The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-12-16
Government Experiments Have Pro-
duced Fruit the Size of a
Concord Grape.
YIELD ABOUT $3.50 TO THE ACRE
One Commercial Farm In Indiana
Nets Good Profit On Seasons
Pickings.

For the lovers of BURBERRY pie,
blueberry pudding, and the other de-
licious desserts made with this popu-
lar American berry, the achievements
of the plant breeders of the depart
ment of agriculture in developing
cultivated blueberries almost the size
Of Concord grapes have special inter-
est.
This seasons results of the work of
cultivating blueberries have been the
most successful attained during a
series Of thoroughgoing experiments
extending over several years, and
frederick V. Coville, the government
expert in charge of the investiga-
lions, believes that the way has been
opened for new industry and for
new use Of land which will yield
more profits than other forms of
farming in many sections of the coun-
try.
Blueberries, or huckleberries. as
the fruit is called in the Southern
states, are a more important wild
crop than many would think. It is
estimated that this year there were
nearly $2,000.000 worth of blueber-
ries picked and sold in the markets
OF the country. There is only one
commercial BURBERRY plantation in
the whole United States, and, with
the exception of this crop, all of the
tlueDerries used are picked from wild
pushes
IN working to improve BURBERRY
plants, the botanist has discovered
that 1t differs from ordinary plants
IN its methods of nutrition, getting
nourishment from peculiar root fun
gus, principle in agriculture which
was not recognized before the MAX
ing of experiments Another inter-
esting thing which has been learned
is that the BURBERRY grows best in
poor, acid soils, reversing the require
ments demanded by other plants.
the best land for BURBERRY culture.
The Importance Of increasing the
size of the BURBERRY is that the larg-
er fruit will be easier to pick. The
labor Of picking the small, wild ber-
rles is very tedious and expensive, {
and at present represents about one /
half to two-thirds of the market price !
of the fruit Besides the reduction in |
the cost Of picking another advantage !
OF the large cultivated berries is that |
they present better appearance, a
quality making for quick sales and
higher prices in the market.
Farmers and suburban land own
ers who wish to experiment in the
culture Of the BURBERRY may do so
by transplanting wild bushes and
seedlings, or starting plants from cut
t1ngs. Covil1e has found through all
his experiments for the department
OF agriculture that the BURBERRY
plant grows best in well-rotted peat,
either of the bog or upland type, and
that if given the proper start, the
bushes begin to bear in three of four
years.
They grow to a great height under
proper conditions, and in the only
known commercial plantation in the
country, one of two and one-half
acres, planted twenty years ago in
Northern Indiana, the bushes are six
to eight feet tall. In one of the pub
lie parks In Washington, there are
two bushes planted prior to 1871,
largest stem about three inches in
diameter. The large bushes yield
about two gallons of berries, and with
1C0nfiy,aA6 an |