56 



CRANBERRY CULTURE. 



grower, of Burlington Co., New Jersey. He first spread 

 the vines evenly over the surface of the meadow, and then 

 entirely covered them with sand — putting it on about one 

 inch thick. The young shoots came up through this cov- 

 ering as thick as wheat, and made an excellent growth, 

 quickly matting the whole surface. This method requires 

 more vines than the two last named, but by adopting it, 

 a crop will be produced sooner than by planting in any 

 other way. 



The vines must not be spread far ahead of the men 

 who are covering them, lest they be injured by the sun 

 and wind, although they will endure as much exposure as 

 most hardy plants. 



Sowing Cuttings may be done successfully, a fact 

 which go 'S far toward establishing a reputation of hardi- 

 ness for the cranberry vine. The vines are passed through 

 a straw-cutter, and chopped in pieces about one incii 

 long; they are then sown like oats, upon an evenly pre- 

 pared surface, and harrowed in. It is essential that this 

 be done very early in the spring, and upon moist land, so 

 as to enaV)le the cuttings to become well rooted before 

 the heats of summer. A patch put out in this way may 

 be seen on the grounds of Shinn & Allston, near Turkey- 

 town, N. J., in a thriving condition, but this system is not 

 recommended for general culture. 



Great care should be taken, in selecting the vines, to 

 procure those which yield large berries ; the shape of the 

 fi'uit is of little consequence ; the great desideratum 

 being, as previously stated, to obtain berries of good size 

 and color. 



As it is impossible to judge from the a})pearance of a 

 cranberry vine what shape or size its fruit will be, it is 

 best either to become acquainted with the quality of the 

 vines before using them, or to purchase them of reliable 

 parties. Even with these precautions it would be diffi- 

 cult to obtain a large lot of vines, producing berries of a 



