46 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 168. 



For bogs which are winter flowed hut cannot he reflowed the following plan 

 of procedure is suggested : — 



Begin, as before, by resanding the bog some fall when its general condi- 

 tion promises a light crop for the following season, to reduce the tip worm 

 infestation. Hold the winter flowage the following spring as late as may 

 be necessary to exterminate the black-head fire-worm and destroy the 

 prospective crop. Just how late the flowage would have to be held to 

 accomplish these two objects cannot yet be stated, but the 1st of July 

 would probably, as a rule, be about the right date to let the water off. 

 This late holding of the winter fiowage would clear the bog of the fruit 

 worm and probably of the girdler also, and the vines, not being taxed by 

 a crop, would have abundant opportunity to develop and bud for the 

 winter; and there should be, as on the bogs with reflowage above dis- 

 cussed, no considerable interference with the bud development from 

 either the tip worm or the fire-worm. 



These suggestions may seem unwise on account of the great danger of 

 frost injury on bogs of this class. It is true that, with the proposed changes 

 in the management of these bogs, means of frost protection would have 

 to be provided to insure the crop when produced. Unfortunately, as stated 

 on the first page of this report, tobacco shade cloth has not yet proved its 

 usefulness for this purpose; but, with most bogs of this class, a satis- 

 factory method of protection would probably be afforded by the conserva- 

 tion and proper handling of the winter flowage by means of low dikes and 

 small pumping plants, the bogs being divided and a crop being produced 

 on one part of their area one year and on the other part the next year. 

 The flowage would be conserved on the part which was not producing a 

 crop and would be let on to the part where the crop was being produced, 

 when protection from frost was needed, and then be pumped back again. 

 Handled in this way the winter flowage could be conserved to a far greater 

 extent than is at present possible, for when it was all pumped on to one 

 part of the bog its surface would be greatly reduced and its evaporation 

 consequently be much lessened. It might be necessary in some cases to 

 offset the loss from evaporation and seepage by providing a small acces- 

 sory water supply by pumping through a small pipe, perhaps for some 

 distance, either from the ground or from a pond or stream. Drainage, 

 while the water was being held, would usually have to be accomplished 

 by pumping. 



The possible advantages connected with cropping every other year on 

 flowed bogs may be summed up under the following heads: — 



1. Care of the Bogs. — -The weeds probably would be considerably re- 

 duced by the late holding of the winter flowage and a small reduction in 

 expense thus effected. 



Resanding every other fall is suggested above as a part of this program. 

 The sanding plots on the station bog have seemed thus far to show that 

 the main advantages of resanding, aside from that of providing a certain de- 

 gree of frost protection, are its effects in keeping down the tip worm and the 



