ON CRANBEBRIES. 53 



ral Improvement ; from gentlemen favorably located too for obtaining 

 information, goes to confirm the belief that as yet, very little attention 

 has been bestowed upon the cultivation of this delicious fruit in the 

 county of Essex. A specimen of cranberries was exhibited at the 

 show in Lynn, raised by Abel Burnham of Essex, upon sixty four 

 rods of high lind. As his experiment however was not entered for 

 premium, probably no member of the committee has seen it. 



The experiment of Capt. Winthrop Low of Essex, is one of great 

 interest. It establishes the fact, so far as it can be done in one year, 

 that cranberries may be raised in perfection, upon a dry upland soil, 

 without artificial watering or the use of loam. As Capt. Low's state- 

 ment however, will be published herewith, and as something in the 

 form of an Essay on this interesting subject will be attempted in 

 another place, no further remarks will be necessary in this report than 

 to state briefly, that the soil selected by Capt. Low was, most of it 

 a sandy loam. It was perfect Indian corn land. The soil is po- 

 rous, and would not retain water even if the ground were level. 

 But it must be remembered, that in no part of the field can the wa- 

 ter stand so as to keep the roots saturated any considerable time 

 together. A small rill of water indeed passes through the field, 

 but confined to a width not exceeding five feet, and usually not more 

 than one foot. 



The running water is within about twenty-eight feet of one side of 

 the field, and from the row of cranberries next to the ditch back to 

 the side of the field the ground rises, on an average of the whole 

 distance, twenty-eight inches, being an inch to a foot. Here then, 

 clearly, water would run off freely. On the other side of the ditch, 

 the ground rises six feet and five inches in a distance of one hun- 

 dred and thirty-two feet, which goes to show that the vines do live 

 and grow without water, at least with no more than is needed for a 

 crop of corn or beans. 



The altitudes were carefully taken by the undersigned, with a 

 spirit lever attachvid to an Engineer's Compass, having the teles- 

 cope and every fixture for accurate levelling. 



As evidence of the completely upland nature of the soil, it may 

 be stated that a row of white beans was planted between every two 

 of cranberry vines, and although it has not been a good year for 

 white beans, Capt. Low has harvested nine bushels from the one 

 hundred and twenty rods, a fact, showing also, that the land is not 



