IRCULAR 169 MARCH 1951 commercial/ growing in california it s / R. E. BAKER - H. M. BUTTERFIELD #♦ :alifornia agricultural extension service fhe college of agriculture university of california • berkeley ?**»*4J A boysenberry planting, on two-wire trellis, in southern California. ^H I 1 1*1 Bush berries are important commercial crops in certain counties near San Francisco and Monterey bays, in the San Joaquin Valley, and in the counties of southern California that are near large markets. With a high yield per acre and a reasonable market price, berries can be a high income crop. With a poor yield per acre or inadequate preparation for the vital harvesting period, growing bush berries can be financially disastrous. Success depends on... At least one uncontrollable factor— the price offered. A number of controllable factors such as : Arranging for a market before the harvest period. Locating the planting near a ready market. Making sure that adequate labor is available when it is needed. Taking advantage of cultural practices that are known to improve yields. This circular attempts to point out the economic and agricultural factors involved in the suc- cessful growing of bush berries on a commercial scale, and gives directions for some of the cultural practices that make for increased yield per acre. [2] Where to find it Page The economic factors involved 5 The agricultural factors 10 Descriptions of varieties Trailing blackberries 11 Erect blackberries 14 Raspberries 14 Currants 16 Gooseberries 17 Blueberries 18 Picking a location 20 Propagation and planting 22 Cultivation 25 Weed control by spraying 26 Irrigation 26 Pruning and trellising 28 Types of trellises 33 Fertilizer 34 Diseases and their control 35 Insect pests and their control 40 Harvesting — preparation 43 Harvesting equipment needed 45 Picking operations 48 Sales and shipping 49 Acreage table 50 Varietal charts 50-54 List of additional reading 55 3] COMMERCIAL BUSH BERRY CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA R. E. Baker H. M. Butterfield Successful raising of bush berries on a commercial scale, in California, depends on both economic and agricultural fac- tors, neither of which can be ignored. Anyone who is now growing bush berries, or is thinking about going into the busi- ness, will need to know the answers to a number of questions such as: Who buys berries, and why? Housewives are, of course, the ultimate buyers of practically all berries. They buy them fresh for serving with meals, for canning or preserving, or making pies. They buy berries already canned, or in jams and jellies, or frozen. The grower very seldom sells berries direct to the consumer— he sells either to the fresh market, or to processors. Consumers buy berries primarily for their fine flavor, and secondarily for their food value. Berries retain most of their original food value, even after processing. What is the competition? Both Oregon and Washington have cli- matic and soil conditions that appear ex- cellent for berry raising. Both of these states have more acreage planted to bush berries than California, and yields in both states (with the exception of boysenber- ries) are equal to, or exceed those ob- tained in California. Thus competition from Oregon and Washington berry growers can become rather sharp. What has happened in the past? For many years, commercial berry production in California declined in total acreage. Since the war, due to high prices obtained, and the increase in purchases by canners and freezers (table 1), berry acreage has increased. The increase in the tonnage sold to canners and freezers has resulted in a decrease in the tonnage sold to the fresh market, but the over-all ton- nage of berries being grown and sold has increased. Where the saturation point is, nobody knows. It may have been reached for boy- senberries, unless new markets are found. In past years, when nearly all of the berries were shipped to the fresh markets in San Francisco and Los Angeles, berry growers were obliged to locate their plant- ings near these markets. In the last few years, however, due to lower trucking prices, and the establishment of canning and freezing plants in many parts of the state, growers have had a much wider choice in location of plantings. This has, in turn, resulted in an increase in berry acreage in the warm, inland counties, where cultural conditions are favorable for some types of berry raising. Costs and returns Since no one can say for sure what will happen to prices offered for berries, or to labor and other costs involved in com- mercial production, figures for past years may not mean much when projected into the future. However, as a basis for com- parison, the figures in tables 2 and 3 (on pages 6 and 7) are given. They show the weighted averages of costs and returns The Authors: Richard E. Baker is Assistant Professor of Pomology and Associate Pomologist in the Experiment Station, Davis. H. M. Butterfield is Agriculturist in the Agricultural Extension Division. [4 TABLE 1 — California Frozen Berry Pack Kind of berry ' 1949 1948 1947 1946 Blackberries Boysens Logans Youngs Other bush berries Total Strawberries for comparison pounds 375,736 9,310,507 1,952,455 490,614 12,129,312 9,285,433 pounds t 6,178,859 3,188,947 568,321 493,639 10,429,766 12,977,902 pounds 6,315 8,341,642 449,035 760,233 169,561 8,306,041 pounds 190,551 4,133,965 656,223 1,522,020 152,792 6,655,551 3,916,119 * The most common size of package for frozen blackberries, Boysens, Youngs, and strawberries is the 20-30 pound container. Most of the Logans are packed in 30-40 pound containers, with the 20-30 pound size second in importance. t Included under other bush berries. Source of data: Western Frozen Food Processors Association, San Francisco. for a number of plantings in Stanislaus County during 1947, 1948, and 1949, where both the yield per acre and the price increased from one year to the next. (The 1947 figures only are given in table 2, and are indicative of figures for later years because costs have changed very little since that time.) From what has happened in the past, and what can be surmised for the future, it is possible to arrive at the following conclusions regarding the commercial growing of bush berries: 1. Bush berries can be a high income crop. It is possible to obtain a gross in- come of $4000 per acre, with a yield of 10 tons per acre and a price of 20c per pound. 2. It is also possible to sustain a heavy loss, when conditions are unfavorable as to yield per acre, a readily available market, and price. 3. Some of the factors governing the commercial success of bush berries may be controlled to a certain extent; some may not. 4. While the unusually high prices paid for berries during the war years may not hold for the future, there is no reason why, with a high yield per acre and a reasonable price, bush berries cannot be a dependable source of income. The following pages will examine both the economic and agricultural factors that govern the successful raising of bush berries on a commercial scale, and sug- gest ways in which the controllable fac- tors may be made to contribute to success. A prearranged market. As stated above, the two large markets for fresh berries in California are in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some red raspberries are shipped fresh to out-of-state markets. Canning and freezing plants are scattered throughout the state. Prices paid by these The economic factors . . . what about costs, yields, returns? three types of markets will vary from year to year, and in different localities. (See table 4, page 9.) Regardless of where the berries are sold, it is essential that a grower have a well established market for his crop, and (continued on page 8) 5] TABLE 2 — Costs per Acre for Establishing Plantings of Boysenberries Stanislaus County, 1947 Weighted average Number of records 5 Number of acres 44.5 Labor costs per acre Planting Fertilizing Hoeing Cultivation and weed spray Irrigation Building trellis Miscellaneous Total labor cost Material costs per acre Irrigation water Fertilizer Plants Posts, stakes, and wire Other materials Total material cost Cash overhead costs per acre General expense County taxes Insurance Total cash overhead Depreciation costs per acre Irrigation facilities Tillage equipment Spray equipment Miscellaneous equipment Total costs except interest Average investment per acre Irrigation facilities Tillage equipment Spraying equipment Miscellaneous equipment Land Total investment Interest on average investment at 5 per cent Total all costs per acre $ 14.63 6.56 20.57 26.87 12.93 35.59 .70 $117.85 $ 1.78 20.07 78.76 85.92 3.13 $189.66 $ 15.38 5.11 .80 $ 21.29 $ 6.10 .92 .16 .23 $ 7.41 $336.21 $ 41.74 4.39 1.18 .57 486.52 $534.40 $ 26.72 $362.93 TABLE 3 — Costs, Returns, and Earnings on Bearing Boysenberries Age of planting Number of acres Yield, pounds per acre Average price received per cwt Total cost of production per cwt Production costs per hundredweight Preharvest labor Picking and hauling Total labor cost Total material cost Cash overhead cost Depreciation cost Interest on investment cost Total cost per cwt Labor costs per acre Prune, put up vines, pin back Fertilizing Spraying and dusting Hoeing and weed control Cultivation Irrigation Subtotal preharvest labor Picking and hauling Total labor cost per acre Material costs per acre Irrigation water Fertilizer Spray material Miscellaneous, including weed spray Total material costs per acre . . . Total labor and material cost per acre . . 1947 weighted average 1 25.5 6,573 $ 8.25 7.00 $ 1.25 $ 1.85 3.01 $ 4.86 .40 .38 .79 .57 $ 7.00 $ 72.06 4.63 2.82 17.80 10.31 14.20 $ 121.82 198.02 $ 319.84 $ 1.71 19.20 2.23 3.47 $ 26.61 $ 346.45 1948 weighted average 1.6 44.5 8,419 $ 11.54 6.90 $ 4.64 $ 2.09 3.16 $ 5.25 .27 .39 .56 .43 $ 6.90 $ 101.35 2.59 2.69 45.65 12.17 11.41 $ 175.86 266.31 $442.17 $ 1.78 16.42 1.24 3.22 $ 22.66 $464.83 1949 weighted average 3 44.5 10,484 $ 7.96 7.08 $ .88 $ 2.25 3.07 $ 5.32 .53 .42 .46 .35 $ 7.08 $ 187.57 10.89 3.18 8.43 16.19 9.30 $ 235.56 322.48 $ 558.04 $ 3.45 43.08 2.80 6.17 $ 55.50 $ 613.54 (Continued on page 8) [7] TABLE 3 (Continued) — Costs, Returns, and Earnings on Bearing Boysenberries Cash overhead costs per acre General expense (5% labor and material cost) County taxes Insurance Total cash overhead cost Depreciation costs per acre Vines Irrigation facilities Tillage equipment Spraying equipment Harvesting equipment Miscellaneous equipment. Total depreciation cost Average investment per acre Vines and trellis Irrigation facilities Tillage equipment Spraying equipment Harvesting equipment Miscellaneous equipment Land Total average investment Interest on average investment at 5 per cent .... Total all costs per acre Total returns per acre Management income per acre 1947 weighted average $ 17.32 5.10 2.73 $ 25.15 $ 40.63 4.55 .86 3.94 .83 .69 $ 51.50 $203.14 22.77 3.96 15.81 1.49 1.33 500.00 $ 748.50 1948 weighted average $ 23.24 5.20 4.08 $ 32.52 $ 36.60 6.29 .92 2.27 .96 .49 $ 47.53 $ 183.01 43.01 4.39 9.58 1.70 1.01 486.52 $ 729.22 1949 weighted average $ 30.68 5.49 8.14 $ 44.31 $ 36.59 6.29 1.57 2.27 .95 .49 $ 48.16 $ 183.02 43.01 7.64 9.58 1.71 1.01 486.52 $ 732.49 $ 37.43 $460.53 541.94 $ 81.41 $ 36.46 $ 581.34 971.70 $ 390.36 $ 36.62 $742.63 834.81 $ 92.18 Source of data: Based on Enterprise-Management Studies in Stanislaus County, Agricultural Extension Service, 1947, 1948, and 1949. a definite commitment with the buyer before the crop is ready for harvesting. Due to the extreme perishability of the fruit, there is no time to scout around for a market or a better price after the berries are ready for picking. Growers who belong to or sell through a cooperative, or other marketing agency [ sometimes have this factor taken care of automatically. Available labor. Next in importance to having a prearranged market is the necessity of having an adequate supply of labor available at the time the berries are ready for harvesting. During the early part of the season (for most berries) rela- TABLE 4 — Car lots* of Bush Berries for Los Angeles