376 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Ottawa county, who was formerly, in ''the good old democratic times," I 

 believe, Judge of Probate of the county. I refer to J [on. Grosvenor Heed, of 

 Eobinsoii. Mr. Reed has a farm on the border of what is known here as the 

 " big marsh." It is a level wet prairie about nine miles east of Lake Michigan, 

 and about seven miles long by about three miles wide. It is traversed by the 

 Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, and crossed by the graded line of the 

 Michigan & Ohio Railroad, which being "caught by the panic" is still without 

 rails. But the eifect of these railroads on tlie marsh has been to cut throuo-h 

 the banks and let out some of the superabundant water which the beaver dams 

 have kept u]). The body of the marsh has generally been used for cutting 

 marsh hay, and since the railroads have been built, some efforts have been made 

 to introduce timothy and clover, with success proportioned to the thoroughness 

 of the drainage. 



THE EXPERIMENT WITH CRANBERRIES 



was made carefully by Mr. Reed on apiece of this marsh, 50x100 feet. About 

 five years ago Mr. Reed prepared this soil by draining and growing a crop of 

 potatoes, so as to kill the grass and weeds. Tlie next year he plowed it with a 

 sub-soil i)low, throwing a portion of the sand sub-soil to the surface, so that the 

 top became covered with sand, the main soil below being a peaty black muck. 

 Mr. Reed then selected from tlie wild patches the cranberry plants that had 

 borne the best berries during the season and planted them on his 50x100 feet 

 lot. The result was the plants grew well and rewarded his labor with a crop of 

 twenty-five bushels of excellent cranberries, being at the rate of 217^ bushels to 

 the acre. 



Mr. Reed allows the water to stand on his cranberry patch during the winter, 

 so as to protect the plants from frost, but does not raise the water in the sum- 

 mer, as it might overflow other lands required for other purposes. 



Since the first crop a fire has gone over the inarsh, sweeping the cranberries 

 off one year, but this year, and at the time of writing, the cranberries exhibit a 

 perfect sliect of white blossoms, showing that the fire did not destroy the roots 

 of the ])lants. 



Mr. Reed has planted half an acre with cranberries in the same manner, and 

 the plants, although young, are also white with blossoms and show a promise of 

 a good crop, say in all 40 bushels. 



The land on which the cranberries are grown is high and dry enough, and 

 has buckwheat and millet growing on the same level, which is probably about 

 15 to 20 feet above lake and river water level, and therefore easily drained. 

 Mr. Geo. Eastman has 200 acres of it in timothy and clover. 



In gathering the plants Mr. Reed selects thcni from the best natural patches 

 in the fall, ties them in bundles, and puts them into water, where they remain 

 fresh all winter, and he plants them out in the spring. 



There are thousands of acres of this marsh and swamp land where the sand 

 subsoil furnishes the requisite sand mulciiing by the use of the subsoil plow. 



I understand gentlemen of cajMtal have recently visited the locality, and that 

 the big marsh is likely to become, instead of a source of malaria, a source of 

 fruit and farm crops in ]-)rofital)]e al)undance. 



Grand Haven, July 10 Ih, 187 7. Henry S. Clldu. 



