92 [Assembly 



SULLIVAN BATES' METHOD OF RAISING 

 CRANBERRIES. 



Bellingham, Mass., 6th, 1845. 

 I first commenced the experiment of the culture of the cranberry 

 some eight years since, by transplanting the plants in their wild state, 

 on to upland soil, of a clayey nature. After harvesting a crop of po- 

 tatoes, I prepared the soil as for sowing grain, by plowing and har- 

 rowing, then marked it out lightly in drills, 18 or 20 inches apart. 

 The following spring I perceived that not more than two or three hun- 

 dred had survived. I then filled the vacancies by transplanting as be- 

 fore. In the fall I found I had been no more successful, than in the 

 previous spring. Upon an examination of those first planted, I found 

 many young plants shooting up from their roots. With these I filled 

 up the vacancies, and found them all to survive. An abundant proof 

 that they will become naturalized to a dry soil, and require no more 

 trouble in the raising, than the strawberry, or any other plant. I have 

 since made experiments on ditferent soils, and find that they will do 

 well on any ground that will produce the polaloe. The first season 

 we must not expect much fruit. In the third or fourth, the plants will 

 cover the whole ground, yielding from two to three hundred bushels 

 per acre. From half an acre 1 have obtained 104 bushels, and should 

 no doubt have gathered many more if they had not been destroyed by 

 an early frost. I consider the cranberry crop, as sure as that of any 

 other fruit. It is sometimes injured by late spring frosts, while in 

 blossom ; and sometimes by early frosts in August, as was the case 

 this year. Those who have land bordering upon a running stream of 

 water, that can be stopt, and made to overflow it at night when an 

 early frost is anticipated, and withdrawn in the morning without in. 

 jury to the plants, need have no fear of failure in their crops. 



The lime to harvest the cranberry is generally from the first to the 

 middle of September. They are gathered with rakes made express- 

 ly for the purpose ; one man gathering from 30 to 40 bushels per day, 

 with the assistance of a boy to collect the scattering berries. They 

 grow to double the size of those in the wild state, of much better fla- 

 vor, and command in market 30 or 40 per cent more than the others. 

 I shall have plants to supply those who wish in the spring. 



With much respect, 



SULLIVAN BATES. 



