MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 71 
width will be as nearly as possible equally divided between sand pits 
on opposite sides. The surface soil must be carefully removed from 
these, uncovering as much sand as will probably be required in each 
place before beginning to sand. An inexperienved person should be 
very liberal in his estimate. For distances not exceeding fifteen 
rods the wheelbarrow commonly used on railroads is the cheapest 
and best vehicle for moving sand. A track of one and a half or two 
inch plank, wide enough to roll the barrow on conveniently, should 
extend from the pit to the farthest point to which sand has to be 
carried. Beginning farthest from the pit, the sand should be dumped 
in in courses and levelled to the desired thickness as fast as one or 
two courses have been dropped. As the track has to be frequently 
moved, the plank should be as light as possible. A convenient tool 
for levelling sand is a common hay rake, with tough twigs woven into 
the teeth about half their length. The leveler should stand on the 
track and work the sand to a smooth level surface, and no tramping 
over it, should be allowed until it is marked off for vine setting. 
Stones that can be hauled in at the bottom and covered entirely 
with sand, will do no harm; but if too large for this, they should be 
thrown out by the shovelers. 
The depth of sand required will depend on the richness of the bot- 
tom. On pure black peat the vine will grow vigorously, produce one 
crop perhaps, and then become abortive. I am acquainted with a 
bog of this kind which was prepared with four inches of sand. The 
vines grew well and produced two decent crops, when the proprietor 
had to prue them, which he did by cutting them off close to the sur- 
face. ‘The best results, on very rich bottoms, have been attained by 
putting on sand from six to twelve inches deep. The more sand, 
the longer the period required to bring the vines to full bearing ; but 
once at that stage, they continue productive for many wears. 
All we have thus far written applies solely to muck or peat bot- 
toms. Two or three illustrations will indicate how these directions 
are to be varied on locations having different characteristics : 
A gentleman of my acquaintance made a cranberry bog of about 
two acres. The site, to begin with, was almost a dead level, border- 
ing a small stream. An outside ditch from one and a half to two 
feet deep by three feet wide was found suflicient for ordinary drain- 
age. It was laid out in plats or beds of four rods in width, divided 
from each other by shallow ditches, not more than four or five inches 
deep. ‘These were intended to facilitate the drawing off of flowage 
water. The mud here was shallow and not very rich, so that four 
inches of sand was deemed enough. ‘This was evenly spread over 
the entire surface, ditches and all. The vines were set in rows close 
to the margin of these ditches and were allowed to cover them with 
runners. ‘This became a very productive bog, with no waste of 
ground by ditching. 
The next illustration is a plot of larger extent, consisting of a sub- 
strata of loose sand overlaid with a thin muck and grass sod. The 
laying out and ditching here was done the same as in the last exam- 
ple. The sanding was mostly done by subsoiling. The soil ona 
strip farthest from the upland was wheeled ashore, then sufficient 
sand was taken away to make room for the mud on the next strip of 