and San Francisco Markets Berry and market Blackberries Los Angeles Oakland! San Francisco Total Boysen, Nectar, and Young Los Angeles Oakland San Francisco Total Logans Los Angeles Oakland San Francisco Total Raspberries Los Angeles Oakland San Francisco Total Blueberries Los Angeles Oakland San Francisco Total Gooseberries Los Angeles Oakland San Francisco Total 1949 carlots 6 7 14 27 125 26 35 186 1 4 6 11 21 5 16 42 2 1948 carlots 4 17 21 94 27 121 20 13 33 1 1 2 1947 carlots 8 20 28 143 41 184 7 7 15 14 29 1946 carlots 4 12 16 68 16 84 2 2 14 11 25 * Includes unloads by freight, boat, express, parcel post, and truck receipts, converted to carlot equivalents, 1,800 trays or crates to each carlot. t Figures for earlier years not available. Source of data: Federal-State Market News Service. tively few pickers will be needed, but during the peak of the season, a full crew should be in operation or available when needed. Once the berries are ready for picking there can be no waiting. With this in mind, many growers limit the size of their plantings to that which can be handled by members of the family and local labor. This is not necessary when there is an adequate supply of [9 migratory labor available, but is import- ant in times of labor shortages, as was pointed out during the war years. Cutting costs. A survey conducted by the Agricultural Extension Service in 1949 showed that about 79 per cent of the total returns from boysenberry plantings was paid out for labor. The actual cash outlay can be reduced, of course, if the grower and his family perform a substan- tial amount of the labor. In some places the cost of irrigation water runs high. Applying more water than is necessary is wasteful, and tends to run up costs and detract from income. Fertilizing may run from $6 to over $150 per acre. Costs can be cut by taking the trouble to determine what kind of fertilizer is needed, then purchasing the kind that is most suitable and applying it in adequate but not excessive amounts. The point is that bush berries, being a relatively high income crop, with an op- portunity for good profits for the grower, also require a high degree of skill in man- agement practices. Without "cutting the corners" high costs can do away with any management profit that might accrue, in spite of a favorable price. Yield-income relationship. The yield per acre has a direct bearing on the income derived from any crop. The rela- tionship between yield per acre and in- come from bush berries is especially im- portant. The difference between a good yield and a mediocre yield per acre can make the difference between a profit and a loss for the grower, in any given season. Certain costs per acre involved in bringing the berries up to the producing point tend to remain about constant: water bills; labor expenses, etc., for prun- ing, placing canes on trellises, picking; picking supplies. So unless each acre pro- duces sufficient berries to pay off these costs and leave enough over for the grower the entire operation is commer- cially useless. The following table, compiled from figures obtained on berry farms in Ore- gon, in 1947, shows how rapidly the cost per pound goes down (hence income per acre goes up) as the yield per acre goes up for boysenberries: TABLE 5.-Yield per Acre as a Factor in Cost Yield Cost (in tons per acre) (in cents per pound) Less than 1 ton 26.2 1-2 tons 13.5 2-3 tons 11.0 3-4 tons 8.7 4 or more tons 7.4 Yield per acre can, to a certain extent, be controlled by good cultural methods, as described later in this circular. Location. As can be seen above, loca- tion of a planting should be such that there is a well established market nearby, and an adequate supply of labor available at harvest time. Agricultural factors (as outlined later in this circular) may, how- ever, have more bearing on the location of plantings than the economic factors mentioned above. Some varieties of bush berries produce much better in California than others (see description of varieties starting on the opposite page). In some cases, notably among currants And these are the agricultural factors that must be watched and gooseberries, there do not seem to be any varieties that are well adapted to Cali- fornia conditions. Blueberries do fairly well in the state, but seem to prefer the acid soil condition 10 found in the Redwood belt along the Coast Range of mountains in central and northern California. This tends to limit the potentially productive planting areas for this group of berries. By and large, all berries require fertile soil and maintenance of considerable soil moisture in order to produce well. This can be an important factor in the expense involved in getting the crop ready for harvest. The remainder of this circular will be devoted to the agricultural factors in- volved in successful bushberry raising, including: 1. Choice of varieties that will give the best yield under local conditions. 2. Cultural practices that will tend to increase the yield. 3. Control of diseases and pests. 4. A description of materials needed and methods used to harvest the crop efficiently. Berries as an intercrop. Some farm- ers have planted berries in between fruit or nut trees while the trees were young. Occasionally the berry crop has been more profitable than the fruit crop and the growers have been tempted to let the berries remain. Since berry plantings should usually last for about 10 years and tree crops should be productive for 20 years or more, the individual grower must decide which crop will pay best under local con- ditions. Berries should not be allowed to inter- fere with tree crops, and either the trees of the berries should be removed when competition for the space sets in. This is the most important group of bush berries in California because it represents the greatest acreage and in- cludes the varieties from which the heavi- est yields have been recorded. The varieties in this group are listed, together with some brief facts about them, in the order of their commercial importance in the state. Boysen. The Boysen is grown gener- ally throughout the state because of its unusually high yield. In the Central Val- ley, under intensive methods of culture, 4 to 5 tons per acre are considered poor yields; 7 to 8 tons are not uncommon and 10 tons are attained by some growers. In the central coast area the average yield is 5 tons per acre. In the Sebastopol and southern California areas, 3 tons per acre is average. The Boysen variety is high in quality and is in great demand as both fresh and frozen fruit. The berries are reddish in color and most are about l 1 /^ inches long Trailing blackberries (the most important group) — varieties and 1 inch in diameter. The taste is sweet and the aroma abundant. The plant is moderately vigorous, with thorns that are larger than those of the Logan, but smaller than those of the Himalaya. The foliage is dark green. The picking season in southern Cali- fornia runs from about May 20 to June 25 ; in the San Joaquin Valley, from about May 25 to June 25; in Sebastopol from June 2 to July 10; in the central coastal area, from June 20 to August 1. The Nectar variety differs from the Boysen in that the fruit of the Nectar is Fruit of the Nectar variety of blackberry. [ii] less acid, and slightly sweeter, and the individual drupelets are usually greater in diameter. The plants can not be distinguished from those of the Boysen. The production areas and characteristics of the two vari- eties are similar or identical. The Young variety is grown generally throughout the state because it ripens as much as 10 days earlier than the Boysen, and thus spreads the picking season of mixed plantings. It is being supplanted in popularity, however, because it will only produce from 50 to 70 per cent as much fruit in the same locality as Boysen and the fruit is not of as high quality. The plants of the Young variety are less vigorous, and the leaves are lighter green. The berries have no distinct aroma and are shiny, in contrast to the dusty bloom that covers the Boysen. Thornless Logan. This berry is most popular as a processing fruit because of its sour taste. It is best adapted to the central coast area of California, the only The Logan blackberry— popular for pies, jams, jellies and juice— is losing favor with growers. Fruit of the Young variety of blackberry. place in the state where it is important commercially. Under dry-farming conditions, the Thornless Logan will produce from 1 to 3 tons per acre. Irrigation will raise this yield to as much as 6 tons. Given the proper cultural conditions, the Thornless Logan plant is vigorous. The fruit is about the same length as that of the Boysen, but smaller in diameter. The color of the fruit is light reddish and does not darken like that of the Boysen. The berries are covered with numerous fine hairs, giving them a dull, rather than shiny look. Thorns, when present at all, are very small. Both the Thornless Logan and the Logan (see below) are susceptible to virus diseases which tend to shorten the life of productive plantings. Logan. There is very little difference between the Logan and the Thornless Logan, except as suggested by the name. The former bears numerous fine thorns on the canes. The thorny Logan is also considered, by many growers, to be more susceptible to the dwarf disease. For this reason, the Logan has become less popular among growers than the thornless variety. Thornless Boysen. The Thornless Boysen has been planted generally throughout the state, but has not received much popularity because it is less vigor- ous and produces much lower yields than the thorny Boysen variety. The bushes are short-lived— usually about 2 or 3 years. The fruit is medium in size, reddish black in color, and has about the same uses as that of the Boysen, but the quality The Thornless Boysen, less vigorous than Boysen. of fresh fruit is not as high. The picking season is about the same as that of the Young variety. Himalaya. The Himalaya variety is not too popular with many growers be- cause of its vigorous canes covered with long, hooked thorns which make pruning and picking operations extremely diffi- cult. This variety has, however, many good qualities to recommend it as a commer- cial crop in the central and north coast regions of the state. The quality of the fruit is good to excellent and can be sold fresh, for canning, or for freezing. The picking season begins late (about the first week in July) and extends through the middle of September. Himalaya plants are extremely vigor- ous and long-lived. One planting in Santa Cruz County is known to be over 30 years old and is still productive. Canes on the Himalaya plants sometimes attain a diameter of 1% inches. Their maximum yield is 10 tons per acre. The color of the ripe berries is jet black and shiny. They are small to medium in size and nearly round in shape. Himalayas produce as heavily as Boy- sen in the central and north coastal re- gions, but their production possibilities in the central valley are not yet known. Cory Thornless. The Cory Thornless (Thornless Mammoth) is a thornless mutation from the Mammoth blackberry that can be grown anywhere that the Young variety is adapted. The yield is about the same as that for the Young variety. The fruit is smaller in diameter than the Boysen, but often 2 inches long. When mature, the fruit is black and shiny. The picking season begins 3 or 4 days earlier than that of the Boysen and con- tinues over approximately the same pe- riod. The quality is good and the fruit may be sold fresh, or for canning or freezing, but because of the small acreage planted in the state, the entire crop is currently being sold on the fresh market. The plants are vigorous and nearly thornless, but this variety is susceptible to attack by the berry mite. Thornless Oregon Evergreen. This variety is still experimental in California, and its adaptation to conditions in the state is not known. Indications are that it will produce fair yields in localities where the winters are unusually cold, but does not do as well after mild winters. Present