CRANBERRY CULTURE. 147 



told me that he had a piece that he could flow, but he wouldn't 

 spend money for a dam, for he thought it wouldn't pay for the cost. 

 Now I come to the question — Does it pay ? There is no prep- 

 aration of the soil after the first year ; no application of fertilizers ; 

 no weeding to be done. There is nothing to be done except to 

 thin the vines once in six or eight years. They hand-pick in my 

 section, this year, for 28 cents per bushel. They hire women, girls 

 and boys ; the boys make the best pickers. Last year I got a 

 little avaricious, and will tell you what I made by it. When I 

 harvested my cranberries they wouldn't pay but $2.50 per bushel 

 and I wanted $3.50. I kept them till the latter part of February 

 and sold for $3.50, but to my surprise when we measured them I 

 found they had shrunk so that I had lost more on my measurement 

 than I had gained on my price. 



