SECRETARY'S REPORT. 45 



deep red, varying in shape, from round to oval oblong, about 

 one-half of an inch in diameter, of an agreeable acid taste, and 

 often clinging to the vines during the whole winter. If gath- 

 ered before fully ripe, they have not that delicious acid taste 

 which tliey have at their maturity, and are, therefore, far less 

 valuable than when left to ripen on the vines. 



The cranberry grows naturally in watery bogs and morasses, 

 and sometimes on high mountains. I have seen it growing 

 luxuriantly and producing in abundance on marshes exposed to, 

 and covered by high tides, on coarse sand, perfectly white and 

 entirely destitute of organic matter of any kind, though accessi- 

 ble to moisture ; on pure peat, on peat covered with sand, on 

 dry, loamy and gravelly upjand, and on the richest garden 

 mould thoroughly tilled. 



The' American cranberry is exported very largely to Europe, 

 though, as has been stated, it is not universally considered as 

 equal to the Russian. It was found and used by the early set- 

 tlers of Massachusetts, though not introduced into the Royal 

 Botanic Garden, at Kew, till 1772, and comparatively little 

 valued here, till within the last half century. 



A?ialysis. — A valuable analysis of this fruit has recently been 

 made, at my request, by Professor E. N. Horsford, of Cam- 

 bridge. From this analysis it appears that the 



Percentage of water expelled at 212° F., is . 88.78 

 Percentage of ash, " " . .17 

 Woody fibre, tissues, organic acids and other or- 

 ganic matter not decomposed at 212° F., . 11.05 



100.00 



Percentage of potash in the ash, . . . 42.67 



" " soda, 1.77 



This explains why this fruit flourishes so well on the sea-shore, 

 where it derives its alkalies ; the amount of potash, though 

 small, may be derived from the sea. 



From this analysis, it will be seen that only .17 per cent., or 

 less than two-tenths of one per cent, of the cranberry is found 

 in the ash, as inorganic matter, derived from the soil, all the 

 rest being derived from the atmosphere and from water. The 



