PREPARING THE GROUND. 43 



otherwise they will grow up, and be a continual source 

 of annoyance. 



The cost of clearing and sanding swamps and heath 

 ponds for cranberries varies from $175 to $600 per acre, 

 depending upon the size and roughness of the bog, depth 

 of sand, etc. 



. SAVANNAS. 



This term is given to the medium lands, so to speak, be- 

 ing midway between swamps and uplands. Their surfaces 

 are more or less undulating, and the character of their soil 

 quite varied. The knolls or higher portions, having been 



'. 14. SPHAGNUM MOSS AND CRANBERRIES. 



leached by the rains, are deficient in vegetable matter, 

 while in the basins or lower parts, the accumulation of 

 water and wash from the knolls has gradually assisted in 

 the formation of a muck deposit, supporting a rank growth 

 of Sphagnum and Feather-leaf. 



The plant producing muck most rapidly is the sphag- 

 num moss growing luxuriantly in boggy or wet places, 

 it possesses the property of increasing at the top, while at 

 the same time its lower extremities are decaying and 

 blending with the dark soil below. The nourishment for 

 the plant is derived principally from the air and water. 



As in clearing swamps, savannas must first be ditched 



