THE CRANBERRY INDUSTRY 3 



managers individually and secured the information required. This has been 

 carefully analyzed and the results are presented here. 



This report also compares the results of the 1924 and 1934 surveys, impor- 

 tant changes in the industry being noted. It includes fairly complete historical 

 data of the Massachusetts cranberry acreage and of the production in each of 

 the important cranberry-growing regions of the country. It gives a record of 

 cranberry prices since 1863, together with a study of their relation since 1900 

 to business conditions, cranberry production, and other factors. A record of 

 Cape Cod cranberry frosts since 1912 kept by the Cranberry Station at East 

 Wareham is included. The statistical material is presented rather fully in 

 tabular form and is freely illustrated with charts. 



CRANBERRY BOG ACREAGE 



Cranberry bogs were first planted in Barnstable County, and here the cran- 

 berry industry had its most rapid early development. The Massachusetts 

 State census report for 1885 (see Table 1) gives the bog acreage of Barnstable 

 County as 2,408 acres, of Plymouth County as 1,347 acres, and of Worcester 

 County as 77 acres. No acreage is given in this report for any other county, 

 though cranberry crops are reported for every county in the State except 

 Suffolk. In the State census for 1895, however, cranberry acreage is reported 

 for every county except Hampshire and Suffolk, and the State census for 1905 

 gives bog acreage for all the counties except Suffolk. 



Table 1 — Massachusetts Ckanberry Bog Acreage 



County 1885* 1895* 1905* 1915t 1924J 1934§ 



Barnstable 2,408 3,255 4,677 4,433 4,331 3,500 



Berkshire 21 4 



Bristol 371 291 



Dukes 70 64 



Essex 365 157 



Franklin 37 29 



Hampden 68 25 



Hampshire 48 



Middlesex 641 



Nantucket 34 



Norfolk 269 



Plymouth 1,347 3,766 



Worcester 77 475 



STATE TOTAL 9,372 13,027 14,123 13,896 13,644 



* Massachusetts State Census report t Assessors' reports 



* Assessors' reports carefully rechecked from other sources 



§ Personal canvass of all cranberry bog owners or managers 



From 1885 to 1895, Plymouth County added nearly three times as many 

 acres to its total as did Barnstable County. This gave Plymouth County a 

 lead of over 500 acres, which has since been maintained and increased. These 

 two counties easily lead all others in the cranberry industry. In 1895, in the 

 order of their relative importance, were Middlesex, Worcester, Bristol, Essex, 