experimental plantings indi- cate that it would yield somewhat less than the Himalaya and considerably less than the Boysen. The picking season be- gins during the latter part of July and continues through August. The fruit is small to medium in size, roundish in shape and black in color. It is suitable for canning and for shipment to distant fresh markets. The plant is moderately vigorous and thornless. The leaves are deeply serrated, giving rise to the variety's other name- Cut-Leaf blackberry. Phenomenal. Because this variety is unimportant commercially and extremely variable in type, it is mentioned here simply to indicate the true nature of the Phenomenal variety. Several different types of trailing blackberry have been sold under this name. The true Phenomenal variety was in- troduced by Luther Burbank in 1897. The fruit is quite similar to that of the Logan, but the berries are slightly larger and softer in texture than the Logan. The drupelets are larger and more irregular and the fruit is less acid than the Logan. [13 Erect blackberries — just two varieties are grown commercially Erect blackberries have never become very popular commercially because their yields are less than those of Boysen and Nectar. They are, however, desired by processors. The only varieties grown at all commercially in California are: Lawton. The Lawton plant is vigorous and the canes are covered with long thorns, similar to those on the Himalaya variety. The fruit is medium in size, black, sweet, and of excellent quality. Good yield is 5 tons per acre. The picking season (near Sebastopol— the only commercial planting in the state) begins about July 5 and continues None of the present known varieties of raspberries does well in California. Growers in Washington, for instance, get over 50 per cent better yields from rasp- berries than do the present growers in California. For this reason, raspberry acreage in California is insignificant compared with that of trailing blackberries and there are no large commercial plantings of stand- ard varieties anywhere in the state. Apparently the future development of the raspberry industry in California must wait for the introduction of more suitable varieties. They are presently grown only in the central coast area. The following is a description of the varieties that are grown commercially, together with information as to plant habits, etc., based on commercial and ex- perimental plantings in the state: Cufhbert. This variety used to pro- duce a good spring crop and a moderately heavy fall crop, but recently the plants in California appear to have been subject to attack by a virus which reduces the vigor and yield of the plants below that necessary for success commercially. [14] through to September 5. This usually con- flicts with other harvesting seasons when pickers can make more money working on other crops. Mountain Blackberry. There are a few commercial plantings of this variety in San Diego County where the picking season is the latter part of March or early April, and continues for 3 to 4 weeks. The quality of the fruit is only fair and yields are only 1 to 3 tons per acre, but the extreme earliness of the picking sea- son makes them commercially practical in that area. The entire crop is sold on the fresh market. Raspberries — most varieties don't do well in California Whether or not the trouble is due to a virus, the fact remains that Cuthbert plants are no longer popular with com- mercial growers because of poor yields. The quality of the fruit is good, and is satisfactory for sale on the fresh mar- * Top to bottom: Cuthbert, Washington and Wil- lamette varieties of raspberry. None is well adapted to growing in California. Fruit of the Lloyd George variety of raspberry. ket or for processing. Production begins during the latter part of May for the spring crop and the fall crop reaches a peak toward the latter part of September or early October. The fruit is medium to dark red, conical, firm, separates readily from the core, and ships well. Lloyd George. Except for the peak of the spring crop, this variety has a rather poor yield. Production begins about May 20, in most years, and con- tinues throughout October. The fruit is uniform, and conical in shape. The quality is only fair. Ranere. This variety is also known as Ranaree, and St. Regis. It is grown mainly in the Santa Clara Valley and one small planting has been observed in the Sierra foothills which, after 27 years, is still vigorous and productive. The chief virtue of the Ranere variety is its heavy fall crop that is shipped to the eastern market. The berries are me- dium in size, bright red, and firm and are suitable for local fresh markets and for shipping to other fresh markets. They do not have sufficient quality to be in demand for processing. The production season begins during the third week in May and continues through October. Excellent yield is 5 tons per acre. Washington. As the name implies, , this variety was developed for the state of Washington. It is not very well adapted to conditions in California. It produces a fairly heavy spring crop, beginning about the third week of May, but produc- tion drops off rapidly shortly after that. The fruit is small to medium in size, bright red, conical, and of excellent quality. The plants are vigorous and appear to be long-lived. The faults of this variety seem to be the small size of the fruit and the lack of production during the fall season. Willamette. Information on this va- riety is not complete. The plantings studied in the central coast area did not appear to be very well adapted to Cali- fornia conditions, but since Willamette was developed for growing in the state of Oregon, it is possible that plantings in the northern end of California might produce well. This variety appears to require cold winters. The fruit is medium to large, medium red, and uniform. While the quality is only fair, the large size of the berries helps to sell them on the fresh market, for they are attractive to the eye. In the plantings studied, however, the production of this variety was very er- ratic and, in most seasons, entirely too light. Cumberland. This is a black rasp- berry. In general, the production of black raspberries has been almost discontinued in California because of poor yields (about 25 per cent less than red rasp- berries). The fruit is large, roundish-conical, firm, and of good quality, but unable to compete with red raspberries because of the poor yield. Ranere— gives a fair fall crop in some places. For varietal charts of al pages 51 to 54. bush berries, see [15 Currants do not sell readily in Califor- nia on the fresh market. Perhaps con- sumers have not been educated to the use of fresh currants. For this reason practi- cally all of the currant crop in the state is sold to processors. The lack of a variety that is well adapted to California conditions is an- other reason why development of com- mercial plantings has been delayed in the state. While currants are long-lived plants, they produce well only when irri- gated. As an example, 3 tons per acre would be considered an excellent yield without irrigation; 6 tons per acre can be attained with irrigation. Most of the currants grown commer- cially in California are raised in Alameda County, or near Bishop.* * Because of the danger of currant plants act- ing as alternate hosts for white pine blister rust, plantings in the foothill areas of the Sierra are not advisable. Currants — California people are not familiar with them In the vicinity of Bishop the picking season begins the first week of July and continues to the end of the month. In the central coast area the season begins 2 to 3 weeks earlier and continues to about July 10. The following is a list of varieties be- ing grown in California— some commer- cially, and some in experimental plantings only: Fays Prolific. This variety produces large, bright red berries of good quality in short, loose clusters. The berries have a tendency to ripen unevenly. The plants are moderately vigorous, upright to spreading, and the foliage is moderately dense, giving a fair cover to the fruit. In cool areas the fruit will hang on the vine for several days, or even for 2 weeks or longer. The grower is therefore able to wait until the entire crop has matured Four varieties of currants grown in California. Left to right: Red Lake, Cascade, Fays Prolific, Perfec- tion. Fresh currants do not sell readily in California; so nearly all are sold to the processing trade. [16 and then harvest all berries at one pick- ing. This is often done because nearly all red currants are used for processing purposes at the present time. If it should be desired to sell some of the Fays Prolific variety on the fresh market, the fruit can be picked over a longer period of time, beginning as soon as a sufficient number of clusters are ripe, continuing as long as the market price is good, or as long as the fruit will hang on the plants without shriveling. Cherry. This has been the leading va- riety grown commercially in the central coast area. The bush is fairly vigorous, medium in size and fairly productive, but is some- what subject to attacks of mildew and cane borers. The fruit is large, bright red; the clus- ters are of medium length and well filled. The production season begins June 1 to 15, and continues to July 10. Red Lake. Observations of experi- mental plantings made in the central coast and central valley areas indicate that this is the most productive variety available. It is thought that Red Lake will produce as much as 25 per cent greater yield than Fays Prolific. The plant is moderately vigorous, spreading to upright, with dense foliage. The individual fruits are mostly me- dium in size, with a few large berries in each cluster. They are medium red in color. Clusters are long, loose, and usually well filled. The quality is good. Perfection. This variety has been ob- served in experimental plantings only. The production is equivalent to that of Fays Prolific. The plants are moderately vigorous, upright to spreading, with fairly dense foliage. The individual berries are larger than any of the other varieties described, me- dium red in color and of good flavor. Clusters are moderately long and loose. Cascade. Test plantings of this vari- ety in California indicate that it ranks only slightly below the Perfection variety in yield. The production season is the same as that of Fays Prolific. The plant is moderately vigorous, up- right to spreading, with dense foliage. The fruit is medium to large, bright red, fair to good in flavor, but when slightly overripe tends toward a rapid de- cline in acid content. The clusters are me- dium in length and fairly tight when the fruit is large. Black form of Golden Currant. A black variety of the Golden currant has been grown successfully in Alameda County. Although plantings of this vari- ety are very limited in extent, the bushes seem to give a fair yield and be less sus- ceptible to trouble with mildew, and with borers, than the red varieties. The rasp- berry horntail may be troublesome at times. This black currant is not the true black currant referred to in restrictions for blister rust control (see page 16). Gooseberries are of only minor com- mercial importance in California, prob- ably for the same reasons as those given for currants: there are no varieties too well suited for California conditions and consumers have not been educated to their uses. Gooseberries — just one variety is planted commercially Oregon Champion is the only variety recommended for commercial plantings, since it seems to produce greater yields than any of the other varieties studied, either in commercial or experimental plantings in the state. The fruit is light green to yellow in [17] Fruit of Oregon Champion variety of gooseberry color, medium to large in size, and of good quality. The plants are fairly vigor- ous to vigorous, and the foliage is moder- ately dense. This variety shows severe injury to even moderate salinity— the leaves show marginal scorch and the entire plant be- comes dwarfed. On the east side of