62 CRANBERRY CULTURE. 



one of the most successful operators upon natural bogs 

 in New Jersey, says: "They must be drained gradu- 

 ally and carefully at first, to enable the vines to settle by 

 degrees, and become well established upon a firm founda- 

 tion." 



As before stated, cranberry vines, in their normal con- 

 dition, frequently grow among sphagnum moss, some 

 distance above the solid muck ; and when this moss is 

 suddenly made dry by ditching, the vines are liable to 

 perish before they become rooted in the muck. Hence 

 the necessity of draining carefully at first, although, in 

 time, the bog may be completely drained. 



Where sand is accessible, under a natural meadow, the 

 vines may be greatly improved by digging trenches two 

 rods apart, and spreading the sand among the grass and 

 vines. Even muck, taken from trenches where sand could 

 not be reached, and spread over the surface, has benefited 

 vines growing on muck bottoms. J. A. Fen wick states 

 that, from $100 spent in trenching and sanding natural 

 vines, he was benefited to the amount of $1,000. 



Natural meadows require flooding every winter as well 

 as those under cultivation. 



FERTILIZERS. 



Many attempts have been made to increase the growth 

 of the cranberry vine by using fertilizers ; but, as yet, 

 nothing has been found so good, in all respects, as swamp 

 muck. 



All the necessary elements, excepting those obtained 

 from air and water, are contained in sand and muck, and, 

 as previously stated, the proper soil is a mixture of the 

 two. If muck is in excess, it should be diluted with sand; 

 and if sand is overabundant, it may be enriched with 

 muck. Even after the vines have been planted upon poor 

 soil, a top-dressing of muck will greatly improve them. 



