MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 77 
About eighteen years ago, in crossing a marsh, near my residence, I found 
a few cranberry vines; they were very scattering, not occupying more than 
one rod of ground, and mingled with what is termed wire grass. I picked 
one-half a pocket full of berries; there the marsh is what is termed a peat 
formation, and was then very wet. It was, after the discovery of those few 
berries, burned over from time to time, which retarded the growth of the 
vines, till six years ago, when there were seven bushels of berries from that 
small lot of vines, which had spread so ‘as to cover a number of rods. About 
12 years ago, we dug a ditch to a pond of water that had no outlet, and kept the 
whole marsh very wet. Since that time the spread and growth of the vines 
has been very rapid. Five years ago, I helped pick the berries; we gath- 
ered 60 bushels. The marsh was then sold to another man, who picked not 
less than 150 bushels three years since. The rapid spread of the vines and 
their productiveness, attracted the attention of Calvin Russell, and the late 
W. A. Shaw and Charles Lane, of your city; two years ago last spring they 
bought the marsh; they dug small ditches once in ten rods, to intersect 
with the main ditch, which was the outlet to the pond above mentioned. 
They also built a dike to hold the water in the spring. The following sum- 
_ mer the marsh gave good promise of a crop, but the cranberry worm put in 
its appearance in the beginning of August, and did considerable damage; a 
frost the same month froze most of the berries, and injured the vines by 
freezing the tender shoots (as explained in your last week’s article on cran- 
berry culture.) A careful examination of the vines a year ago last fall, after 
the berries were harvested, failed to show any promise of fruit for the fol- 
lowing seasons. About September 12th, the ditches were closed so as to 
flood the marsh, but there being less rain than usual that fall, the vines were 
not flooded till the snow melted in the spring, when they were nicely cov- 
ered, and remained so till the 27th day of June, at which time the water was 
drawn off; what fruit buds there were blossomed and bore fruit, and the 
next fall Mr. Chas. Lane picked about 30 bushels of the finest berries I have 
ever seen. The vines are at present full of fruit buds, and if there are not 
any of them under the water the ditches are all full and the surface of the 
ground is covered in places. 
The growth and spread of the vines in the last two years is something 
surprising. Mr. Russell set plants and cuttings over a number of acres two 
years ago; early in the spring, partly by scalping the turf with a bog-hoe, 
and rolling the turf and sticking the vines down in the scalped place. 
These also grow in an upright position the first season; last season they 
run along near the top of the turf, in some cases 30 inches, and then took 
root in the turf. The ditches were 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep, and 
the vines, in some cases, run into the ditch and crossed to the other side. 
Some vines were set also by cutting through the turf with a spade, and 
pressing in the vines with a piece of board sharpened on the end. These 
made nearly as good growth as the others, and look very promising. Still 
another way: the turf was scalped and piled, and the ground plowed when 
the frost had come out of the ground four inches deep. The vines were 
pressed in between the furrows. About on acre was planted in this way. 
