68 » ANNUAL REPORT. : 
ter is found oozing out everywhere or which cannot be made dry 
enough for corn, with ditches from four to six rods apart, should be 
rejected. , 
Sometimes springs are found very abundant around the borders of 
a marsh, which a single ditch will cut off if run along next to the up- 
land, leaving the interior well drained. A little experimenting in 
the way of ditching will determine this point. 
The general level of the bog should be at least twelve inches above 
the water in the stream, before sanding, and more if there is a large 
surface to be drained. Many streams can be brought down to the 
required level by clearing out obstructions, by widening at the out- 
let, or by dredging a sand bar at the point where the dam is to be 
built. 
Sand, being an essential to successful bog making, should be found 
convenient to the spot. A marsh not more than thirty to forty rodd 
in width, with good sand on either side, can be profitably made ; but 
sand is heavy, and it takes a great many tons to cover an acre, even 
the minimum depth of three inches. If I owned a bog of the above 
width, and my neighbor would sell me one half as wide, as good as 
mine in every other respect, for $50 per acre, I should save money 
by the purchase. 
The sand should be tolerably coarse, perfectly free from clay or 
soil, and the higher the bank the better, as less surface will have to 
be cleared of soil to get at the pure sand. I have noticed some very 
desirable situations along the Mississippi and its larger tributaries. 
These consist of marshes enclosed by crescent shaped highlands, and 
separated from the river by a narrow beach, of alluvium. On this 
beach the turf can be piled, making an effectual barrier to the river 
during freshets, and holding the water in the basin during the period 
of flowage. 
The water for this purpose can be taken by a sluice, tapping the 
river at a convenient point above the bog. 
Fifth. The last, though not least consideration, bearing on the 
selection of a site, is the character of the indigenous vegetation. The 
cranberry does not flourish well as a joint tenant. Every species of 
grass, brakes, bushes and creeping vines, must be exterminated. 
Some varieties of grass are very tenacious of life, and must be pared 
otf and removed or turned under so deep as to bury the roots entire- 
ly, and the sand put on as soon as possible afterwards. Rosebushes 
and other bushes hard to kill, running briars, &c., must be dug or 
pulled up. If this task appears too formidable, look further for a 
site. 
These comprise, in brief, all the necessary directions in regard to 
the selection of a situation for a cranberry bog, but I have found it 
difficult to express them as clearly as I desired to within the limits 1 
had prescribed for myself. 
LAYING OUT AND WORKING A BOG. 
The methods to be pursued in working a bog will vary necessarily, 
according to the character of the site. 
We will speak first of a peat or muck formation. If it is covered 