the Sierra, the pro- duction season begins about June 1 and continues for several weeks. In the cen- tral coastal area, production begins ap- proximately a week earlier. Excellent yield is 7% to 10 tons per acre. Blueberries are adapted only to acid soils and relatively cool climates; so the central and north coast regions and pos- sibly the Sierra foothills may be the only sections of the state where this crop can be grown. At this writing, commercial production in the state is limited to a few plantings in the vicinity of Santa Cruz, Sebastopol and Eureka. Yields up to 1,000 crates (5 tons) per acre have been reported, but this yield could probably be doubled if irrigation water were available. Nine commercial varieties have been observed, and these are discussed in their approximate order of ripening. Rcmcocas is tall, vigorous, and the up- right plants tend to overbear, so need severe pruning. They are propagated easily from hardwood cuttings. The fruit is large, light blue, firm and of good quality. It ships well, but does not keep as well as some other varieties. The clusters are very tight; the scar (left when the stem is pulled) is medium in size. In the Sebastopol area, the picking season begins June 10 to 15, and con- tinues for approximately 4 weeks. Scammel is erect, vigorous and the bushes appear to be productive in ex- perimental plantings. The fruit is large, Blueberries — some varieties have not been thoroughly tested dark blue, firm, with a slight aroma, and is above medium in dessert quality. The scar is medium size. The leaves are small and the fruit clusters are long and tight. Dixi has vigorous, open, spreading bushes. Three-year-old plants in an ex- perimental planting appeared to be very productive. The berries are very large, hence de- sirable in the eyes of buyers. They are medium blue, firm, aromatic and of good quality. The scars are large. Dixi variety is especially valuable for its large size and productivity. Rubel variety has tall, vigorous, up- right plants that are productive in com- mercial plantings. This is the easiest of the standard varieties to propagate from hardwood cuttings— it is fairly easy to propagate from soft wood, and is easily pruned. The fruit is only medium in size, light blue, very firm and slightly aromatic. It is fairly good in quality and ships well. Its chief drawback is its small size. The leaf is medium in size. The fruit cluster is very loose and the scar is good. Atlantic variety is very promising be- cause of the large size of the fruit, its productiveness and its good scar— one of the best. The bush is very vigorous, open, [18] spreading with large leaves. The cluster is loose and the berries are large, firm, with slight aroma and above medium in quality. Pemberton bushes are the most vigor- ous of all— erect, and apparently produc- tive. This variety also propagates easily. The fruit is large, dark blue, firm, with slight aroma, and medium to above in dessert quality. It has a poor scar. The leaf is large— the fruit cluster is loose and very large. Jersey plants are very vigorous and upright and do not sprout freely from the base. Production is good in commer- cial plantings, but this variety is some- what objectionable because many of the stems tend to adhere to the fruit during picking operations. This makes it neces- sary to remove many of the individual stems from the fruit before placing them in the basket, thus running up the cost of picking operations. The fruit is large, attractive, firm and keeps well. It remains acid and of good quality until it is fully mature. The stems are long and the clusters open. The scar is good. Burlington variety has bushes that are vigorous, upright and spreading. In experimental plantings that are only 3 years old, they appeared to be promis- ing from a standpoint of production. The fruit is medium size, good blue color, firm, with slight aroma, and above medium in quality. The scar is one of the best. The cluster is medium tight. This va- riety can be propagated easily. o -o o The following varieties have been ob- served in experimental plantings only and the bushes were too young to offer conclusive information, but all varieties showed promise enough to be worthy of trial in commercial plantings, because they ripen so early in the season. The addition of one or more of these varie- ties in plantings would give California • » • m • • • »e These are all blueberry varieties. Top to bot- tom: Atlantic, Burlington, Dixi, Pemberton, Scammel. All are grown commercially in Cali- fornia. growers even more advantage on the early market than they now have over growers in the northwest. Weymouth is the earliest of all varie- ties, ripening all berries quickly. The fruit, however, is poor in quality, above medium in size, dark blue, firm, lacking in aroma. The scar is medium. [19] The bush is erect, open, spreading, and of average vigor. The fruit cluster is me- dium loose; leaf above average size. This variety is desirable only because of its earliness. June. The bush is below average in vigor, erect with medium sized leaves. The fruit cluster is loose. The fruit is medium in size, dark blue, with slight aroma ; medium quality. This variety is difficult to propagate. Cabot is the standard for earliness in the state of New York, where it has been planted extensively. The bush is below average in vigor, low, spreading. The fruit cluster is long and tight. The fruit is small to medium, good blue color, not very firm, with slight aroma and poor texture. This variety is below medium in quality, and has only a fair scar. Choosing a location — the soil, water, and climate are important Trailing blackberries. Logans and Thornless Logans seem to do somewhat better in the cool coastal areas of the cen- tral and northern portions of California. The other common varieties of trailing blackberries appear to be widely adapted throughout the state. High yields have been obtained in such widely diverse lo- cations as Tulare and Santa Cruz coun- ties; so apparently location within certain parts of the state is not an important factor. The exact soil requirements for op- timum production in the different areas of the state are not known in detail. How- ever, observations made regarding the most successful and productive plantings indicate the following general soil re- quirements : 1. The soil should be at least 4 to 6 feet deep. 2. It should be of the type that takes water readily, but dries out rapidly at the surface, so that picking operations can be carried on within 1 to 3 days after irrigation has been completed. 3. The soil should not be underlain with a hardpan or parent material at 4 to 6 feet. Such a condition is likely to bring about an accumulation of free water or an artificial high water table which may rise high enough to kill the roots of the berry plants. Such a condition can be partially remedied by installation of a drainage system, or by special irrigation practices (see page 39). 4. The pH (relative acidity or alkalin- ity) of the soil should not be over 8.0, and preferably should be between 5.5 and 6.0. 5. Even moderate salinity (concentra- tion of neutral salts) should be avoided. Blackberries are very susceptible to sa- linity. 6. Soils that are infested with verticil- lium wilt should be avoided. The Boysen, Young, and Nectar varieties are suscepti- ble to this disease; the Logan and Hima- laya varieties are relatively resistant. Erect blackberries. Soil and mois- ture requirements for erect blackberries are essentially the same as those for trail- ing varieties, except that rapid water penetration does not seem to be so es- sential. Erect blackberries appear to be gener- ally adapted throughout the state. Red raspberries. While raspberries can be and are grown successfully in sev- eral parts of the state, the central and north coast regions appear to be the most satisfactory for commercial production. In general, soil requirements are as follows : 1. Soil should be at least 3 to 4 feet deep and of a type that permits rapid [20] . .- . '■' " tiM ' , : > Thornless Boysen planting that has been injured by an excess of salinity in the soil. penetration of irrigation water. This is necessary because the available soil mois- ture for raspberries must be maintained very close to the surface for best pro- duction. 2. The soil must dry out rapidly after irrigation so that picking operations will not be hindered. 3. Avoid soil infested with verticillium wilt. The only variety grown commer- cially in California that is considered relatively resistant to this disease is Cuth- bert. 4. Avoid salinity. While red raspber- ries are as resistant to salinity as trailing blackberries, excess salinity causes severe damage to any of the varieties that are grown commercially. Currants and gooseberries. From the standpoint of climate, the central and north coast sections of the state are best for currants and gooseberries. While it is possible that they may be grown in the foothill areas of the Sierra, it is prob- ably not advisable to do so because of the danger of their acting as alternate host for white pine blister rust. Successful plantings observed in Ala- meda County indicate that currants and gooseberries will do well in medium to heavy textured soils that are neutral to slightly alkaline in reaction. They apparently do not require soils which permit rapid water penetration, however they will not withstand sub- mergence, even for a short period. Saline soils should also be avoided. Severe injury can result from salinity. Blueberries. There are many suitable locations for blueberries throughout the central and north coast regions of the state. These soils are mineral in nature and are not particularly high in organic matter, but apparently the organic mat- ter which is present, plus additional amounts applied in the form of animal manures is sufficient for producing blue- berries. Productive plantings have been [21] observed in such soils in the Santa Cruz and Sebastopol areas. General soil requirements are as fol- lows: 1. Good drainage. Surplus water dur- ing the growing season is always harm- ful. 2. An acid reaction. If the pH of the soil is above 5.8, the plants may be mot- tled-chlorotic (spotted with yellow in the leaves), indicating a need for more iron. Iron in the soil is readily available to the plants only when the soil reaction is be- low pH 5.8. Most berry plants propagate easily. This factor is important for growers who wish to produce their own plants. For new plantings, bushes may be pur- chased from a reliable nursery. For replanting, or for increasing the size of existing plantings, it is sometimes less expensive (except for the labor in- volved) to grow plants from cuttings, layerings, or root cuttings of old plants. Plants secured in this way should be ex- amined to make sure that they are not taken from diseased stock, or from stock infested with insects/ Trailing blackberries. The propa- gating method described for trailing blackberries also applies to black and purple raspberries, i.e., tip layering. Cover the end of a cane 4 inches deep in a hole made with a trowel during the latter part of the summer. The covered part of the cane sends down roots from new stem growth and forms a plant that can be set out the following spring. One acre should furnish a minimum of 10,000 rooted tips. Logan and Young tips are easily in- jured. For this reason, some growers prefer to use tips of these varieties that have been grown in the nursery row be- fore being set out permanently. Red raspberries and upright black- berries. These may be propagated either by suckers, or by root cuttings. Suckers which arise from the roots may be dug up and used as new plants. In so doing, be sure to get a large enough sec- tion of the roots of the mother plant with Propagation and planting — for either new or replacement stock the sucker. This method is most common among commercial growers. Most nurseries propagate plants by root cuttings. Dig up a number of old plants and cut the roots into pieces about 3 to 4 inches long. Set out these root cut- tings in carefully prepared nursery soil. If given careful cultivation, and not al- lowed to dry out, they will produce plants large enough to set out in one year from the time the cuttings are made. Currants and gooseberries. New currant and gooseberry plants may be obtained by cuttings. Cuttings should be made during the dormant season. They should be from 7 to 10 inches long, of well-ripened one- year-old wood. They may be set out im- mediately in rows, or stored in moist sand in a cellar or other cool place until spring. When planted, they should be put in nur- sery rows, with one or two buds above the surface of the soil. Press the soil firmly around the buried portions. The resulting plants should be grown in the nursery for 1 or 2 years before being put out into the field. Those varieties that do not root readily (see descriptions of varieties) may be propagated by mound layering. Heap the soil up around the lower part of the older plant high enough to bury several basal buds on each branch. These buds will then form lateral branches with roots at the basal portion. When roots are estab- lished (at least 4 months), cut off the branch below the new roots and handle as rooted cuttings. 