BLUEBERRIES 
Blueberries require an acid soil containing an abundance of 
peat moss or rotted leaf mold or other partially rotted vegetable 
matter and sand. They need moist loose soil, free from rock. 
If too heavy with clay, sand will improve it. They are self-sup- 
porting shrubs. For fall planting, be sure to bring the earth 
well up around the plant. This will protect the root system and 
prevent it from heaving during the winter. 
Blueberry roots are distributed just under the surface of the 
soil. For this reason, cultivation should be very shallow, not 
over two inches deep, so as to leave roots undisturbed. Keep 
witch grass and other weeds away from plants as it harbors 
white grubs that feed on the berry roots, and weeds will absorb 
the moisture needed by your plants. Don’t use lime on soil in- 
tended for blueberries, for lime will sweeten the soil and make it 
unfit for this purpose. Avoid barnyard manure on your plants 
because it causes fungus disease. 7 
They require no pruning for the first few years after planting. 
But, when plants are half grown or get dense and overbear, thus 
producing an inferior size of fruit, then trim out the weak 
branches. As a fertilizer, a mulch of oak leaves or peat moss 
is excellent. Plant 4x4 feet apart each way. 
IMPORTANT—Blueberries require acid soil. If the nature 
of the soil is not acid, we strongly urge you to refrain from plant- 
ing them if you wish to avoid future dissatisfaction. 
We noted several instances where gardeners went through 
great efforts and heavy expenses to prepare a bed for Blueberries 
by turning sweet soil to acid. Frankly, the first year, the plants 
produced an amazing crop of extra large berries of the finest 
quality. The following years, the crop was very discouraging 
for the Blueberry bushes lost their vitality and the fruit crop was 
small and scanty. Why? Because, regardless how much one 
tries to change alkaline soil to acid, it is in vain, for the simple 
reason rains or other elementary influences which are uncon- 
scious to the human eye, washes away the acid contents present 
in the soil and three or four weeks later turns the soil back to 
its original alkaline state. 
Undoubtedly, you know when it rains, soils never re- 
main stationary, so it is only logical that the large area of sweet 
soil will gradually mix with the nearby small area of acid soil 
causing it to result to alkaline. 
But, if you insist on planting Blueberries, then choose an ele- 
vated location so that the rains cannot wash surrounding sweet 
soils into that area specially prepared with acid contents for the 
growth of Blueberries. 
RASPBERRIES 
Should be planted four feet apart each way. In training, al- 
low only a few canes to grow from each plant, cutting away 
all suckers to throw the strength into the stalks for bearing; all 
old canes should be removed when the bearing season is over. 
A good gravelly soil, or a deep moist loam is generally con- 
sidered best for the raspberry, yet the plants do well on light or 
even sandy loam, and on such soil the fruit will ripen some days 
earlier. The red varieties should not be placed on hard, clayey 
land, nor on low, wet soil. The black varieties do very well on 
claying soil. 
Newly set plants should be hoed or cultivated quite frequent- 
ly, especially early in the season, as it is important that a good 
start should be obtained the first year. It is important that all 
weeds should be kept down the first as well as the following 
seasons. Cultivate very shallow to prevent injury to the roots. 
Old stable manure is the best fertilizer for general use. On 
light soils it is best to apply it as a mulch. 
The first season only two or three shoots or canes should be 
allowed to grow from each root or hill. In midsummer, when 
the canes have reached a height of about two feet, the top should 
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