494 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



that can be desired for the above purpose ; in such 

 a case there will be little demanded beyond labor. 

 Should the situation be that of a shallow pond, with 

 a sandy bottom, in which the water stands deep in 

 the winter, and in summer it almost dries up, the 

 first step to be taken is, either to construct a drain 

 or ditch, by which you may draw off the water 

 from the pond. Should the bottom or surface be 

 uneven and irregular, you must endeavor to make 

 it more level. It is not an uncommon practice 

 with some growers, to make their patches flat, but 

 this is rather passing into disrepute ; the incline 

 plan of construction or formation being preferred 

 by most cultivators. 



The sand which is on the edges of the pond can 

 be carted or wheeled to the centre, so that you can 

 bring the holes to that height which is most desi- 

 rable. When this is done, you may rake over and 

 give your patch that degree of sloping which will 

 carry off" the cold spring water. The object, in 

 Buch a situation as this, of making a drain, is to 

 carry off the water in the spring and summer; but 

 however favorable it may be to have your vines 

 "flowed" in the winter, that "flowing" must in the 

 summer be prevented ; the drain does this effectU' 

 ally. 



2. Swamps or bogs have been spoken of as fa- 

 vorable situations in which the cranberry vine can 

 be cultivated. In such locations, there is generally 

 more labor and expense incurred in their prepara- 

 tion than in many others. First, the brush and 

 undergrowth must be cleared off. Secondly, the 

 top turf ought to be removed, if possible. If there 

 is not sand in or about the margin of the swamp, 

 if it is not too distant, of course you will cart it in, 

 and "fill up" and "fill in," making the covering 

 about four inches thick. 



You will have to guard against, in this situation, 

 the "coarse wild grass," which is the enemy of the 

 vine. This is done by spading off the surface, and 

 "filling in" with the sand. Should this situation 

 be liable to be overflowed with water in the sum- 

 mer, the drain must be resorted to in order to save 

 the vines, and give them a fair chance of blossom- 

 ing and developing the berry. 



3. The banks oJT fresh-water ponds, when prop- 

 erly managed and prepared, are good. Should 

 such a situation be too stony, the stones and rocks 

 may be removed, and the surface made as fine as 

 possible. Should the water of the pond be apt to 

 rise too high, at an unseasonable part of the year, 

 and flood the vines, this ought to be guarded against 

 by forming an embankment, which would preserve 

 the yard from being deluged. 



4. There are situations which can be made avail- 

 able for a cranberry patch by a little labor. It will 

 be observed, that there are locations which are fa- 

 vorable, both as to aspect and soil. But they are 

 uneven or undulating. It is not unfrequently the 

 case that a part of that land may be so low as to 

 retain at all seasons of the year a degree of mois 

 ture which exists in sufficient quantities to meet 

 the wants of the cranberry vine. On other parts 

 of it the hills or slight elevations may be too dry 

 and arid. In this case, those mounds must be re- 

 moved and the land brought to the level of that 

 situation which is moist. 



5. Should you possess land which is in every 

 way adapted to grow the cranberry, but is liable to 

 be overflowed with salt water, and you are desirous 

 of turning that land to account by cultivating the 



vine, the first step to be taken is, to devise some 

 plan by which the salt water can be driven back 

 and effectually prevented from again overflowing 

 it. This is done by making a dyke. The land 

 thus redeemed must be prepared by taking off the 

 sward or covering it over with beach sand. It is 

 not safe to plant on land of this description imme- 

 diately after it has been redeemed. It is necessary 

 to let the land lie exposed to the rains and atmos- 

 phere a sufficient length of time, in order to get 

 "freshened." When the salt has been taken out 

 of it, by exposure to the weather, then it is safe to 

 plant. 



PLANTING VINES. 



The cranberry vine can be removed from the 

 soil in which it has been cultivated, or from its na- 

 tive swamp, either in the spring or fall of the year. 

 If the vine is taken up and left exposed to the win- 

 ter weather it is almost sure of being killed, and 

 therefore no one to whom this fact is known would 

 do so. The vine can be removed from the soil 

 and left without earth through the winter under 

 some circumstances. If they are taken up in the 

 fall and left in a moist cellar until spring, they will, 

 when planted, take root and do well. "I would as 

 soon have vines left in my cellar through the win- 

 ter, for spring planting, as I would have those 

 fresh from the yard or the swamp." Experiment 

 has proved that the vine can be treated according 

 to the latter method without detriment to itself. 

 It will, therefore, be evident that the vine can be 

 taken up and have all the soil taken from its roots, 

 be packed in barrels, and forwarded to any part of 

 the country, without being injured. 



It is admitted by most cultivators of the cran- 

 berry that in the absence of ability to "flood the 

 patch" in the winter, that it is better to plant in 

 the spring than the fall, because those vines set out 

 in the fall, which are not "flowed," will get frozen, 

 and when the frost is thawed out, it will throw the 

 young plants up and out of the soil. In circum- 

 stances like these, spring planting is the best. 



Those who determine upon this season instead 

 of the fall for setting out, will, of course, not re- 

 move their vines until they are prepared to trans- 

 plant. May and the early part of June, for spring 

 planting, are believed on Cape Cod to be the most 

 favorable months. Should you determine upon ei- 

 ther one of these months, which you may do with 

 perfect assurance that the removal will not injure 

 your vines, you will, therefore, defer their removal 

 until you are ready to give them a place in your 

 newly-prepared situation. In other words, do not 

 remove your vines until you can plant them. — 

 Though vines may be taken up and kept from 

 the soil for three or four months in a moist and 

 warm situation, yet all cultivators prefer the for- 

 mer method or time of removal. 



There are two or three advantages connected 

 with spring planting, which we will name, which 

 he who sets out his vines in the fall cannot possi- 

 bly have. 



If in the spring you intend to plant you have the 

 winter before you for preparation. You may prob- 

 ably with your own labor and a little assistance be 

 able to make as much as you think it best to plant. 

 You have more time on your hands, and therefore 

 you can afford to do your -work better and thor- 

 oughly. To get ready for fall planting, you have 

 to hurry everything, and consequently your work 



