56 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY . 



culture of crauberries is uot attended with greater impedimeut? tliau 

 successful agriculture or fruit growiug of large fruits or otlier sjuall 

 fruits. The returns come quicker and a cranberry bog propei-lj- fixed 

 will yield a fair return for a life time. "We have no doubt but what there 

 are places along our coast and in the interior well adapted for artificial 

 bogs. Success has already attended the efforts of Mr. Barker of Mt. Ver- 

 non, Mr. Wellmau of Augusta, Mr. Dill and Silas Wing of Phillips, Mr. 

 A. C. Greenleaf and John Perhani of Farmingtou, and Mr. A. K. Gile of 

 Alfred and others in tlie improvement of natural bogs and the prepara- 

 tion of artificial ones. So for Maine the experimental stages are past. 

 "With some capital, suitable lauds, and an interest in the matter success 

 is assured. Xothing at present is definitely known of the area of natural 

 bogs, the amount of laud suited for artificial culture, the yield of native 

 berries, the conditions under which the berries flourish best in the State, 

 the difficulties that would be in the way of extending the cultui'e nor the 

 native cranberry fungi and insects. It seems to me that we have here 

 for investigation a subject of State importance. It would seem to me to 

 be a legitimate and important subject for the consideration of the State 

 Pomological Society. 



We would therefore suggest that a committee on crauberries be 

 appointed by the societ}', whose duties would be to look up cranlierry 

 culture for Maine in all its phases, as to the desirability and feasibility 

 of extending cranberry culture in the State, the committee to report to 

 the society at some future meeting. 



(A committee was appointed, consisting of F. L. Harvey. D. H. Kuowl- 

 ton and "W. M. Muusou.) 



DISCUSSION. 



Ques. Suppose I wish to prepare a cranberry bed, what shall I do? 



Ans. The first point would be to select a bog. A suitable bog for the 

 cultivation of cranbei'ries would be one where sand could be fouud near 

 by, and where j-ou could control a stream of water that would do for 

 flooding. The stream would have to pass through the bog so tbat j^ou 

 could build a dam above it, and flood it at the proper season of the year. 

 It would need to be drained by a drain running down the center so that 

 it would bring the water about eighteen inches below the surface ; then 

 drains should be made from above down to this central drain, and a 

 drain should be made on the border to prevent the water from the sides 

 running into the bog. If you select a place where there are trees, the 

 trees will have to be removed ; or if there is grass, the sod will have to 

 be removed. And the whole surface of the bog should be covered with 

 sand. I think from what I understand in regard to tlie culture in Massa- 

 chusetts that it is not necessary to take oft the bog material to any great 

 extent, only to level it and get it in good shape. This matter serves as 

 plant food. The important point is to drain the bog so that j'Ou can 

 keep the water from coming up to the roots of the plant, and this bog 

 material beneath would help to serve this purpose. In some of the 

 successful bogs the sand has been put right over the top of the muck. I 



