AMERICAN BLUEBERRY.

Shannon News, 18 January 1927, Page 3

AMERICAN BLUEBERRY.

EXPERIMENTS IN DOMINION. SUCCESS WlT.fi TRIAL PLANTS. The hybrid blueberry, a fruit similar to the guava, which has widespread popularity as a pie fruit in the United States, has been successfully introduced into New Zealand. Four special root plants were given to Dr. Tillyard, of the Cawthron Institute, by the United States Government in 1923, and they were entrusted for" experimental purposes to the Nurserymen's', Association. The ordinary blueberry is not rare, but the hybrid variety is jealously guarded by the United States, where it lias been the subject of close research. Ite exportation from that country is prohibited, but Dr. Tillyard was given the ro°ot plants in recognition of his scientific services to the United States Government The president of the Nursery Association, Mr T. Waugh, has one of ths gift, plants under cultivation on his property in Lower Hutt, and this, it was stated at the Association's conference last week, had grown to a height of 2 feet 6 inches. Another is being cultivated in Palmerston North by Mr P. Black, one in Invercargill by Mr Thm-ne, and the fourth, planted m Christchureh by Mr A. W. Buxton, is now under the care of Mr T. D. Letinie. All were reported to be thriving and they are shortly to be inspected by a committee of experts.. Dr. Tillyard placed the plants in the care of the association after advising the members of the climates best suited to their cultivation. A variety of the.*e climates is represented in the different locations of the plants and it is thought that the blueberry would thrive in the gum lands of Auckland. That is a more daring experiment which is-be-ing reserved until the pioneer plants are well established in the areas in which they have been introduced.