56 CRANBERRY CULTURE. 



grower, of Burlington Co., New Jersey. He first spread 

 the vines evenly over the suiflice of the meadow, and then 

 entirely covered tliem with sand — putting it on al)out one 

 inch thick. The young shoots came up through this cov- 

 ering as thick as wheat, and made an excellent growth, 

 quickly matting the whole surface. This method requires 

 more vines than the two last named, but by ndopting it, 

 a crop will be produced sooner than by planting in any 

 other way. 



The vines must not be spread far ahead of the men 

 who are covering them, lest they be injured by the sun 

 and wind, although they will endure as much exposure as 

 most hardy plants. 



Sowing Cuttings may be done successfully, a fact 

 which go 'S far toward establishing a reputation of hardi- 

 ness for the cranberry vine. The vines are passed through 

 a straw-cutter, and chopped in pieces about one inch 

 long; they are then sown like oats, upon an evenly pre- 

 pared surface, and liarrowed in. It is essential that this 

 be done very early in the spring, and upon moist land, so 

 as to enable the cuttings to become well rooted before 

 the heats of summer. A patch put out in this way may 

 be seen on the grounds of Shinn & Allston, near Turkey- 

 town, N. J., in a thriving condition, but this system is not 

 recommended for general culture. 



Great care should be taken, in selecting the vines, to 

 procure those which yield large berries ; the shape of the 

 fruit is of little consequence ; tlie great desideratum 

 being, as previously stated, to ()l)tain l)erries of (/ood size 

 and color. 



As it is impossible to judge from the appearance of a 

 cranberry vine what shape oi- size its fruit will be, it is 

 best either to become accjuainted with the quality of the 

 vines before using them, or to ]>' 5 them of reliable 



parties. Even wi; t would be diffi- 



cult to obtain a larg« i .cing ben i 



