PREPARING SOILS. 35 



tivation. Either of this class are liable to cake and 

 become hard ; and whatever soil cakes and sogs around 

 the root of the plant, is to be avoided. 



If intending cultivators would exercise some caution 

 in the choice of soil, it would prevent both trouble and 

 expense. Failure is often caused by inattention at this 

 stage of the undertaking. 



Rocky loam is not very favorable to the development 

 of the cranberry. The objection which lies against it 

 is, that wiry grass and rushes abound therein. These 

 grasses and rushes are to be guarded against in a cran- 

 berry yard, or they will choke the vine. Loam of the 

 kind above-named may be made to do, but it will re- 

 quire excessive cultivation, in order to effect anything 

 of importance. 



Heavy soils, taken as a class, are not of much service ; 

 the grower will do well to avoid them to as great^ an 

 extent as possible. And, indeed, it is questionable 

 whether the vine can be cultivated at all to any pur- 

 pose on soils of the above description. The vine may 

 grow on such lands and seem to nourish, but they will 

 not bear ; they are unfruitful, and if so, therefore un- 

 profitable. 



The following soils are those which are preferred by 

 the Cape Cod cranberry cultivators. There is one fact 

 which ought to be stated here, as introductcsry to the 

 subsequent suggestions and statements^ and it will not 



