100 CRANBERRY CULTURE. 



mated, early in the season, at two thousand bushels ; but, 

 owing to excessive heat, and the ravages of the fruit worm, 

 only eleven hundre*/' bushels weie gathered. 



When the first edition of this work was published, in 

 1870, tlie business of growing cranberries was regarded 

 as extremely profitable, and a large amount of capital 

 was invested in it. As the acreage extended, the draw- 

 backs increased. About the year 1873, the rot or scald 

 prevailed to such an extent as to render the business ex- 

 tremely hazardous. A few choice locations are compara- 

 tively exempt from its ravages, but most of the meadows 

 in New Jersey are affected. The insect enemies have 

 also increased so that it is now probable that all the 

 receipts derived from the sale of tlie fruit would fail to 

 pay the expense incurred in jnirchasing and j^reimring 

 cranberry meadows. 



CHAPTER XII. 

 LETTERS FROM PRACTICAL GROWERS. 



Chlvago, III, Feb. 7th, 1870. 



Bear Sir : — In reply to yours of 22d, would say, as to 

 the culture of our marsh, and the superiority of our ber- 

 ries, we tliink it is owing to the large depth of our peat 

 bed. The alluvial soil, deposited every spring by the 

 large overflow of several miles, deposits entirely in our 

 marsh. We also attribute our success in part to the 

 numerous ditches we have ; in all, we calculate from 16 

 to 18 miles in extent. 



W^e keep our vines well flooded duiing the winter, and, 

 on account of the late June frosts we are subjected to, 

 we rarely raise our flood-gates until the 15th of June. 



W^e are subject to early frosts in the autumn. In 1868, 

 we had a very promising crop — estimated at 2,500 bar- 

 rels — but o\vin<j: to the early frosts, only picked about 400 

 "barrels sound berries. 



