252 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



selected by him for this purpose lies nearly at the foot of a 

 slope, descending in a westerly direction, and but a short 

 distance from his mansion, pleasantly situated within view of 

 portions of the bright and flashing waters of two of the neigh- 

 boring lakes, gracefully fringed with their sylvan borders, and 

 strongly tempting the angler's skill. The place, for an upland 

 site, was not ill chosen. It is a fine sandy loam, apparently of 

 good depth, and in good condition. The open and friable 

 texture of the soil offers every facility for the free and unim- 

 peded extension of the rootlets and tissues of the plants, and 

 the rains falling on its surface, together with the wash from the 

 adjoining high ground, afford (or have done the past season at 

 least, and may do so agniu) a copious supply of moisture, and 

 with it, probably, no inco isiderable amount of other nutritious 

 matter. The sward havi;ig been turned over with the plough 

 and harrowed, the plants, procured, as were those of Mr. Samson, 

 from a fresh meadow, were introduced into shallow furrows 

 running lengthwise of the lot, and set nearly three feet apart 

 each way. The grass and weeds were carefully kept down for 

 two years, when the further task of clean cultivation was 

 abandoned, as, if not impracticable without clipping the runners^ 

 involving too great an expense to make the culture a remune- 

 rating business. Hence, the plants were left to take care of 

 themselves, and to struggle for supremacy, as they might be 

 able, with the natural products of the soil. This conflict, the 

 foregoing favorable circumstances have been of essential service 

 in helping them to maintain ; those circumstances have had the 

 effect of producing, for the most part, thrifty looking vines, 

 showing, in places, a goodly yield of large, sound, and handsome 

 berries. As compared, however, Avith those of Mr. Samson, 

 one square rod of which produced, as I should have before 

 mentioned, six and one-quarter pecks of berries, being at the 

 rate of two hundred and fifty bushels to the acre, Mr. Roberts' 

 vines appeared to be less vigorous and productive; and much 

 less free from grass and other unwelcome products. On visit- 

 ing Mr. Hathaway's field (a " sandy loam," as he describes it) 

 his cranberry vines, it was found, were scarcely visible amid 

 the thick coat of grasses that encumbered them, and generally 

 covered the ground, and which no apparent effort had been 



