1861. 



NEW ENGLAND PARMER. 



267 



against its two fatal enemies, the worm and the 

 frost ! 



After what we have said, there is no necessity 

 of speaking at length of the importance of flow- 

 ing. It is well settled, 



1. That there is no other economical way of pro- 



tecting the crop from the frost. 



2. That the fear of frost causes the cultivator to 



gather the berry before it is sufficiently red 

 and ripe, and thereby greatly injures its fla- 

 vor, and its appearance in the market. 



3. That no other method than flowing has been 



devised, whereby the worm that attacks the 

 blossom and deposits its eggs there can be 

 destroyed. And, 



4. By flowing the plants from the first of Novem- 



ber, or even the early part of October, until 

 quite late in May, or even later, they are 

 kept from being winter-killed, or thrown out' 

 of the ground by its freezing and thawing. 



In reply to the question — "How do you protect 

 your fruit from frost?" our correspondent from 

 New Hampshire says — "by flowing. I put on 

 the water as soon as I am done picking, and keep 

 it on till the last of May or first of June. To pro- 

 tect from fall frosts, I know of no way, unless the 

 meadow is so situated as to have a reservoir of 

 water above, so as to cover them when a cold 

 night is coming." 



Another correspondent says, — "The ability to 

 flow is regarded as indispensable to success, even 

 on the Cape, not only to secure them from frost, 

 but to keep the soil properly wet." 



From the considerations enumei-ated, it is evi- 

 dent that the first care of the cultivator should be 

 to select a suitable piece of land — land of the 

 right quality, and that may readily be flowed. 

 There is plenty of such land in New England, 

 and in the use of any other, there is never cer- 

 tainty of securing a crop — as the cultivator may 

 succeed in growing the plants to see the blos- 

 soms filled with worms, or the nearly perfected 

 fruit cut off' by frost. 



After Culture. — We have always supposed that 

 where land is cleared of brush weeds and grasses, 

 it would be necessary to keep the plants free 

 from them afterwards, but we are informed Mr. 

 Thacher's success in Yarmouth, has been the 

 most favorable where they were planted in the 

 very midst of tall grass! He is one of the most 

 successful cultivators in New England. 



Titne of Setting the Plants. — The most favora- 

 ble time to set the plants is in the spring, be- 

 tween the 20th of April and the last of May. If 

 they are set in the fall, they should be covered 

 with water through the entire winter and spring. 

 Underdraining for Cranberry Plants. — Some 



cultivators assert that meadows for cranberries 

 must not be drained. Whether this opinion is 

 formed from actual experiments in the two modes, 

 we cannot say: but our opinion is, that a drained 

 meadow, so completely under the control of the 

 owner that he could keep the water at any given 

 level under the surface, or above it, would pre- 

 sent a perfect bed for the plants, and that a fruit- 

 ful crop would be certain every season. 



Upland Culture. — We have attempted the up- 

 land culture of cranberries, and so far as fruiting 

 is concerned, have had satisfactory results on 

 "swale" and even on sandy land. The sandy land 

 was old, and so filled with the seeds of weeds, 

 that in exterminating the weeds the young cran- 

 berry runners were so often disturbed as to pre- 

 vent their covering the ground. On the "swale" 

 or moist land, covered so deeply with sand and 

 gravel as to choke down grass and weeds, the 

 plants have nearly covered the ground in three 

 years, and yield fibout four quarts of fruit to the 

 rod. The plants were set a foot apart each way, 

 which was six inches too far. We think every 

 farmer who has a piece of this "swale" land may 

 easily produce all the cranberries he would like 

 for the use of his family, and at trifling cost. 



Craiiherries from Seed. — Cranberries may be 

 raised from seed, but the process is a slow one, 

 and we do not recommend it where plants may 

 be as readily obtained as in this State. If they 

 succeed, the growth is slow, and several years 

 must elapse before any return is realized. 



Though somewhat extended, this notice of the 

 cranberry does not embrace anything like what 

 may be said to present all that a beginner in its 

 cultivation ought to have before him. He may 

 find much in "Eastwood," or in the newspapers 

 of the day, that is valuable. 



The cranberry is one of the fruits that goes to 

 make up our unrivalled New England list — fruits 

 adapted to our climate and our wants, and com- 

 ing into perfection through nearly the entire 

 year. As a fruit they make home attractive, are 

 a source of gratification to the family, and quite 

 often of considerable pecuniary profit. 



The demand at fair prices for American cran- 

 berries in foreign ports has never yet been sup- 

 plied. They can be transported with little waste, 

 so that if a tenth part of our suitable lands are 

 devoted to their cultivation, they will become an 

 important article of commercial value to the 

 country. 



Sensible Advice. — Professor Silliman, of 

 New Haven, recently closed a Smithsonian lec- 

 ture by giving the following sensible advice to 

 young men : — "If, therefore, you wish for a clear 

 mind and strong muscles, and quiet nerves, and 

 long life, and power prolonged in old age, permit 

 me to say. although I am not giving a temperance 



