| 
_ 
MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ‘ 67 
then he may take nature as his instructor, and imitate as closely as 
_ possible. The control of water for flowage will be of considerable 
advantage, but he must not expect results very much in excess of 
- the product of natural bogs. The propagation, by simply trans- 
planting vines on to land which cannot be worked, costs but little, 
and may pay well for the outlay. But to cultivate in earnest is a 
very different thing, and requires knowledge and practical skill at 
every step of progress. Not afew of the failures which we have 
noted resulted from selecting an unsuitable spot. We would there- 
fore advise the beginner— 
First. To select according to the amount of capital he may wish 
to invest. If he has got to buy the land he can just as well find a 
site containing about the desired area, as one twice as large as he 
intends tocultivate. The importance of this will be seen at a glance. 
Suppose his plot contains ten acres, and only five are cultivated, the 
uncultivated portion is flowed necessarily with the cultivated, and by 
the action of the water foul seeds of endless variety are scattered 
over his bog, imposing a formidable if not impossible task to keep 
his plat free from noxivus vegetation. If only a portion of any se- 
lected marsh is made, the unmade portion should by all means be 
separated from the part improved by a dike to prevent the distribu- 
tion of foul seeds. 
Second. The next desideratum is drainage. This is of prime im- 
portance. Where drainage is imperfect it is impossible to keep out 
foul vegetation, and the quantity and quality of the fruit will be se- 
riously affected, while the labor and discomfort of harvesting will be 
increased many fold. Such a bog is, at the best, but little better 
than one of nature’s planting, and is quite likely to prove a total 
failure. 
Third. Flowage is the next essential of a profitable bog. To be 
able to cover the vines whenever a frost is expected, or whenever 
worms commence their ravages, will render the bog worth one hun- 
dred per cent. more than one equally as good which can be flowed 
only during the winter. It will probably save his crop three years 
out of five. The quality of the water must also be taken into ac- 
count. The standard considered perfect by experienced cultivators 
is a stream abounding with brook trout. It is not essential to find 
trout in your waters, but to be sure that it is so pure that your vines 
will not be covered with a thick slimy sediment when drawn off. This 
will blight the blossom, and but little fruit can be realized on the 
best bog, that has to be covered with impure water. ‘The water of 
our streams, as far as I have observed, is remarkably pure, and there 
is probably little danger of a poor selection in this respect. 
Fourth. The next feature to be considered, is the character and 
surroundings of the marsh. Deep muck is not essential. Some ex- 
cellent bogs have been made on alluvial bottoms where there was a 
slight intermixture of vegetable matter with the sand, called black 
sand by farmers. ‘These are desirable, because most easily and 
cheaply made. If it is a peat or muck formation, it must be of a 
loose, friable nature, through which the water will freely percolate. 
A thin muck overlaying a hard pan, if sufficiently porous to drain 
readily, will make a good bog; but a plat so full of springs that wa- 
