No. 4.] CRANBERRY GROWING. 281 



]\Iany growers, however, prefer to be free to sell their berries 

 without any dictation as to packing and marketing. Most of 

 the fruit sold by growers outside of the sales companies is 

 probably disposed of through commission men, and there are 

 buyers for cash also on the ground, more or less, every year. 



Preserving. 

 Various efforts have been made by some of the larger growers 

 to preserve the fruit which cannot be immediately placed on 

 the market. Methods of canning and evaporating have already 

 been considerably developed, and preserving in one of these 

 ways is likel.y, in time, to become an established part of the 

 business. As a matter of interest to housewives, it should be 

 stated here that cranberries can be kept fresh and in good 

 condition for several months by keeping them submerged in 

 cold water in sealed jars in a cool place. It is important to 

 wash the fruit thoroughly and sort out the decayed berries, 

 before the fruit is thus submerged. 



Cooking. 



Cranberries should always be cooked in earthen, agate or 

 aluminum kettles. The strong acids of this fruit act so quickly 

 upon tin, iron or brass that kettles made of these metals should 

 never be used. Cooked cranberries should not be allowed to 

 stand in dishes made of metal which their acids will affect. 

 Only granulated sugar should be used to sweeten this fruit. 

 There is probably a considerable difference in the quantities of 

 sugar required to sweeten the fruit of the different varieties. 

 The riper the berries are when picked the smaller the amount 

 of sugar they are likely to require. 



A few recipes which have been found particularly good for 

 the preparation of cranberries for the table are here given. 

 These recipes are from a handbook published by the New 

 England Cranberry Sales Company. 



Sauces. 

 No. 1 . — Take 1 quart of cranberries, 1 pound of sugar, 1 pint of water. 

 Boil sugar and water together for five ininutes; skim; add the cranberries 

 and cook slowly, without stirring (turn and shake the pan if necessary), 



