has pro¬ 
duced for us the past season a crop of over three 
ton per acre of excellent fruit which sold at a price 
equal to named varieties. 
SPACING 
Field plantings should be spaced far enough apart 
to give room for two-way cultivation. The rows 
should be spaced eight feet with the plants five or 
six feet apart. To insure a good crop, at least two 
varieties should be planted in the same field. 
AFTER PLANTING 
Young plants should not be permitted to fruit for 
one or two seasons after planting. This gives the 
plant a chance to grow faster and produce a good 
commercial crop the third year. Fruit production 
should increase as the plant matures. The blueberry 
plant reaches its full growth at the age of eight or 
nine years and should continue to fruit for many 
years after that. 
CULTIVATION 
An occasional cultivation during the growing sea¬ 
son keeps down weed growth. There has been no 
difficulty from insects or disease and spraying is not 
necessary. 
PRUNING 
Prune blueberries about the same as you would 
gooseberries or currants. On heavy-producing plants 
most of the wood three years old or older should be 
removed. 
FERTILIZER 
A complete commercial fertilizer has given excel¬ 
lent results to blueberries planted on upland soil. On 
rich bottom lands a mixture of potash and phosphate 
alone has given the best results. 
FRUIT SEASON 
Here the fruit season lasts about six weeks, de¬ 
pending on varieties. Early varieties usually begin to 
