CRANBERRY. 165 



Per centage of water expelled by 212 ° F. is 88.78 



" " ash .17 

 Woody fibre tissues, organic acids, and other organic 



matter not decomposed at 212 ° F., 11.05 



100.00 



Per centage of potash in the ash, 42.67 



« « soda " " 1.77 



Only 17 per cent, of the ash is derived from the soil — 

 all the rest from atmosphere and water. It will also be 

 seen from the above, why this fruit flourishes so well near 

 the sea shore under saline influences. 



The best variety is called the Black Cranberry, being 

 very dark-red, nearly black when ripe, very large, nearly 

 round, and very hard flesh. The crop is sometimes injured 

 by late frosts on the blossoms in spring, and they must be 

 gathered before frosts in the fall, but should be allowed to 

 remain on and ripen as long as the frosts will permit. To 

 save expense in cultivation, it is of the first importance to 

 have the ground entirely covered with the plants as soon 

 as possible, and then they may be kept in good bearing 

 order for five or six years, by an occasional thorough 

 raking over of the bed, and thus thinning the plants. This 

 is done to a certain extent by the rake in gathering the 

 fruit. The small Cranberry has creeping small roots and 

 stems, but the Black Cranberry has thrifty vines three or 

 four feet long, and sometimes much longer, trailing over 

 the ground. 



The first year after planting, the usual produce is about 

 50 bushels to the acre, after that increasing to 200 or 300 

 bushels. 



[Mr. F. Trowbridge, New Haven, Ct., has plants in any quantity for sale 

 at 50 cents per hundred.] 



