VINLAND THE GOOD 



ily persuaded thither if the land had a good 

 name." 



Another explanation is that of Professor 

 Fernald, who finds that the term vinber, or 

 wineberry, was used for various berries from, 

 which wine was made, particularly the moun- 

 tain cranberry. He has gathered a great deal 

 of evidence in support of this theory, which 

 appears to reconcile many difficulties. If a 

 cargo of vinber was carried away in the spring 

 it might well have been one of mountain cran- 

 berries, for at this season they are in good 

 condition, which, of course, is not the case 

 with grapes. The Saga is, however, obscure 

 on this point and does not say definitely that 

 the berries were gathered in the spring. The 

 passage is as follows: "It is said that their 

 after-boat was filled with vinber. A cargo was 

 cut for the ship, and when the spring came, 

 they made ready and sailed away." 



If, as the Saga relates, there was no snow 

 in Vinland during a winter spent there by the 

 Norsemen, and the cattle were able to graze 

 during the whole season, it is evident that this 

 was not the coimtry of the mountain cran- 

 berry. The description fits an especially mild 

 217 



