No. 4.] CRANBERRY CULTURE. 439 



Stop-waters. — Stop-waters, or gates, in the brook and ditches will 

 enable the grower to keep the water at the desired level, which should 

 be varied according to the time and season. Early in the season 4 to 8 

 inches from the level of the bog, and later 10 to 15 inches, is a good 

 average. 



Sanding. — The next process in the preparation of a cranberry 

 meadow is to cover the sections with clear, sharp sand or gravel, to 

 the depth of 3 to 6 inches, 6 inches being none too much on the por- 

 tions of the bog that are inclined to be soft and wet. The sand or 

 gravel must be free from clay or loam. Sand will make a cold bog 

 warm, and it will retain water while the surface is dry. It also retains 

 the heat of the sun, causing the bog to be less liable to be affected 

 by frosts and sun-scald than bogs not sanded. Sand also retards the 

 growth of weeds, and affords the cranberry vine a better opportunity 

 for growing. 



When selecting bog lands to build into cranberry meadow, don't 

 purchase when it is covered with snow or under water, unless you are 

 familiar with the tract. Know the nature and condition of the land, 

 and see that no one has a right of water flowage above or below your 

 bog. 



Vine Setting. — We are now ready to set out our cranberry vines. 

 Care should be taken in the selection of varieties, there being over two 

 hundred known varieties at the present time, all of which have not 

 been cultivated sufficiently long to warrant their selection to any large 

 extent. Vines which yield large crops of good-sized berries, of uniform 

 dark color, are the ones to cultivate. 



The "Early Black" is probably the most extensively cultivated. 

 It is pear-shaped, a prolific cropper, will keep well if picked before too 

 ripe, and will color well after picking. 



The "McFarlin" is a native of Carver, Mass., a round, large berry, 

 ripening medium early, coloring uniformly. It is a good cropper, and 

 a good keeper when picked at the proper time. 



The "Centerville" is a handsome, long berry, takes a high color, 

 crops well, and can be harvested late. These three varieties, ripening 

 successively, can be handled readily at harvest time. 



Marked Varieties. — The marked varieties are distinguished in 

 shape as pear, pointed, bugle, oval and round. Berries vary in the 

 time of ripening, also in keeping qualities. Some berries will color 

 well after they are picked, while others will not change from white to 

 red unless left upon the vines to ripen. The cranberry is first green, 

 then white, then it turns to pink, then red; and some varieties, when 

 ripe, are so dark a red as to be almost black. 



Vines should be set out evenly, to produce an even and regular 

 growth; and, to accomplish this, a marker is used, made like a rake 

 with five or more teeth, set 12 to 18 inches apart. This is dragged at 

 right angles across the sanded bog. No care is needed to set the vines 



