446 



I found the plantations of Mr. Bishop, which embrace about 80 acres, 

 in a very high state of cultivation. This gentleman has probably ex- 

 pended a larger amount per acre, and devoted more attention to the 

 preparation of his bogs, than any other cranberry grower in the United 

 States. He is regarded by all the New Jersey cranberry growers as one 

 of the most zealous, clear-headed, and successful of their number. 

 Practically, rot is unknown on his bogs. In company with Mr. Bishop 

 and others, I made a thorough examination of his vines and berries, and 

 also of the muck underlying his cultivated ridges. The peat is about 

 five feet in thickness, is well decomposed, and quite homogeneous iu 

 texture* The bog was formerly a white-cedar swamp. Mr. Bishop is. 

 fortunate in having a fine supply of water. Cool and uninterrupted 

 breezes pass over his plantations, a circumstance of considerable im- 

 portance in connection with cranberry culture. It was, doubtless, largely 

 due to these favorable conditions that the extreme heat and drought of 

 last August and September j)roduced no unfavorable effect upon his 

 crops. I examined the muck or peat of an adjacent bog, belonging to 

 the same gentleman, which had dried up during the summer, but had 

 not been drained or brought under cultivation. A hole was dug about 

 three feet in depth to ascertain the character of the sub-soil. We found 

 it as free from odor as the cultivated bog-land, and as well decomposed. 

 It was evident that nearly all the muck of this cedar swamp had long 

 since })assed through its fermenting condition. The cultivated land is 

 perfectly drained, and the ditches are filled with running water. Mr. 

 Bishop has put an unusually large amount of pure sand, not less than 

 10 inches, over the muck of his bogs. The roots of the vines conse- 

 quently grow in the sand, which, by capillary attraction, conveys to 

 them the soluble humus of the peat. 



The true character of peat in relation to cranberry growth is still a 

 matter of doubt; but one thing is evident, namely, that such masses of 

 peat will always absorb and retain a large amount of water, and will 

 thus tend to keep the sand on the top moist. Certaiidy the humus of 

 the peat is not itself absorbed by the roots of plants, but humic acid is 

 seldom free from ammonia, and the oxidation of peaty matter may also 

 contribute to root and plant growth by supplying them with carbonic 

 acid, which is one of the essentials of plant food. 



I visited Pemberton, Burlington County, in company with Senator 

 Gaskill and Messrs. Theodore Budd, Joshua Forsyth, Japhet Alston, 

 David D. Coles, Ives Davis, and others, all engaged in cranberry grow- 

 ing. We visited the principal plantations within several miles of Pem- 

 berton, and found that the drought had disastrously affected this region. 

 Pines were on fire in many places and burning with great fury, owing 

 to their extreme dryness. The streams had dried up, with few excep- 

 tions, and no water was found within five feet of the surface on the 

 cranberry lands. There is very little heavy bog land in this district ; it 

 is nearly all of savanna, (black sand,) composed of pure, sharp, white 

 sand, combined with about 3 per cent, of black, vegetable matter. 

 Sometimes cranberry cultivators at this place cover the runners with 

 pure white sand. In times of great and high temperature, it protects, 

 in a measure, the roots of the vines from the scorching rays of the sun. 

 On the occasion of my visit I found the white sand on the vines so hot 

 that it was disagreeable to hold in the hand, but the black sand near 

 the same place was still hotter, and the cranberries on the vines were 

 literally baked. Previous to visiting this district I had not admitted 

 that rot of the berry was ever produced by a scorching sun, but I now 

 have sufficient evidence of that fact. 



