STATE I'OMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 57 



can o^ive you only ironeral information, and you will have to work out 

 the question in accordance witli the peculiarities of the situation. 

 Ques. Are the plants set in tlie sandV 



Ans. The plants are set in the sand in rows about one foot apart, and 

 three or four inches deep. The root plants are better, althougli the 

 branches will take root and grow. In the winter season it is best to flood 

 the land, then in the spring let oft" the water; and along toward fall, as 

 the fruit has set, keep the ditches pretty full, and if there is likely to be 

 a frost flood the bog, letting the water oft" the next morning as soon as 

 the temperature will allow, because the water ought not to stand upon 

 the plants very long. 



Ques. What are the enemies of the cranberry"? 



Ans. There are quite a number of insects that aft'ect ci'anberries, and 

 also the}- are sometimes aft"ected by a species of fungus which causes 

 decay. In Massachusetts the insects are drowned by flooding the bogs. 

 The flooding of the bogs during the winter lias quite a tendency to keep 

 them free from these pests. 



Ques. How long will it be after a bed is set before it will coine into 

 bearing? 



Ans. It will bear the next year, tliough of course not a full crop. The 

 plants will keep thickening up until they cover the ground, which I think 

 they will do in from five to seven j-ears. 



Ques. Don't you believe that very many of tlie farmers of Maine may 

 with little difticulty prepare a cranberry bog, say six or ten rods square, 

 as the case maj' be, and get more profit from that piece of land than they 

 can i)ossib]y get from such a piece of laud in any other way"? 



Ans. It seems to me that the returns would be verj- good, and there 

 is but little expense. I noticed in looking up this subject an instance 

 where a man had a bog of several aci'es, the expense of caring for which 

 amounted to but a few dollars, a mere pittance a year, and it yielded 

 good returns. At anj- rate, in a countrj^ where fruits are as scarce as 

 they are in northern Maine, I should think a good many cranberries 

 might be grown for the home market. I do not know how extensively 

 the bog cranberrj- grows in Aroostook county, as I have not travelled 

 about much ; but it does not necessarily follow that cranberries must be 

 growing at the present time to prove that they may be grown. In a 

 place that is suitable an artificial bog can be made if the conditions are 

 present. If you have tlie flowage, the peaty soil and sand near by to 

 cover it, j-ou can make an artificial bog, even where cedai-s or some other 

 trees are growing. 



Mr. Hale. The professor speaks of sanding the bog; is it absolutely 

 essential to cranberry culture nowadays to sand the bog at all':* 



Ans. I have Mr. Hersey's article which was read not more than a 

 week ago, in which he states that sand is necessary for the succeessf ul 

 growth of cranberries, and I think it is so regarded. One important 

 feature in sanding is to keep the weeds down. 



Mr. Hale. The reason I asked the question is that in many of the 

 bogs in AVisconsin the fields have been turned over, and then immediately 



