836 
that in order to hold the cost of produc- 
tion within reasonable bounds some me- 
chanical device be found which would 
lessen the cost of harvesting by increasing 
the quantity an individual is able to pick. 
This demand has been met by cranberry 
rakes, which effect a decided saving of 
time and expense, as one person can gath- 
er 75 to 80 measures of six quarts each 
in a day, while a hand picker can not 
gather more than one-half of that quan- 
tity. There is considerable prejudice 
among growers against the use of these 
harvesting devices because of some real 
or imagined injury to the bogs. This 
prejudice, however, seems to be disap- 
pearing; at least the use of the harvesters 
is each year becoming more general. 
Harvesting is paid for, as a rule, by 
the measure. Each person is furnished 
with a rake and with pails or boxes in 
which to place the berries as picked. The 
meadow is then laid off in sections or 
strips by stretching lines across it. Each 
picker is assigned to a division. By this 
arrangement each one gets his share both 
of heavily and sparsely fruited plants, and 
the grower is certain of getting the prod- 
uct from all parts of the meadow. This 
has not been as_ satisfactorily accom- 
plished in any other way. After being 
picked the fruit is carried to storehouses, 
where it is allowed to remain, until as- 
sorted, in the trays in which it was placed 
at picking time. The trays are of various 
dimensions to suit the fancy of the grow- 
er, but most of them hold about three 
measures (18 quarts) of fruit each. 
Assorting 
As the berries come from the field there 
are many broken branches, leaves and de- 
fective fruits among them. To remove 
the leaves and branches, various cleaning 
devices similar to the fanning mills used 
for cleaning grain have been invented. 
After having been winnowed in this fash- 
ion the fruit is spread upon assorting 
racks. Operators sitting upon either side 
of this device look over the berries in 
much the same manner as beans are 
looked over in hand picking. From the 
assorting table the berries go into barrels, 
a few only being crated. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
Storing 
Cranberries as they come from the field 
are immediately placed in storage build- 
ings upon the plantation. It is the pre- 
vailing practice to hold the fruit in the 
storage houses at the bogs until the mar- 
ket is ready, which is from six weeks to 
three months after harvest. No artificial 
cold is needed in the storage houses. The 
only precaution necessary is to prevent 
the fruit from freezing, which frequently 
requires the use of a little heat in the 
storage house. 
In early times it was thought necessary 
to pack the berries in casks and cover 
them with water in order to preserve 
them for any length of time, but this idea 
has been abandoned, and the fruit is for 
the most part stored in small open boxes. 
Marketing 
The fruit, as cleaned, assorted, and bar- 
reled, usually in ventilated barrels, is put 
on the market. The barrels are similar 
to those used for packing apples for the 
domestic market, and are practically of 
the same size. In the retail stores cran- 
berries are more often found in bushel 
crates than in barrels. The crating of the 
fruit is done by the middlemen, who act 
as distributing agents, rather than by the 
producers. The dealers prefer that the 
growers pack the product in barrels. 
Prices 
By an examination of the price lists of 
the New York market from 1870 to 1902, 
it is found that the prices of cranberries 
have varied widely in that time. The low- 
est ranges of prices quoted were in April, 
1879, when the berries sold at $3.50 to 
$4 a barrel; November, 1899, $4 to $7.50; 
April, 1889, $8.50 to $5.50; November, 
1896, and January, 1897, $5 to $5.50; April, 
1897, $8.50 to $5; and November, 1901, $6 
to $7. The highest prices noted were $15 
to $16 a barrel in April, 1874; $14 to $15 
in April, 1876; $13 to $13.50 in January, 
1884; $13 to $14 in March, 1895; and $10 
to $12 in January, 1903. No prices are ac- 
cessible for 1880, 1881, 1882, 1884, 1885, 
1887, and 1888. The usual price has been 
from $7 to $10 a barrel. 
