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CRANBERRY INSECTS. 



The cranberry industry of Massachusetts is very large, and is 

 increasing in importance every year. It is principally confined, 

 however, to Barnstable, Plymouth and Bristol counties, where the 

 climate seems to be peculiarly adapted to the growth of cranberries ; 

 but I can see no reason why suitable bogs in other parts of the state 

 may not be successfully utilized for this purpose. 



The Yarmouth Register of Dec. 20, 1890, gives the most complete 

 statistics regarding this industry that I have been able to find. They 

 were prepared by the editor, from data furnished by Mr. C. H. Nye, 

 the Superintendent of the Old Colony Railroad, and indicate the 

 number of barrels shipped and awaiting shipment on that road, for a 

 period of eight years, as follows : 



Cranberries shipped and on hand, Dec. 1, 



To this may be added the yield in Massachusetts for 1891, which 

 has been estimated at 157,000 bbls. I do not know what average 

 price was obtained for cranberries last fall, but think I am safe in 

 estimating the value of last year's crop as high as $1,000,000. It is 

 a difficult matter to estimate the loss caused by insects, over the 

 entire cranberry region, but some of the cranberry growers told me 

 that there was good reason to believe that the insects destroyed, on 

 an average, one-half of the crop on the bogs that cannot be reflowed. 

 This seems a large estimate, but, unless to])acco or some other insec- 

 ticide is used on such bogs, it will not be many years before the 

 insects will multiply to such an extent that the cultivation of cran- 

 berries on these bogs will be entirely profitless. 



Early in 1891, I prepared and sent out a circular to all the cran- 

 berry growers whose names and addresses I could obtain, and 

 received answers from a large percentage of them. 



The following are some of the questions with their answers. 



" Wliat area have you under cultivation? " 