22 Blueberries. Good results have been reported in rooting softwood cuttings of blueberries; hardwood cuttings root with difficulty. Many growers will prefer to buy stocks for test plantings. Blueberry propagating stocks are available as follows: Unrooted cuttings— ranging in length from 12 to 24 inches exclusive of buds. No. 1 rooted cuttings— should have tops with 2 to 9 inches of new growth; only fairly well rooted. 2-year-old rooted cuttings— from 6 to 12 inches, with a minimum of 12 inches of total new growth. 3-year-old rooted cuttings— should be from 12 to 18 inches long, with a mini- mum of 24 inches of new growth. 4-year-old rooted cuttings— should range from 18 to 24 inches long. As a rule, the older the cuttings, the higher the price. Prices are usually quoted on lots of 10 to 100; 100 to 299; 300 to 999 and 1000 or more. Rooted cuttings of the smaller sizes sometimes include several popular varieties, such as Burlington, Cabot, Concord, Jersey, June, Pioneer, Rancocas, Rubel, Stanley, Atlantic, Dixi, Pemberton, and Wey- mouth. As a rule, rooted cuttings of At- lantic, Dixi, Pemberton, and Weymouth have brought premium prices. Stanley has also brought some premium prices. To prepare the soil for planting, make sure that it is level, so that there will be little or no difference in elevation from one end of the irrigation furrow or check to the other. This step is not necessary, of course, for sprinkler irrigation. If considered desirable, manure may be applied at a safe interval before planting. Some growers use 5 to 10 tons of un- TABLE 6 — Planting Specifications for Bush Berries Berry When to plant Distance between rows Space be- tween bushes in row Remarks Blackberries Trailing Upright Feb. or March Feb. or March 8 ft. 8-16 ft. Many growers space trailing blackberries 4 to 6 ft. in the rows, allowing twice as many plants to the acre 6-8 ft. 6-8 ft. 4-6 ft. Planted in rows 6-8 ft. Planted in hills Raspberries Red Black Feb. or March Feb. or March 6-8 ft. iy 2 -Q ft. 6 ft. Planted in rows 6 ft. Planted in hills 6 ft. 4-6 ft. More spreading in nature Currants and Gooseberries Jan or Feb. 5-6 ft. 2 34-5 ft. Planted in rows 5-6 ft. 5-6 ft. Planted in hills Blueberries Jan. or Feb. 8 ft. 4 ft. Planted in rows 8 ft. 4 ft. Planted in hills for cross cultivation [23] rotted cow manure per acre, 3 months prior to planting. Before planting the soil should be wet to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. When it has dried out enough so that it will crumble readily, work it to a depth of 8 inches. It may not be necessary to work very sandy soils to this depth. For pruning at planting time see page 28. Bush berries should be planted so that they may be cultivated easily in one or two directions. They may be planted in hills, or in rows. The planting distance is governed by the ultimate size of the plants, and by the size of the tillage equipment that will be used between the rows. For recom- mended planting times and distances see table 6. Before planting blackberries, cut off the tips of the longest roots so the mass forms a compact clump several inches long. Open a hole with a spade, large enough to admit the roots when they are spread out in a fan shape. Insert the plant to approximately the same depth at which it was grown in the nursery, i.e., so the crown bud is at the soil level. Firm the soil around the roots so that all portions of the root system come into immediate contact with the soil. To serve as mark- ers for cultivation, the old stem of the plant is usually left sticking out of the soil. This may be cut off when the new shoots put in an appearance. In large plantings it is sometimes easier to open long furrows, rather than to dig individual holes for each plant. In this case, place the plants along the landside of the furrow and handle in the same way as described for holes dug with a spade. The two steps in actual planting of a blackberry bush. The plant should be put into the soil to approximately the same depth at which it grew in the nursery. Firm the soil around the plant by stepping on it. Bush fruits are shallow-rooted. The roots also tend to spread out for some distance from the plant. This is an im- portant factor in both cultivation and ir- rigation, as explained later in this cir- cular. Because of the shallow roots, the soil in berry patches should not be worked any deeper than 3 or 4 inches, and it should be worked even shallower close to the plants. The most commonly used tool for cul- tivation is therefore the offset disc harrow which cultivates to a relatively shallow depth. In some soils, however, the con- tinued use of one tool, operating at the same depth will cause a plow sole to be formed, and it is usually beneficial to do at least a part of the cultivation with a springtooth, a cyclone or similar tool, working at a depth even less than that of the disc. The area between the plants in the rows Cultivation is kept to a minimum in most berry plots can be cultivated with a horse-drawn grape hoe, or a mechanized type of hoe that works in a similar manner. Several types of mechanized hoes are offered on the market, some of which can be oper- ated by the tractor driver and some of which require additional operators. Re- gardless of the type, considerable skill is needed in manipulating the blades in and out of the rows to avoid injury to the plants. All mechanical hoes now being used have the additional disadvantage of being difficult to regulate as to depth. Contours of the soil surface between the rows do not always correspond exactly with those of the soil surface within the row. In some plantings, hand hoeing is prac- ticed. For plantings where no trellises are re- quired, and where there is wide spacing of the plants (usually 8x8 feet or more) disking both directions is usually suffi- This planting was laid out with rows far enough apart to allow disking under weeds and prunings between the plant rows. [25 cient, except for breaking up plow sole that might be formed. In general, growers should cultivate as infrequently as possible. Cultivation is needed only for the purpose of control- ling weeds, to prepare the soil for irriga- tion, or to disk under prunings ( see page 33). Mulching blueberries. A mulching system for blueberry plantings has been satisfactory in the New England states. For unirrigated plantings, mulching offers some advantages. If the mulch is applied several inches deep it will keep down weeds, keep the soil cooler in sum- mer, help to retain soil moisture, and help to control erosion. The mulch may be applied around each plant, or over the entire surface of the soil. Sawdust, straw, or hay may be used, but it is well to avoid mulching material that contains weed seed. Where material low in nitrogen is used, it may be necessary to apply 2 or 3 times as much nitrogenous fertilizer. Alfalfa hay, which contains about 2.5 per cent nitrogen, is recommended where the cost is not prohibitive. Oil sprays have been used for the con- trol of weeds in plantings of trailing blackberries in the central valley. Diesel or fuel oil is commonly used. A common rate of application is 20 to 50 gallons, plus enough water to bring the total volume to 100 gallons. For the control of annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds, a mixture of 20 to 30 gallons of oil per 100 gallons of spray is needed. To retard the development of Johnsongrass, 50 gallons of oil is needed. If 1 quart of dinitro ortho secondary butyl phenol is added to the 20- to 30- gallon oil spray, the mixture will be a more effective general weed control than the oil alone. Several companies are offer- ing fortified oil sprays. Irrigation should aim at maintaining the available soil moisture throughout the root zone (4 to 6 feet) at all times of the year, for plants of all ages. The most frequent applications of ir- rigation water are needed during the pick- ing season. In the San Joaquin Valley, irrigation may be needed as often as once Weeds can be controlled by spraying, in some cases Application of any of these sprays in a berry planting should be made under a pressure of 50 to 75 pounds per square inch. The nozzles should direct the spray very low for the weeds between the rows, and be pointed directly at the weeds near the bases of canes within the rows. A pressure of 100 pounds per square inch may cause the spray to drift and reach the berry vines. This should be avoided. New materials are being tested for the control of grasses in bushberry plantings, and while they give promise, specific rec- ommendations for their use cannot be given at this writing because of insuffi- cient data. Two such materials are isopropyl normal phenyl carbamate (IPC), and trichloroacetate (TCA). Irrigation is important — plants need water throughout the year or even twice a week during this season. During cooler seasons, and in cooler areas, irrigation may be needed as little as once a month, or even once every 2 months. As stated before, the roots of berry plants tend to spread out for a consider- able distance on either side of the rows. [26] It is therefore desirable to get irrigation water to all of these roots so that as much of the root population as possible can remain active. Irrigation that does not reach at least a major portion of the feed- ing root population prevents the plants from utilizing a substantial portion of the soil moisture and plant nutrients which would be potentially available in the location. The plants therefore pro- duce less growth, less vigorous growth, and less fruit than they might. Many growers use two furrows per plant row (see photo, below). The cen- ters of the furrows are approximately 2 feet from the centers of the plant rows. In some soils, and in very level locations, water in these furrows may spread later- ally to a sufficient extent to wet the entire soil mass. In many locations, however, the water will not spread more than a foot or so on either side of the furrows and will not reach enough of the root population. In such cases, the flooding system of irrigation is probably better. The checks or borders for flooding irrigation should be located in the plant rows and at the ends of the rows. While a much more uniform distribution of water results from this system, it can only be used on soils that dry out quickly at the surface, to permit picking operations within a few hours after irrigation. There is a considerable difference of opinion regarding the use of sprinkler irrigation on bush berries and it is not within the scope of this circular to dis- cuss sprinkler irrigation. It seems appro- priate to mention, however, that one grower in the Watsonville area uses sprinkler irrigation for trailing blackber- Irrigating raspberries by means of furrows close to the rows. Note tappoon used to dam the water in the head ditch. [27] ries and has experienced no difficulties as to quality of fruit, on the vine, in transit, or in