100 CEAITBBEET CHLTtTEK. 



mated, early in the season, at two thousand hushels ; hut, 

 owing to excessive heat, and the ravages of the fruit worm, 

 only eleven hundrec? bushels were gathered. 



When the first edition of this work was published, in 

 1870, the business of growing cranberries was regarded 

 as extremely profitable, and a large amount of capital 

 was invested in it. As the acreage extended, the draw- 

 backs increased. About the year 1873, the rot or scald 

 prevailed to such an extent as to render the business ex- 

 tremely hazardous. A few choice locations are compara- 

 tively exempt from its ravages, but most of the meadows 

 in 'Ne'w Jersey are afEected. The insect enemies have 

 also increased so that it is now probable that all the 

 receipts derived from the sale of the fruit would fail to 

 pay the expense incurred in purchasing and preparing 

 cranberry meadows. 



CHAPTER XIL 

 LETTERS FROM PRACTICAL GROWERS. 



Chicago, III, Feb. 7th, 1870. 



Dear Sir : — In reply to yours of 22d, would say, as to 

 the culture of our marsh, and the superiority of our ber- 

 ries, we think it is owing to the large depth of our peat 

 bed. The alluvial soil, deposited every spring by the 

 large overflow of several miles, deposits entirely in our 

 marsh. . We also attribute our success in part to the 

 numerous ditches we have ; in all, we calculate from 16 

 to 18 miles in extent. 



We keep our vines well flooded during the winter, and, 

 on account of the late June frosts we are subjected to, 

 we rarely raise our flood-gates until the 15th of June. 



We are subject to early frosts in the autumn. In 1868, 

 we had a very promising crop — estimated at 2,500 bar- 

 rels — ^but owing to the early frosts, only picked about 400 

 barrels sound berries. 



