392 



CRANBERRY 



■ 'f good qualitv now 

 The following table 

 ^ i]iug"and "closing" 

 seasons: 



MAY 



1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 



New England.... 307,563 260,000 350,000 375,000 480,000 



New Jersey 163,788 225,000 200,000 200,000 250.000 



The West 140,672 100,000 70,000 225,000 30,000 



Totals 612,023 585,000 620.000 800,000 760,000 



1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 



New England.... 375,000 .575.000 185,000 420,000 600,000 



NewJersey IBO.OOO 325,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 



TheWest 65,000 100,000 25,000 10,000 30,000 



Totals 600.000 1,000,000 410,000 650,000 830,000 



1897 1898 1899 



New England.... 400.000 425,000 425,000 



NewJersey 250,000 300,000 175,000 



TheWest 50,000 75,000 85,000 



Totals 700,000 800,000 685,000 



Average prices f"i i ii 

 range from $4.50 t.. -' 

 (by Rider) gives :i -i. 

 prices per bushel t^r' I ^ ' 



TEAR Ol 



1877 $2 00 ® $2 50 ^ 00 ® $4 50 



1878 2 00® 2 25 2 25® 2 50 



1879 1 75 ® 2 00 5 00 ® 6 00 



1880 1 50 ® 2 00 50 ® 1 00 



1881 1 50 ® 2 00 2 00 ® 3 00 



1882 2 75 ® 3 00 2 00 ® 3 50 



1883 2 75 ® 3 00 5 25 ® 5 50 



1884 2 75 ® 3 00 2 50 ® 2 75 



1885 1 .50 ® 1 70 50 ® 75 



1886 125®150 3 75®4 00 



1887 1 75 ® 2 00 2 75 ® 3 00 



1888 135® 2 00 75 ® 1 00 



1889 1 50 ® 2 00 4 00 ® 5 00 



18!)0 2 00 ® 2 25 3 00 ® 3 50 



1891 1 50 ® 2 00 1 25 ® 1 00 



1892 125®150 2 00®300 



1893 1 25 ® 1 50 2 00 ® 3 00 



1894 2 00 ® 2 50 50® 75 



The Low -bush Cranberry, or Wolfberry (F. Vitis- 

 Idiea), is much used in Nova Scotia and other parts, and 

 is gathered and shipped in large quantities to Boston; 

 but it is not cultivated. This berry is also common in 

 Europe, where it is much prized. The quantities of this 

 fruit imported into the U. S. from various sources is con- 

 siderable. For example, between July 24 and Dec. 31, 

 1897, the following imports were received (as compiled 

 by Rider) : 



From Nova Scotia 31,748 qts. ® $1,284 



Sweden and Norway 19,905 qts. ® 1,014 



Newfoundland 7,256 Qts. ® 279 



Germany 1.500 qts. ® 180 



Denmark 864 qts. ® 27 



61.273 qts. $2,784 

 or 1,915 bu. 

 The Cranberry is subject to the attacks of various 

 insects, for most of which the best remedy is flooding, 

 although the fruit-worm is probably best destroyed by 

 spraying with arsenites. There are also fungous troubles. 

 For information on all these difficulties, the bulletins 

 of the New Jersey Experiment Station are the best 

 literature. 



The best literature on the Cranberry is comprised in 

 the Proceedings of the American Cranberry Growers' 

 Association, with headquarters at Trenton, N. J. This 

 society holds an '" annual meeting " in January, and an 

 "' annual convention " in August. Begiiming with 1880, 

 it has published regular reports of each of these gather- 

 ings. The standard books are White's "Cranberry Cul- 

 ture," largely from the New Jersey standpoint, and 

 Webb's "Cape Cod Cranberries." l. H. B. 



Notes by a Wisconsin Grower. — Cranberries are 

 raised mainly in the states of Massachusetts, New Jer- 

 sey, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. The eastern 

 marshes are mostly "made," while in Wisconsin there 

 are thousands of acres of natural marsh as yet entirely 

 uncultivated, as well as much that is cultivated. 



The natural soil for the Cranberry is peat. Sand is 

 also good, but, when used alone, must have a new coat 

 of it spread over the ground every few years, as it be- 

 comes exhausted and the vines become woody and cease 



CRAN 



to bear. The ideal soil seems to be a foundation of 

 peat, with from 2 to 4 inches of sand spread over it. 