the processing plant. Sprinkling is done during warm, clear days so that the berries and vines dry off before evening. When it is necessary to plant on shal- low soil, or hardpan land, the only way to avoid injury from the accumulation of free water on the underlying parent material or hardpan (see page 20) is by the regulation of the irrigation water. This can be done by breaking up the runs into very short distances. The irrigation can be further controlled by careful level- ing of the land, or by running the furrows or plant rows on the contour. If short, level runs are provided it will be possible to fill the furrows quickly and then shut off the supply of water in them so that a limited amount of water can be applied uniformly throughout the length of the furrow. Apply only enough water to saturate the soil down to, or close to the parent material or hardpan. It is still possible for rainfall to cause injury on hardpan land by accumulated water, but as stated, in such a case artifi- cial drainage must be provided. Since no general rules can be given for the rate and frequency for the applica- tion of irrigation water, nor the man hours required to irrigate, it might be well to repeat that in any irrigation, the aim is to maintain the available soil mois- ture, at all times of the year, throughout the entire soil mass, to a depth of 4 to 6 feet. At planting time. Bush berries usu- ally need some pruning at the time they are planted. Trailing blackberries and black and purple raspberries should have the woody parts of the cane removed, if the plants are in good condition. If the plants have been weakened through partial drying out or other causes, it is better not to prune before planting and flowers should be removed as soon as they form, the first season. In either case a higher percentage of survival will result. In the case of red raspberries and up- right blackberries, vigorous canes may be cut back to about 18 inches; less vigor- ous canes should be cut back more severely. Vigorous plants of currants and goose- berries may be headed back (i.e. cut) to 12 inches. Weaker plants should be headed back to 6 inches. Left to right: a Crandall blackberry before pruning;the same bush after being well pruned. Pruning and trellising is a major part of the work involved All weak wood and fruit buds on blue- berry plants should be removed at the time of transplanting. [28] And every year. Berry bushes need pruning every year, to encourage the growth on which the greatest number of fruit will be borne, and to eliminate less desirable parts. The following is a dis- cussion of pruning methods recom- mended for various types of berries: Trailing blackberries. The opera- tions of pruning and of putting canes on trellises are so closely allied, for trailing blackberries, that they will be discussed as one operation here. For a discussion of types of trellises, see page 33. In practice growers have observed that the largest fruits are borne near the base of vigorous canes, and on spurs 15 inches or more in length, so pruning systems aim at preserving short, vigorous canes, and developing long, stout, fruiting spurs. Since there are no -fruiting canes formed until toward the end of the first growing season, no fruit will be har- vested, and no pruning of fruiting canes will be necessary the first year. The vege- tative canes should be pruned during July or August in the same manner as for older bushes (see below). On two-year-old, or older bushes, prun- ing should be done as soon as the harvest period is over (usually July or August). Pruning consists of cutting off the old fruiting canes and removing them from the trellis. Old fruiting canes should be cut off very close to the surface of the soil. Cutting may be done with hand shears, with a pruning saw, or with mechanical hedge trimmers. The power unit for me- chanical hedge trimmers may be mounted on a carriage and wheeled along the rows. The pruning saw (very popular in the San Joaquin Valley) may be used for cut- ting off the canes and is also valuable for stripping the canes off the trellis wires. No matter what instrument is used, care should be exercised to prevent in- jury to new canes when cutting the old ones. Approximately 3 to 5 man days per acre are required to remove old canes from the trellises, when using a pruning saw. When the old canes have been removed the next immediate step is to place the new canes on the trellises. This is usually done in either of two ways. The most common method used on close spacings (plants 4 feet apart in the row) is to head the canes back to about 7 or 8 feet in length. Canes are then ar- ranged on the trellis one at a time, giving a sort of fan-shape to the plant as shown in the photo on page 30. For security against wind, the canes should be tied into the trellis by weaving them in behind other canes from the same bush, and from adjacent bushes. It is not good practice to twist the canes around a single wire for any distance— this makes them too difficult to remove after the harvest and harder to cover with spray materials. The other common method of trellising is used on wide spacings (plants 8 feet apart or more in a row). In this case, canes should not be headed back as is recommended for close plantings. Canes 29 should be 10 feet or more in length so that they may be laced in with canes from adj acent plants, otherwise there will be blank spaces on the trellis and a danger of the wind loosening the canes. While it is more difficult to avoid bends and breaks in the canes, and more time is required per plant to handle long canes, the number of man hours required per acre to put them on trellises is about the same as for shorter canes because there would be fewer plants per acre in the wide plantings. A word of caution about bending the canes. Too sharp a bend will cause them to break. The extent to which the move- ment of water and manufactured food material is restricted by these breaks is not known, but it seems obvious that such a condition is not normal. So while it is probably impossible to eliminate bends and breaks entirely, the pruning crew should be watched closely to keep this type of injury to a minimum. Laterals will develop from the canes on the trellises, during summer and early fall. They should be headed back to 15 inches, during early fall. Some laterals may be used to fill in vacant spaces on the trellises. Erect blackberries. The actual prun- ing of the canes which will fruit the fol- lowing season is rather a precise practice with erect blackberries. From 4 to 8 vigor- ous canes should be retained, and the others removed. All varieties are usually summer pinched at a height of 5 feet. Varieties can be grouped into three general classes for treatment of the other pruning operations, as follows: 1. Varieties (such as Lawton and Ward) that have fruiting buds near the Fan-shaped pruning, used in the San Joaquin Valley, with 3-wire trellis for trailing blackberries. r 30 1 Trailing varieties are often woven in loose spirals on a 2-wire trellis, taking care not to bend the canes so they will break. It is felt that breaking the canes will damage the bushes. base of the lateral branches, and well down on the canes. Fruiting clusters are rare on the 5 buds nearest the tips of the lateral branches, and the number of buds per branch is usually 3 to 12. These plants should be cut back moderately, removing up to one half of each lateral branch. 2. Varieties (such as Early King and Taylor) that have fruiting buds nearest the tips of the branches. The terminal one third of branches should be headed back. This means that approximately the terminal 5 or 6 buds will be removed by pruning. Any unbranched canes should be cut back to a height of 5 feet. 3. Varieties (such as El Dorado and Mersereau) that have buds scattered along the production wood. The branches should be shortened approximately one half to reduce the number of berries and to increase their size and the vigor of the plant. Red raspberries. As soon as possible after the harvesting period, prune out the old fruiting canes and place the new canes on the trellis. Some cane thinning is done by some growers, but there seems to be no exact pattern followed with regard to the num- ber of canes per lineal foot of row. Black and purple raspberries. When new canes reach a height of 28 inches or more, they should be pinched or cut back to approximately 24 inches. This will tend to make them develop lateral branches on which fruit for next year will be borne. After harvest, remove all old fruiting canes by cutting as close to the soil sur- face as possible. During the dormant season 4 to 8 vigorous canes are selected for each plant and the others are removed. The branches of unsupported plants should be headed back to approximately 4 to 7 inches, for one-year-old plants, or to 8 to 12 inches [31 for plants that are 2 years old or older. In general, vigorous, healthy canes can support more fruiting wood than weaker canes. The canes of purple raspberries should be headed back as described for black raspberries, but if these raspberries are grown on a trellis, the supported canes can be allowed to grow to about 30 or 36 inches before being topped. Currants and gooseberries. Dur- ing the dormant season following the first season of growth, the weaker shoots should be removed, leaving 6 to 8 strong shoots. At the end of the second year, 3 to 4 one-year-old shoots, and 4 to 5 two-year- old shoots should be left. At the end of the third year, and every year thereafter, 3 to 4 each of one-, two-, and three-year-old shoots should remain on the plant. Blueberries. During the first 2 years after transplanting, blueberry bushes need only a light thinning out of the weaker branches, and a removal of the fruit buds to keep the bushes from bear- Removing prunings from a planting of red raspberries. A well shaped, 3-year-old bush of Jersey variety of blueberry. ing fruit. The production of fruit during this period is not desirable, as it will tend to reduce the vegetative growth and delay the production of a commercial crop. Since the fruit buds are borne on the ter- minal part of the shoots, the terminal portion of these shoots (one-year-old wood) should be removed. If any fruit buds are missed in pruning, the flowers should be removed when they blossom. On plants 3 or more years old, only very general recommendations can be given for pruning: Stems that are 3 to 4 years old tend to produce short, weak shoots and small berries— cut them back, and remove a few. Remove branches that are nearly hori- zontal—the weight of the berries will cause them to lie on the ground. Remove short, weak shoots that tend to crowd the stronger, more vigorous shoots. Most varieties tend to overbear, so re- duce the number of fruit buds on the shoots to 3 or 4— berries will be larger [32] and better, and the plant will produce better growth for the next year's crop. Some varieties, such as Cabot, produce many fruit buds in relation to the num- ber of leaf buds. The shoots should there- fore be cut back one half to two thirds in order to leave the proper number of buds. In addition, it is advisable to study the vegetative and fruiting responses of the plant as a guide to pruning practices. Removing prunings. Blackberry and raspberry prunings are relatively soft and may be disked into the soil between the rows. While it is possible that such a practice will tend to build up a popula- tion of insect pests and diseases, no detrimental effects have been observed in plantings where this is done. The other alternative is to rake up the prunings, remove them to a place where they can be safely burned. This is a more expensive and laborious procedure, and does not appear to be justified. Currant, gooseberry and blue- berry prunings are relatively woody and are not readily incorporated into the soil by disking. Removal and burning is rec- ommended. Trailing blackberries and red rasp- berries need trellises to support their canes in an upright position to facilitate pruning, spraying and picking. The type of trellis needed depends on the amount of