18 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 332 



1865 1810 1875 1880 1885 >890 1895 



Figure 6. 



1900 



reduced the yield on a large acreage there. Frosts have been very destructive 

 on the Pacific Coast. 



The upward trend in Massachusetts is of interest, for it has been accom- 

 plished in spite of some reduction in acreage and the development here of three 

 new major enemies of the cranberry industry: the false blossom disease, the 

 gipsy moth, and the root grub. The increased production was apparently due 

 mostly to the improvement of flowage facilities and the more general adoption 

 of better cultural practices. 



The record of cranberry production in Massachusetts since 1900 is given in 

 Table 12, together with revised estimates of total acreage for each year. The 

 annual average yield per acre, season average price, crop value, recorded ship- 

 ments, and the level of business activity of the country are also included for 

 comparative purposes. During this period, cranberry production in Massa- 

 chusetts has shown a consistent upward trend except as interrupted by un- 

 favorable labor and market conditions caused by the World War. Cranberry 

 production increased from an average of 271,900 barrels annually for the ten 

 years 1901-1910 to an annual average of 317,000 barrels from 1911-1920 in 

 spite of the decrease in some of the war years. A further increase to an aver- 

 age of 376,900 barrels per year is shown for the period 1921-1930, while the 

 average of the past five years, 1931-1935, is 400,600 barrels. Since 1900 the 

 smallest Massachusetts cranberry crop was harvested in 1917 and totaled only 

 137,000 barrels, while the largest crop on record occurred in 1933 with a total 

 of 506,000 barrels. The lowest average yield per acre since 1900 was 9.7 barrels 

 in 1917 and the highest 36.9 barrels in 1933. The average yield per acre for 

 the entire period was 24.2 barrels and the average for the five years 1931— 

 1935 was 29.2 barrels. 



