New Varieties of Blueberry

by GEORGE M. DARROW

THE VARIETIES that have made possible a cultivated blueberry industry in the United States consist of some 14 sorts bred by F. V. Coville of the Department, and one variety selected from the wild when he was collecting breeding material for his work.

Since Dr. Coville's death in 1937, three varieties have been named and introduced from the selections being tested at the time of his death. These consisted of two late sorts, Atlantic and Pemberton, and one very late variety, the Burlington. All three have been propagated and widely tested, and are proving to be worth while.

Atlantic is still liked for exactly the superior qualities that were observed when it was named. It has a large, vigorous plant that is very productive. The berries have good flavor, a fine, light-blue color, very large size, and good picking and shipping qualities. Also, of the varieties tested by the New Jersey Experiment Station, it has been the best of all for quick freezing. At one location in North Carolina the berries have been of largest size, but at a second location they were no larger than the Jersey. In the North their size equals that of the Dixi and is larger than that of the Jersey.

The Pemberton, in the Northern States, has proved to be even better than it seemed when it was introduced. It has superior vigor and productiveness, and good flavor and size of berry. Although in New Jersey its color does not seem better than that of Weymouth, in Massachusetts its color is much lighter. There, too, the scar (where the berry separates from the stem) is better than in New Jersey. It is considered promising in southern New England. Both Atlantic and Pemberton are well adapted to home gardens.

The Burlington is the latest to be introduced. It has a vigorous, large bush that resists the mite, a miscroscopic pest that is serious on some varieties. The color of the berry is light blue, its flavor is good, and it picks easily and ships well. Although not so large as Atlantic and Pemberton, it is of good size. This is a promising sort.

Dr. Coville and his associate, O. M. Freeman, left many unnamed selections that they considered worth testing. They also left about 30,000 seedlings, from which many additional selections have been made. Because those seedlings represented the accumulated experience of more than 25 years of breeding work, there are likely to be finer seedlings among them than the ones Dr. Coville named and introduced. We think there are, and are propagating several of them for extensive testing and study. Dr. Coville realized the needs of the industry, and among the crosses he left were some for better early-ripening varieties to replace the Weymouth, and for late-ripening varieties to extend the season after that of the Jersey. Seedlings having those qualities were found, and are being propagated for testing for their hardiness, disease resistance, vigor, productiveness, picking qualities, shipping qualities, and other characteristics that determine the value of a variety. The breeding work has been continued especially to obtain hardy and late-ripening varieties in the North, early canker-resistant varieties for North Carolina and neighboring States and varieties better for shipping, canning, and freezing.