1913. 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 



219 



Table VII. 



These results seem to indicate that spring sanding favors 

 fungous development more than does fall sanding. In this re- 

 sjicct, the result is the reverse of that obtained from screening. 



4. Vakieties. 



Investigations looking toward the possible production of new 

 and more desirable varieties were continued. The uprights 

 which had been marked on account of their prolificness in 1911 

 were found in 1912 to be, as a rule, either dead or barren. 

 Only two or three of them bore more berries than the average, 

 and these berries were much below the average in size. Be- 

 cause of the experience with these uprights an attempt was made 

 to discover some of the more certain marks of cranberry prolific- 

 ness. It now seems that the most noticeable and evident of 

 these marks is the tendency and ability of the uprights of cer- 

 tain varieties to put out new uprights as branches, and at the 

 same time develop from 3 to 5 berries each. A large number 

 of such branching uprights were marked for examination next 

 season. If they do exceptionally well it is planned to use the 

 more prolific ones for planting. It should be noted here that 

 the varieties most grown (Early Blacks, Howes, etc.) seldom 

 produce branches on berry-bearing uprights. 



In the fall, for the first time, tests of the comparative keep- 

 ing qualities of certain varieties were made, and some inter- 

 esting results were obtained which may eventually be of con- 

 siderable value. 



5. Blossom Fertilizatton. 

 The 1911 experiment of shutting out all bees from a small 

 area of vines, during the blooming period and for some time 

 afterwards, was repeated on another part of the bog in 1912. 

 The screen was put in place over this area before a single blos- 

 som had oj^ened and kept there until the last part of August. 



