CRANBERRIES. 255 



and soil, about one inch in tliickness. In the month of June, 

 1849, I sowed a bushel of cranberries over the whole lot, first 

 crushing them and mixing them with sand^ in order to sow more 

 evenly. 



The vines soon covered the ground, and have produced a 

 good quantity of fruit for four or five years. In the summer 

 of 1850, I commenced preparing the other half acre, on the 

 easterly side of the highway, removing the wood and bushes, 

 taking the tussocks and soil off, &c. In the fall of 1850, I set 

 out cranberry vines on about one-half of this lot. It was so 

 wet in the fall of 1851, that I could not finish it. In the fall 

 of 1852, I completed the work, dressing about one-half with 

 sand and gravel, about the same quantity as on the first lot. 



I can discover no beneficial effects from the dressing with 

 sand or gravel, and think it rather encourages the growth of 

 grass. I find my vines do the best where the peat or mud are 

 the deepest. 



The first half of this lot set out, are in bearing condition, 

 and have borne fruit two years ; the other half are now doing 

 well. 



On the 10th instant, I gathered from one rod of the vines, 

 set in 1850, one bushel and a half and two quarts of cran- 

 berries. 



In the spring of 1852, I tried the following experiment to 

 test the practicability of raising cranberries on a dry, gravelly 

 soil. I first removed the sod from one square rod, and sowed 

 cranberry seed in the same manner as we do carrots ; the seed 

 vegetated, but they do not promise very fiiir to remunerate me 

 for my labor, and I have little faith in raising cranberries on 

 dry soil. 



I would state that I flow my cranberry meadows from Octo- 

 ber to April. 



Statement of Austin J. Roberts. 



The increasing demand and consequent high and remunerat- 

 ing prices for the cranberry, have led me to experiment on its 

 adaptation to the light loams of our county. A boggy or very 

 moist soil has generally been deemed indispensable to the 