 It is very desirable that the surface should be level, so 

 that it can all be kept equally moist. The leveling is 

 usually done by "scalping," i. e., taking off the sod and 

 carrying it away. This also removes the moss and 

 other foul vegetation, and gives the vines a chance 

 to take full possession of the ground. If scalping is 

 considered too expensive, the moss may be killed by 

 floodinir in winter and drawing the water oif in spring ; 

 but it tik- - I ) tliree years for it to rot suft i. Wly 



to all" ill. Plowing is sometimes resorted 



to wli. I I .III-, or the .sods turned upside down 



by s,., ■ ,,„.;,„.. 



The In-st Mit> i.ii- Cranberry raising are those which 

 afford a perfect water supply. There should be a reser- 

 voir of water on the upper side of the marsh (and if it 

 is on the north or northwest so much the better, as it 

 will then be more sure protection from frost), which can 

 be emptied on to the marsh at short notice ; and there 

 must also be good drainage, to carry it away from the 

 marsh quickly when desired. A level piece of marsh 

 which has vines already growing on it looks very tempt- 

 ing to the uninitiated^ but, if it has not a good water 

 supply, it is better to leave it in the natural state and 

 take the crops which grow in favorable seasons, than 

 to spend money improviiiR it. 



A good sand Timr !' t'-:-- t ' t'-:^-' • T^nr riTi'.- -tream in 



a sandy ret-'i.'i ' • - i: ' -i r can be 



drawn from Til' i. a reser- 



voir to hold ni:' i . tly from 



the 



dit.-Ii.-, ii I- il.-^ii:,M.-. ai l.a-t fMi- 111. r.'s.i-vi.ir dams, 

 to civil- tliini Mill) -ami. Tlii- slii.ul.l lir |iut iiio.stly on 

 the tiiji aii.l iiinirr -111.-, ami sli,,ii|,l ^[,,]„- frmii file top of 

 the dam to the center of the ditch. This prevents musk- 

 rats from doing very much damage, and the dam is not 

 so apt to be washed out by high water as when built in 

 a perpendicular wall. The cheapest way to move sand 

 to build dams or fnr sprr-adinir oti the marsh is to haul 

 it on sleighs in tin winf. i-. A ]i!atf.irm is built on rock- 

 ers, so that thii li-a.l iiia\ Im. i1uiii|i..1 at one side of the 



sleigh; and t^v.l lua.N in a jila a good peat dam 



will make a heavy n-. iMnr il nn. The pit from which 

 sand is taken shonli! I. \m II j.r.iU .-ted with snow or 

 sawdust to prevent its in i /m- liaiil>. One of the best 

 ways of making wast. -ai. - i- in jilace three joists 

 lengthwise of the dam a lirtl.- I., l..i\ the bottom of the 

 ditch, and a platform built upon them, and the whole 

 settled down as firmly as possible; then the dam is built 

 right onto the platform for 3 or 4 feet on each side, and 

 then the sideboards put in place, and cleats nariled up 

 and down into which to slip the sluice boards. It is a 

 good plan to have an outside ditch, which will carry sur- 

 plus water around the marsh instead of across it, in wet 

 seasons. 



Planting. — There are several methods of planting 

 vines. One way is to sort the vines and then cut them up, 

 roots and all, in pieces about eight inches in length, lay- 

 ing them down three or four in a place, pushing the lower 

 end into the ground by means of a stick shaped like a 

 paddle; or it is sometimes done by a piece of iron fast- 

 enened to the bottom of a shoe. This method leaves 

 the plants in an upright position, and they do not grow so 

 rapidly as when pushed into the ground obliquely or 

 laid on top of the ground, as their first growth is to make 

 nmners. Sometimes the vines are cut in a hay cutter, 

 sown by hand like wheat, and then rolled. A good 

 method of planting in the west is to take vines without 

 cutting and drop two or three in a place and step on 

 them ; if put a foot apart, they will soon cover the ground, 

 and will bear a good crop in three years. The greatest 

 care must be taken, while sorting vines, that they do not 

 dry out, for if they do they are worthless. 



In subsequent culture is when water comes into use. 

 The ditches should be about ten rods apart, each ditch 

 having a dam built below it of the material thrown from 

 the ditch ; the drain ditches running down through the 

 marsh need not be quite so close together. To promote 

 the growth of vines, it is only desired to hold the ditches 

 about half full, so that the ground may be moist, but if 

 water is kept up onto vines at this time thev will be 