growth attained by the particular bushes in the particular locality. In the central coastal area, a single wire trellis is most common for unirrigated Logans, although a few growers use a 2-wire trellis with satisfactory results. For other blackberry varieties, with normal amount of growth for the bushes, the most common are either 2- or 3-wire trellises. Only those growers hav- ing exceptionally vigorous bush growth use 4-wire trellises, and most of these are experimental in nature. The growers are not yet certain that the additional expense is justified by the presumably higher yields obtained. Supporting posts should be of 2 x 2" redwood. End posts for each row should either be larger (6 x 8" or 8 x 8") or should be braced to take the pull of the wires. Posts should be long enough so that the top wire of the trellis may be laid on top of the post. On a 2-wire trellis, the lower wire is from 2% to 3 feet from the ground, the top wire 4 to 4% feet. Trellis types — the bush growth determines the size used On a 3 wire trellis the bottom wire is usually iy 2 to 2 feet from the ground, the middle wire 3 to 3% feet, the top wire about 4% feet. A 4-wire trellis has the same dimen- sions as a 3-wire, with the exception that the posts are 7 feet long, so as to place a fourth wire on top, about 5% feet from the ground. This may be too high for a good many pickers. On multi-wire blackberry trellises, the top and bottom wires should be galvan- ized No. 12 or 13, to support the weight. The center wire or wires can be No. 14. For raspberries, a special trellis is generally used, with 2 wires on cross- arms, about 3% to 4 feet above the ground, and about 15 inches long. A second set of wires is then strung on crossarms of the same length, or on either side of the posts, about 2 feet from the ground. No. 14 wire is strong enough. In all cases, the spacing of the stakes depends on the spacing of the plants in the rows. The stakes should be approxi- mately 16, 18, or 20 feet apart. Erect blackberry trellis system con- sists of a separate stake for each bush. Wire hoops or barrel hoops are fastened to the stakes so that the canes can be con- fined and held erect. [33 As part of the trellising system, it would be well to mention the handling of new canes that grow out from the base of the bush while the canes on the trellis are bearing. Since these new canes will bear next year's fruit, they must be pro- tected. Pin them back in the row, parallel to the trellis, below the fruiting canes. Split redwood stakes, or small box cleats should be used to pin the new canes in place and keep them from being trampled on by the pickers. If this precaution is not taken, they may grow up through the fruiting canes or between the rows and present a problem at picking and pruning time. There is no experimental evidence to indicate that bush berries respond to any fertilizing agent other than nitrogen. The first season following transplant- ing, the young plants are just beginning to establish root systems and are highly susceptible to injury from fertilizer, so light applications, or none at all should suffice. This is particularly true of young blueberry plants. Established plantings will usually respond to applications of nitrogen as follows: A spring application can be made during January or February, to in- crease the leaf area and the fruit size. This application may also have some resi- dual effect on the vigor of the vegetative growth of new canes. For plantings which are low in nitro- gen, a second application may be made during April. This application will affect primarily the vigor of new shoots or canes. A third application may be made dur- ing July, and will affect mostly the fruit- bud differentiation which takes place during the latter part of the summer for all bush fruits. This application may also have some residual effect on the develop- ment of laterals of blackberries and black and purple raspberries. The amount to use, split between the various applications, will vary with the specific site on which the berries are grown and no general recommendations can be made. It varies between 50 to 100 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre on Fertilizer — nitrogen gives the desired results to berries heavy soils, to as much as 200 pounds per acre on light soils. It would be well for the grower to establish a series of test plots to determine how much fertilizer is needed for his own plantings. Many County Farm Advisors are cooperating with growers to help determine fertilizer needs. Several forms of nitrogenous fer- tilizers can be used— ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate or liquid ammonia are the most commonly used. In general, it can be recommended that fertilizers containing sodium be avoided because this element is already present in rela- tively high quantities in many locations throughout the state and the addition of more sodium may injure the plants. Broadcasting fertilizer over the entire surface of the soil between the plant rows seems to be the best method of applica- tion, and least likely to cause injury to the plants. This is only possible, however, when flood or sprinkler irrigation is used. Where furrow irrigation is used, the fertilizer can be drilled directly into the furrows. For better distribution within the furrows, it is well to remove the shoes from the drill. But in any event, the fer- tilizer will be distributed in a rather nar- row band, and the application of heavy rates of fertilizer by this method may cause injury to the roots in the immedi- ate vicinity of the application. Any equip- ment or method of application that will give wider distribution will tend to de- crease the danger of injury. [34] The heavy annual pruning given to most berries, and the removal of old wood and such new wood as shows signs of disease, tends to check some of the trouble caused by diseases common to bush ber- ries. Then too, since most bush berries are relatively short-lived, and plantings are removed and replanted at regular inter- vals, permanent infestation of a given piece of ground is usually avoided. When certain diseases occur in a planting, it is sometimes cheaper to pull out all of the old plants and reset with new, healthy ones, than to try to combat the disease by spraying and other pre- ventive measures. But on the whole, most troubles can be controlled by spraying. There are several serious diseases that are injurious to berry plantings and will reduce yields and quality, and in some cases, shorten the life of the planting. The following is a listing of the diseases to watch for, and where known, the rec- ommended control measure to take. Anthracnose occurs on raspberries and blackberries in the eastern states, but is not common in California. It is caused by the fungus Elsinoe veneta. Typical effects of leaf spot on blackberry. (From Bui. 218.) JL •*> d r" *>* 00 <1> n> 0) r O -C <1> O a> c D CO c n -C u E ■*- CD c 00 c C «/» 0) Q. _c -t- _* «2 O 01 1_ a O O O 15 • c O T> a tii D a 00 3 Oj h- l. ■4- c "1 00 (I) U a * "O "D -a 'a < 1- O -O 00 O -Q 15 00 -a c D m O z £ £ u UJ X u Q < O CO PICKING CREW • Ul u Ul X u — 1 Ul LU * • x .' r in (A O GO $ O PICKING CREW •x, > «/» O CO O PICKING CREW ^>x (A CO X "X PICKING CREW (A «A CO PICKING CREW * * * X 0* Ul U Ul X u —1 Ul iZ .,' (A «a 00 O PICKING CREW X X, X > V «A «a 00 * PICKING CREW V v» «A O CO X, x. V x. PICKING CREW places in plantings in the hot central val- leys. They need not be elaborate— just sufficient to provide shade from the direct sun on berries stacked there before being picked up by the trucks. Carriers, with legs about 18 inches long, are handy for transporting the crates through the field, to the shade sheds, or collecting point. Their designs are quite diverse, each grower having his own ideas of what is needed for his plant- ing. A suggested design is shown below. Pallets may be needed for handling large quantities. The crates may be stacked up to 18 high on pallets and then moved with a lift truck, saving consider- able labor at the processing plant or ware- house. Here are a few of the pieces of equipment commonly used in harvesting and handling opera- tions. While designs will vary, the ones shown here are simply suggestive of what has been used efficiently by some growers. Shade shed Pallet Crate used for sales to freezers Typical carrier [47 Picking must be done at precisely the right time, when the berries are at the prime of condition for either the fresh market, or for processing. Since these conditions vary with different fruits, and with the purpose for which the berries are sold, they will be discussed individ- ually below. Trailing blackberries develop maxi- mum flavor and sugar content at ma- turity, indicated by their turning from a reddish to a blackish-red color. Ac- curate determination of the exact stage of maturity for picking comes as a matter of experience. It the crop is sold to a processing organization, there will usu- ally be field men available to specify and illustrate the exact stage of maturity re- quired for processing. The fruit is picked directly into crates with solid bottoms, with or without lin- ers, when destined for freezing. For the fresh market, the berries are picked di- rectly into baskets within crates. The crates are taken, in carriers, to the shade shed, or other collecting point, weighed by the field checker, and left there. The picker is given credit on his card for the amount picked. Periodically throughout the day, the berries at the field collecting points are picked up by trucks and delivered to their destination. At the end of the day, the total number of crates on each picker's card is entered in a record book, and payment is made on this basis. Erect blackberries attain almost full color before they are ripe. They are ma- ture when the depression in the center of each drupelet is entirely filled. Harvesting operations are the same as those described for trailing blackberries, above. Red raspberries should be picked when they separate from the core with- Picking must be done when the fruit is in prime condition out crumbling. The entire planting should be picked at weekly intervals, in some coastal areas, but in the central valley it may be necessary to pick as often as every 2 days. There are no commercial raspberry plantings in the central valley at present, but results from experimental plantings indicate that picking should be done every 2 or 3 days in that area. The berries may be picked directly into containers used for the fresh market, or into crates. In some instances they are picked into gallon cans, then sorted and graded as they are transferred into dry half-pint baskets. Sorting is usually done in the shade shed, or at field collecting points. Sorting is not so necessary for local market shipments, but is essential for shipments going to eastern markets, where it is desirable to have berries of uniform maturity, in order to avoid spoil- age in transit, and low quality of the en- tire shipment upon arrival. Each container of red raspberries and blackberries has a minimum of 7 pounds of fruit. This weight refers to the 12- basket crate, holding 12 half-pint baskets. Black and purple raspberries are not grown commercially in California, but harvesting of these varieties would be identical with that of red raspberries. Weighing, handling and checking of raspberries, and payment of pickers is the same as for blackberries. Currants are considered to be ripe when all berries in a cluster are full color. They ripen slowly, and can be held on the vine for a long time, in cool areas. If the fruit is to be used for jelly, it should be picked while slightly under- ripe—at that age it contains more pectin. If the fruit is to be spiced, stewed, used for jam or any processing other than jelly making, it should be picked when fully ripe. [48] Do not pick berries from the cluster, as they are easily crushed. The stem of the cluster should be removed from the branches. For fresh market use, strawberry crates and baskets are used. These weigh about I2V2 pounds net. For processing, the fruit is