CRANBERRY MEADOWS. 137 



and see how they bear. If they bear well, you may be cer- 

 tain that the vines are healthy. 



Tlie best time for planting is either in the spring or fall of 

 the year. Vines may be taken np in the fall and left in a moist 

 cellar until spring, and when planted will take root and do well. 



There are various methods of planting ; one of the best is the 

 separation of sod vines. On obtaining a sod on which the vine 

 is growing, examine it closely, then place your fingers among 

 the roots and tear them out carefully. Separate the vine into 

 as many as you can conveniently, leaving two or three small 

 spears ov runners on tlie roots. Set them in hills eighteen 

 inches apart, and place the roots in the soil first ; then spread 

 out the spears or runners, and bury them in the soil, leaving 

 out of the earth the tips of the spears or runners. 



When the vines are planted their development depends on 

 the treatment they receive. If they are neglected, grass and 

 weeds will spring up, and it will be impossible for them to be 

 very thrifty. They should be hoed until the runners begin to 

 spread over the intervals between the hills, after which the 

 grass and weeds should be pulled up. 



Generally, after the second or third year the vines will take 

 care of themselves. It is better to flood the vines in the winter 

 or spring, and the water should not be drawn off until the 

 middle or the last of May. The cultivators begin to pick 

 the fruit and get it ready for market about the middle or 

 last of September. 



There are two methods of picking ; one is by hand and the 

 other by raking. Picking by hand is much the best way, as 

 raking cannot be done in meadows where the vines become 

 matted, without doing them a serious injury. 



There are several kinds of this fruit. The bugle cranberry is 

 of a pale color, and is not valued so highly as the bell or cherry, 

 which is round and large, and its color is very dark when it is 

 properly cultivated. One of your Committee has on his meadow 

 a species of white cranberry. It does not turn dark by keeping, 

 but always remains white. 



The packing of the berries is of importance. It is usual to 

 spread them out, so that all the moisture may evaporate ; then 

 they are winnowed, picked over, and, if the market is not far 

 distant, they are packed in dry barrels, and thus sent there. 



18* 



