318 Appendix. 



water over the surface of the planted area. Ditches to remove surface water or 

 water from springs during the growing season will also be necessary. These can be 

 so graded as to maintain the water level in the soil at the height desired. 



SANDING. 



After the surface of the area to he planted has been brought to the desired 

 grade and the surface soil given a thorough cultivation and again compacted the 

 area is ready for sanding. This operation consists in covering the area to be 

 planted to the depth of three to four inches with a coating of sand free from 

 clay and seed of obnoxious weeds. In the coast regions the sanding of the 

 meadows is a simple matter, as the borders of the bogs are usually made up of 

 sand blown in from the ocean. Interior regions usually present much greater 

 difficulties ; frequently the sand must be hauled several miles, but as the subse- 

 quent cost of caring for the meadow is largely determined by the care in sanding, 

 the operation is of much more importance than would at first thought appear. 

 In the Cape Cod region sanding is done almost entirely by hand labor. The sand 

 is carried in wheelbarrows over temporary movable plank tracks from adjoining 

 sand banks to the surface of the bog. The bogs in most cases are too low 

 and soft to allow the use of horses. In sections where the sand must be hauled 

 some distance the ground to be planted is usually sufficiently solid to admit 

 of distributing the sand by horsepower, thus offsetting in large measure the 

 easier accessibility of sanding in the lower coast regions. 



PROPAGATION AND PLANTING. 



As with all economic fruits the cranberry is propagated by seeds only for 

 the purpose of originating new sorts. It propagates itself naturally by offsets. 

 Commercial propagation is carried on by use of cuttings or layers. 



PKOPAGATION FROM SEED. 



As with all plants of its class, the cranberry grows best when the seeds are 

 planted immediately after being separated from the pulp of the fruit. There are 

 instances known, however, where dry seeds held from one season to the next 

 have germinated freely. The soil upon which the seeds are to be sown sliould 

 consist of fibrous peat with a sufficient admixture of sand to give it drainage 

 and prevent damping off. After the seeds are sown the surface should be given 

 a sprinkling of about one-fourth inch deep of clean sand, maintaining a uniform 

 temperature of 60 degrees to 70 degrees and a high degree of moisture in the soil 

 at all times. If the seeds are sown in flats, this can be accomplished by placing 

 ))anes of glass over the boxes. The young plants can then be transferred to 

 thumb pots and after becoming well established can be transferred to shaded nur- 

 sery beds. 



CUTTINGS. 



New cranberry meadows are almost always established by planting cuttings. 

 The sanded surface of the area to be planted serves as the propagating bed for the 

 cuttings as well as the home for the established plants. 



The cuttings consist usually of portions of shoots of the variety to be grown, 

 10 to 15 inches long. The common practice is to secure the cuttings from 

 vigorous plants by mowing a portion of the meadow with a mowing scythe. The 

 portions of the vines thus secured are then transported to the area to be planted 

 and separated into wisps containing from eight to fifteen separate stems. The 

 wisps are placed at the intersection of marks made to indicate the interval be- 

 tween the plants, usually eighteen by eighteen or nine by eighteen inches. The 

 cuttings are then forced into the sand with a broad, thin, wedge-shaped dibble. 

 The blade of the dibble is placed midway of the wisp of cuttings, so that the 

 pressure exerted upon the cuttings doubles them upon themselves and at the 

 same time presses them firmly in the soil. 



