88 



ed great attention, and called forth many words of admiration 

 from the numerous visitors. 



We saw very fine specimens of the bell cranberry on Mr. 

 Hildreth's grounds. A portion of the vines on the ground en- 

 tered for premium are of the cherry variety. The berries 

 were large, and highly colored, and the yield abundant. In 

 short, Mr. Hildreth's success is admirable ; and others will, 

 we hope, profit by so good an example. 



In a subsequent statement, under date of Oct. 5, Mr. Col- 

 cord writes : — 



" I have picked three rods, and they yielded, by measure, 

 three bushels, three pecks and three quarts of cranberries." 



" The crop last year was injured by an early frost. We did 

 not have but five or six bushels, I think." 



The Committee recommend the award of fifteen dollars to 

 John T>. Hildreth, and ten dollars to John L. Colcord, for 

 their experiments in cranberry culture. 



NATHAN PAGE, Jr., Chairman. 



STATEMENT OF JOHN D. HILDRETH. 



The meadow on which I have cultivated the cranberry, was 

 formerly a bog swamp. In 1854, I cut a ditch through the 

 middle, four feet wide and three feet deep. In 1857 I cleared 

 up a piece. I dug it over, turning the top under from fifteen 

 to eighteen inches deep, and cut smaller ditches from the outer 

 edge of the swamp to the main ditch. I planted this piece 

 with potatoes two seasons. In the spring of 1859, I dug the 

 ground over, took out all the weeds, then graveled it over 

 from two to three inches deep ; took vines from natural cran- 

 berry meadows, selecting them from places where the berries 

 grew the largest and thickest, separated them, and cleaned out 

 all the grass. I set them in rows one and a half feet apart. 



