5 . 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



495 



is likely to be slighted. In making your patch in 

 the winter, you can study the characteristics of the 

 location, and learn to what depth and extent it is 

 liable to be flowed, and whether it is flowed from 

 natural springs or water that is carried into it from 

 other sources. 



Having called your attention to the time of re- 

 moving and flanting vines, we will present to the 

 reader the various methods of planting, and speci- 

 fy those modes which are preferred. It must not 

 be supposed that there is one uniform plan of treat- 

 ing the vine. The cultivation of this plant is but 

 in ils infancy, and consequently growers will con- 

 tinue to make trials and experiments, until they 

 acquire a knowledge of a method which to them 

 is satisfactory. Various methods have been adopt 

 ed and pursued with diflferent degrees of success, 

 which we will now mention. 



1. Sod planting. — This is the oldest plan. It 

 was customary in the early days of cranberry cul- 

 ture to cut out a square or oblong sod on which 

 the vine was growing, and then to prepare the yard 

 to receive it just as it was taken up. It was 

 thought that this plan was the best, because the 

 vine did not suff"er by such a removal. But expe- 

 rience has taught cultivators that this is not the 

 best mode. There is this forcible objection lying 

 against it. In removing the sod, rank weeds ana 

 foul grasses are brought with it, and it has been 

 proved that these grasses and weeds retard the 

 matting process of the vine, and the yard becomes 

 one of weeds and wild grasses rather than of heal- 

 thy cranberry plants. If you plant on the Sod 

 System, it will entail much labor upon you ; for 

 even if you determine upon keeping down this 

 wild stuff, you will find the difliculty to be greater 

 than you anticipated. 



We may safely advise the intending cultivator 

 to guard against the method which has just been 

 described. Another plan is, 



2. The separation of sod vines. — A method 

 which is far superior to the former. 



On obtaining the sod, and before planting, you 

 take the sod on which the vine is growing, exam- 

 ine it closely, then place your fingers beneath or 

 among the roots and tear them out as carefully as 

 you can. When this is done, separate the vine in^ 

 to as many as you can conveniently, but be carefu 

 to leave two or three small spears or runners on 

 the roots. When you plant, place the roots in the 

 soil first, then spread out the spears or runners, 

 and bury them in the soil, but being careful to 

 leave out of the earth the ends or tij)s of those 

 spears or runners. 



The reason for this method is, that from those 

 parts of the spears or runners which are buried in 

 the soil will start new roots, and each root will be 

 a new vine, and instead of only having one root 

 from which the vine may start, you have two, or a 

 half a dozen, according to the number of spears 

 on the vine you plant. This is a favorite method 

 among the most successful growers of the cranberry. 



A patch planted on this system matts rapidly, 

 and has rarely been known to fail. It is about the 

 best method now known; you may follow it with 

 safety : 



3. Cutting planting.— In pursuing this meth- 

 od when the vine is obtained, it is cut up into con- 

 venient lengths, say from four to six inches. One 

 of these cuttings is taken, but not planted with the 

 end down and one end out of the soil ; it is plant- 



ed in the middle of the cutting, leaving vp both ends, 

 so that when it takes root, instead of there being 

 but one runner, there will be two. This is a good 

 and safe method. 



4. Cutting planting may be continued in 

 another form ; take two or three sHps or cuttings, 

 about three or four inches long, and force the low- 

 er ends into the soil with a dibble ; each slip will 

 take root and form a vine. This has been tried 

 with success, and in some parts of the country it is 

 a popular method. 



5. Broadcast planting. — When the vines are 

 secured in suflicient quantities, they may be cut 

 about two inches in length by a common hay cut- 

 ter. When the patch is prepared to receive them, 

 they may be scattered over the surface as is wheat 

 or oats, and then well harrowed into the soil. The 

 cuttings will take root from the base of the leaves, 

 and will soon spring up and present the appearance 

 of young and healthy vines. Some prefer to bury 

 these cuttings in drills. But it is mere matter of 

 opinion as to which plan is the best. 



6. Propagation from seeds. — If the seeds of 

 the cranberry are sown, they are not always certain 

 of coming up. The situation may be too cold for 

 them, and the seed is destroyed. Seed is often 

 tried, and will send up a small fine spear, but gen- 

 erally is killed after the first year. We have heard 

 it stated by several cultivators that the seed may, 

 under some circumstances, be used, and in the 

 third year the vines raised from them would bear 

 small quantities of fruit. 



The best situations in which to sow the seed of 

 the cranberry are the edges of fresh meadow land; 

 such places are generally protected, and they seem 

 favorable, or rather the most favorable situations 

 for propagation from seed that are known. 



Some persons who have tried this experiment 

 have put into the soil the whole berry ; few have 

 been found to come up, the seeds have rotted. 

 We tried another plan, which was as follows : we 

 obtained the berry and then broke it in water. 

 The seeds separated from the berry ; these we col- 

 lected and sowed in the patch prepared for them, 

 and found them to do better than any other meth- 

 od. But raising vines from seed is uncertain, haz- 

 ardous, and if you succeed, you have a long time 

 to wait for the fruit. We would not advise seed 

 planting; from vines and cuttings the best patches 

 are formed. 



Distances of planting. — This is wholly reg- 

 ulated by the quantity of vines you have at your 

 command, and the extent of land to be covered. 

 Some will plant them three feet apart. In this 

 case, it must take them a long time to mat. Some 

 plant them eighteen inches apart, which of course 

 is better than the former plan, because they will 

 be matted all the sooner. The rule is, the nearer 

 you can plant your vines the better, providing your 

 patch is not overrun with weeds and foul grass. 

 The object in such a case of planting them wider 

 apart would be to give the cultivator an opportu- 

 nity of getting between the vines and destroying 

 the weeds and whatever else might be likely to 

 choke them. 



The above will afibrd many useful suggestions 

 to the beginner, and is all we can find space for at 

 present. But the cultivator will be greatly aided 

 by having the book treating of the subject before 

 him. It maybe found at the bookstores in Boston. 



