THE CRANBERRY. 13 



cranberry grounds. The only difficulty experienced 

 by tlioso who are inclined to enter this field of agri- 

 cultural industry, is the difficulty experienced by every 

 other new enterprise, — the want of knowing how to 

 begin, — and when begun, how to carry it on to a suc- 

 cessful issue. Hitherto, no reliable instructions have 

 appeared in print, but in the following pages, the sub- 

 ject will be so fully treated of, in all its bearings, that 

 any intelligent agriculturist will, by following the 

 hints thrown out, and the dh-ections giveii, find no 

 difficulty whatever in securing decent crops of this in- 

 creasingly popular berry. 



The cranberry has long been known to naturalists 

 as a berry possessing certain properties and peculiari- 

 ties, although but comparatively few years have 

 elapsed since its use as a culinary fruit ha^ been exten- 

 sively known. Long years ago, it was used by the 

 Indians, Avho in their way were extensively acquainted 

 with the products of the soil ; they gathered, and 

 roasted the unripe berries and used them as poultices, 

 believing that when applied to the wounds made by 

 poisoned arrows, they had the power of drawing 

 the venom forth. Many a squaw of the Pequods on 

 Cape Cod, if we may credit the statements of some of 

 the early settlers, made a mess of cranberries to give a 

 relish to the venison they killed and cooked ; thus an- 

 ticipating the more elaborate jelly of our own times, 



