104 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



them, while the vines themselves were laden from top to bottom 

 with the finest of berries, already changing from white to 

 spotted and from spotted to red or scarlet, giving indications of 

 early ripening and of entire exemption from worms or rot, whose 

 ravages so often blast the hopes of cultivators of this most 

 wholesome and popular fruit. Messrs, Gilford & Loring were 

 not without experience in this business, having prepared and 

 cultivated successfully a portion of the same swamp before 

 comniencing this experiment. They have also this fall set 

 vines upon another portion, prepared during the "past summer. 

 They say in their statement : 



" The piece of cranberry meadow which w^e present for 

 premium, contains about seven-eighths of an acre. The meadow 

 was originally what is called a whortleberry swamp, being 

 covered with these bushes, together with a few pines and 

 maples. 



" Our first operation was to remove the bushes, cutting them, 

 saving such as were large enough for fuel, and burning the 

 remainder upon the ground. The turf with the roots was then 

 removed down to the peat, which fills the eatire basin compris- 

 ing the meadow, and is from six to ten feet deep. The turf we 

 used in making a fence around the meadow, which serves the 

 purpose admirably well, making a durable structure, and also a 

 defence against cold winds. 



" We then ran parallel ditches, two feet wide, and some thirty 

 feet apart, from the upland to the central drain, which had 

 been dug in the preparation of another piece for the same pur- 

 pose. The meadow was then made as level as possible, and 

 covered with about two inches of sand taken from the upland 

 adjoining the meadow. 



" There is much care to be used in the selection of the sand, 

 getting that that is called ' dead,' containing no clayey 

 particles, and the coarser the better. 



" The swamp was cleared in 1861, and the vines set in 18G2. 

 This piece was set in drills about eighteen inches apart. We 

 think it not material whether this plan is pursued, or that the 

 vines be set in hills from eighteen inches to two feet apart. 



" We got no fruit from the meadow of any consequence, until 

 1865, when we picked about forty-five barrels, which we sold for 

 about $9 per barrel, net. In 1866, we took about twenty-five 



