146 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



aiices very thrifty, when the yard lias faced tlie north, yet ex- 

 perience is in favor of a southerly direction. 



If possible, in forming a patch, let it be sheltered from the 

 cold, raw winds ; give it the advantage of the warm breezes ; 

 by doing this you will be more likely to succeed than if you 

 neglected it. 



A swamp may be chosen. If you find the vine growing 

 around the edges of a l)og, you may safely conclude that the 

 plant can there be advantageously cultivated. In the prepara- 

 tion of these locations, there is often much labor and some ex- 

 pense ; but this depends upon the surface, and what there is to 

 V)e done in removing the turf and " filling in." 



If you make a cranberry patch in a swamp, and it is liable to 

 have water standing in pools over the vines in the summer sea- 

 son, this will operate as a hindrance to the ripening of the berry. 

 This precaution must be observed in making choice of such a 

 situation, that the water can \)G drawn oil when it is necessary. 



Meadow land which is low and moist affords an excellent 

 location for the cranberry. In fact, these damp situations are 

 very suitable, provided the dampness or moisture is not too 

 cold and icy. If the moisture beneath the surface in which the 

 vine is planted is of too cold a temperature, it will prove fatal 

 to the young vines. Care fnust be had, in selecting for a yard, 

 to ascertain if the water is too cold ; if it is not, it may be con- 

 verted into a useful and profitable cranberry patch. There 

 vmsl be water in the land in which they are planted ; as a 

 general rule, it is best to have it within eight inches of the sur- 

 face. The object of this is to give moisture. The grower must 

 have it, or his plants will fail. 



A gradual slope is often to be met with, coming down to the 

 edge of a pond. When such inclines are properly prepared and 

 planted, they make the best of yards ; and such locations gen- 

 erally have a soil in which the vine will do excellently, and 

 there is not so much trouble with them, as the gravel chokes 

 the weeds. 



Sandy patches of land or plats, that are near the seashore, 

 which are not liable to be overflowed with salt water, stand 

 high. 



in planting vines, dead levels by the side of ponds should be 

 guarded against. The land should conform to the laud behind 