picked into Los Angeles lugs. Weighing and checking is the same as for blackberries. Gooseberries are picked directly into Los Angeles lugs. If the fruit is to be shipped any distance, the lugs should be provided with tops. For processing, the berries should be picked before they are fully ripe. The pickers should wear gloves as protection against the long, sharp thorns, and strip the berries off by hand, or use a scoop that resembles a cranberry scoop. The fruit picked by this method will be mixed with leaves, which may be removed by hand, or by passing it through a grain fanning mill, or a similar device. For the fresh market, the berries must be picked when they are mature. This means that the entire planting must be picked over several times to obtain fruit at the proper stage of maturity. Hold the bush with a gloved hand, and pick with the bare hand. Checking and payment for gooseber- ries is accomplished as it is for black- berries. Blueberries do not ripen evenly within the cluster, and since it is neces- sary to pick only mature berries from each cluster, the entire planting must be picked over several times. However, the ripe berries will hold on the plant for a week or two, which allows some leeway. The mature berries are a dark, rich, blue color at the stem end. A reddish tinge at the stem end indicates immaturity. All of the blueberries grown commer- cially in California are usually sold on the fresh market. They are picked into gallon cans and then taken to the col- lecting point, where they are sorted. The immature or damaged fruit is removed at this time. The salable berries are then trans- ferred to 12-ounce baskets of the type used for strawberries. There are 12 bas- kets to the crate and each basket is cov- ered with cellophane. Four crates are nailed together, one on top of the other, with cleats. A lid is placed on the top crate, and they are ready for shipment to the fresh market. Checking and payment are the same as for blackberries. For long-distance shipments, the 12-basket tray has been used extensively and has been found to be ideal. The trays are provided with cleats on the bottom that fit into the ends of the tray below. This prevents end play, and when strips are nailed to the ends of a stack, there is practically no movement at all during shipment. The cleats also allow for ventilation. Shipments of berries by truck or ex- press are often reported in terms of car- lots. In such cases, a carlot of berries consists of 1800 of the 12-basket trays. Sales and shipping — the processes are fairly standard The weight of 12 half-pint baskets is estimated at 7 pounds net, or about 8 pounds billing weight. Several marketing organizations, or growers' cooperatives have been formed by berrymen as an aid to the orderly selling of crops. The purpose of these organizations is to help the individ- ual to get his crop into the channels in which there is the greatest demand, and for which he will receive the best price. Following is a list of the berry market- ing organizations in the state: The Central California Berry Growers' [49 Association, with headquarters in San Jose, is active in the 6 coast counties of Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito. The Southern California Berry Grow- ers' Association has its headquarters in Bloomington. In 1948 this association handled about 831 tons of berries. Growers in the Fresno area have formed the Fresno Berry Growers' Ex- change. The California Berry Growers' Ex- change was formed in 1948, with repre- sentatives from different berry coopera- tives, and Farm Bureau berry growers throughout the state. It is a statewide organization and compiles data on total production and market outlets for the entire state. Know the law. The California Pure Foods Act sets up certain standards and regulations for labeling and declaration of weight, and for quality specifications. These will be found in the California Pure Foods Act, State of California, De- partment of Public Health, "Summary of Requirements Interpreted by Bureau of Food and Drug Inspection"— December, 1948. It would be advisable for commer- cial growers to have a copy of these regu- lations, and to consult the pamphlet when in doubt about regulations. TABLE 8 — Acreage of Bush Berries in Leading California Counties, 1948* County Boysen Nectar Young Logan Black- berry Rasp- berry Blue- berry Currant Various Total Alameda 18.0 2.0 100.0 120.0 Butte 220.0 Fresno 675.0 85.0 82.2 842.2 Kern 25.0 Kings 30.0 Los Angeles . . 425.0 85.0 50.0 40.0 600.0 Madera 90.0 Marin 1.75 3.0 4.75 Merced 113.0 Monterey .... 321.0 36.0 357.0 Orange 162.0 61.0 3.5 33.5 260.0 Riverside .... 100.0 Sacramento. . 100.0 San Benito. . . . . . 75.0 San Bernar- dino 421.0 San Diego . . . 16.0 San Joaquin. . 25.0 San Mateo. . . 9.0 Santa Clara . . Santa Cruz . . . 40.75 85.0 28.25 17.25 54.0 139.0 1,442.30 674.05 682.0 Sonoma 431.6 12.6 127.9 3.5 41.0 10.2 6.3 86.9 720.0 Stanislaus. . . 186.0 4.0 10.0 200.0 Tulare 499.0 Ventura 8.0 * Acreage by varieties not available for some counties, but total berry acreage is listed in 1 Source of data- Figures based on direct reports from County Agricultural Commissioners ai fornia Crop and Livestock Reporting Service. ast column, id the Cali- [50] 1 • CD 3 > O 2 1 1 ^3 ases Eeof co"C co ci 2* CO 1 cl CD orns run- bo 3 3 co M 3^ "« 3 Is 61 3 CD as bo CO 2 3 CD > * PiT5 u O O *" CD c3« ^3 P. CO o (S >> "3 ^3 O. 3 ° bo 3 CD |S CO o CO CD 1 H ■3. CO T3 3 CD "5 CD 1 >> CD 'fl > 53 .2E 3 a? 3 3 CD *.2g -»>$ *• 2*3 a CD CO >> o M CO o3 CD T3 O gPQco O CD u XJ CO ©•3 3 -M CD O |B coll CO 1 CD > ^3 O CD « -Sbo O _CD e. 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S" I 1 bo I O u ft o a *■ d s s c* 2 ft II a I 2° 8-8 « 2 4> ft P -' P If) > S3 « if * 2 s T -I E-" "3 * 2. a * CD c £t crt P 3 (4 < E ° a fcia 2 fc 2 o ~ a M CO CO ? CD u M O a c« *" CD 10 a, II •n s &s is O o bo M C ft CD ±3 bo ° c« CD a p 1° 5 « 3s s-S w -2 « 2 CD P. R w 3 if) 1-9 o a£ •o P u £1 P -a REFERENCE MATERIAL ON BUSH BERRIES United States Department of Agriculture publications may be secured as references in some public libraries, or they may be purchased from the U. S. Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C., for the amount noted. Stamps are not accepted. Note: State experiment station publications are not listed because they may not be avail- able to California residents. Serial Publications of the United States Department of Agriculture Darrow, George M. 1937. Breeding small fruits. U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook Separate 1583 Y:445-574. (15 cents.) Darrow, George M., and S. B. Detwiler. 1938. Currants and gooseberries: their culture and relation to white pine blister rust. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bui. 1398 F:l-42. 27 figs. Revised ed. (10 cents.) Darrow, George M., and George F. Waldo. 1932. The Brainerd blackberry. U. S. Dept. Agr. Cir. 220 C:l-4, 2 figs. (5 cents.) 1948. Raspberry culture. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bui. 887 F:38. 25 figs. Revised ed. (5 cents.) Darrow, George M. R. B. Wilcox, and Charles S. Beckwith. 1946. Blueberry growing. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bui. 1951 F:l-38. 23 figs. Revised ed. (10 cents.) Dodge, B. 0., an J R. B. Wilcox. 1932. Diseases of raspberries and blackberries. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bui. 1483 F:l-32. 20 figs. Revised ed. (5 cents.) Books Aucher, E. C, and H. B. Knapp. 1929. Growing tree and small fruits. 510 p. John Wiley and Sons, New York, N.Y. Shoemaker, J. S. 1948. Small fruit culture. 433 p. The Blakiston Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Van Meter, R. A. 1928. Bush fruit production. 128 p. Orange Judd Co., New York, N.Y. The following publications were used as source material for some of the statements made in this circular. Bennett, C. W. 1927. Virus diseases of raspberries. Michigan Agr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bui. 80:1-80. Kuhlman, Gustav W., and D. Curtis Mumford. 1948. Cost of producing boysenberries for processing in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Ore. Agr Exp. Sta. Cir. of Information 447. Rankin, W. Howard. 1927. Mosaic of raspberries. New York (Geneva) Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 543:1-60. The author wishes to express his appreciation for the assistance given by Dr. Stephen Wilhelm, of the Division of Plant Pathology, Berkeley, in the preparation of the material on berry diseases, and to Dr. Leslie M. Smith, of the Division of Entomology, Davis, for assistance in the prepara- tion of the material on insect pests. In order that the information in our publications may be more intelligible it is sometimes neces- sary to use trade names of products or equipment rather than complicated descriptive or chemical identifications. In so doing it is unavoidable in some cases that similar products which are on the market under other trade names may not be cited. No endorsement of named products is intended nor is criticism implied of similar products which are not mentioned. Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, College of Agriculture, University of California, and United States Department of Agriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, and June 30, 1914. J. Earl Coke, Director, California Agricultural Extension Service. 40m-3,'51(1541)W.P. THIS DOOR SWINGS OPEN TO ANSWER QUESTIONS Bring your farming questions to your County Farm Advisor— he's an agricultural special- ist with a background of practical experi- ence. And he's there to help you. If he can't answer your question himself, he'll find someone who will. Farm Advisors serve 52 counties in Cali- fornia, with offices in the towns listed below. Get to know yours— make use of his free service. Alameda County: Post Office Bldg./ Hayward Butte County: Federal Bldg., Oroville Colusa County: Federal Bldg., Colusa Contra Costa County: Cowell Del Norte County: Post Office Bldg., Eureka El Dorado County: Post Office Bldg., Placerville Fresno County: Post Office Bldg., Fresno Glenn County: 607 5th St., Orland Humboldt County: Post Office Bldg., Eureka Imperial County: Court House, El Centro Kern County: 2610MSt.,Bakersfield Kings County: 131 E. 8th St., Hanford Lake County: Kelseyville Lassen County: Memorial Bldg., Susanville Los Angeles County: 511 E.AlisoSt., Los Angeles 12 Madera County: Post Office Bldg., Madera Marin County: Post Office Bldg., San Rafael Mariposa County: Fairgrounds, Mariposa Mendocino County: Court House, Ukiah Merced County: County Adobe Bldg., Court House Square, Merced Modoc County: 1621 Main St., Alturas Monterey County: Court House, Salinas Napa County: Post Office Bldg., Napa Nevada County: Memorial Bldg., Grass Valley Orange County: 1 104 W. 8th St., Santa Ana Placer County: 1389 Lincoln Way, Auburn Plumas County: Court House, Quincy Riverside County: Post Office Bldg., Riverside Sacramento County: 315 Federal Bldg., Sacramento 2 San Benito County: Court House, Hollister San Bernardino County: 566 Lugo Ave., San Bernardino San Diego County: 4005 Rosecrans St., San Diego 10 San Joaquin County: 145 S. Amerkan St., Stockton 2 San Luis Obispo County: 997 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo San Mateo County: Half Moon Bay Santa Barbara County: Federal Bldg., Santa Barbara Santa Clara County: 201 Post Office Bldg., San Jose 13 Santa Cruz County: 555 Ocean St., Santa Cruz Shasta County: County Office Bldg., Redding Sierra County: Court House, Quincy Siskiyou County: Court House, Yreka Solano County: County Library Bldg., Fairfield Sonoma County: Court House, Santa Rosa Stanislaus County: Federal Bldg., Modesto Sutter County: Post Office Bldg., Yuba City Tehama County: Federal Bldg., Red Bluff Trinity County: Court House, Weaverville Tulare County: Post Office Bldg., Visalia Tuolumne County: 815 Washington St., Sonora Ventura County: 52 N. California St., Ventura Yolo County: Court House, Woodland Yuba County: Federal Bldg., Marysville CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE * COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA