106 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



The vines will then show above the sand one or two inches. The 

 cuttings are obtained from vigorous plants by mowing a portion of a 

 producing bog. A fully developed plant is about six inches high, 

 the vines running along on the ground very similar to strawberries. 



Time to plant. The best results have been obtained by planting 

 during the months of April and May. The plants will then get a 

 good start before the dry weather of the summer and the fourth year 

 afterwards the first real crop may be expected. After this we gen- 

 erally expect a crop of fifty barrels per acre. 



Cultivating. During the four years after the bog is built a large 

 amount of work is involved to keep the area weeded and free from 

 grass or other foreign growth. It is also necessary to clean out the 

 ditches by the third year any way, as their banks have not been 

 fully vined over and consequently the wash and caving will often 

 fill them. 



After the vines have completely covered the bog there is little 

 trouble from weeds or other foreign growth. 



Pruning. Each year, after harvesting, the bog is pruned with a 

 razor-toothed rake removing all loose runners and leaving the vines 

 in condition to produce uprights upon which the fruit grows. 



Resanding. About every other year it is desirable to spread upon 

 the surface of the bog a thin layer of sand. This also must be done 

 by hand, unless as some growers and under certain conditions, 

 may make the application on the ice in the winter. 



Management. The cranberry industry is one of the most highly 

 developed fruit specialties in the country. To be successful it 

 requires years of experience and study and the demands in this 

 respect are increasing every year. 



Harvesting. Formerly cranberries were harvested by hand. 

 Since the industry has expanded however, certain devices have 

 been invented, only a few of which have stood the test of time and 

 experience. 



The month of September is really the harvesting month. It may 

 begin in August and some times extends into October. The fruit 

 as harvested is placed in ventilated boxes usually containing one 

 bushel, in which they are carried to the packing house and there 

 allowed to remain until properly cooled, after which they are put 

 through certain machines for removing leaves, vines, soft and 



