82 



CRANBERRY CULTURE. 



much more from early frosts during drouths thnn when 

 meadows are moist, particularly if they are covered with 

 old vines and dry grass ; these being non-conductors, the 

 frost remains longer in the morning; and when the direct 

 rays of the sun fall upon the vines, the thawing is sudden, 

 and the fruit is softened." He says, further : " I have ob- 

 served the effect of frost upon bogs during drouths, 

 when all the berries appeared the same before sunrise, but 

 before noon, those growing on o'd, thick vines, among 

 grass, were softened, while on sanded surfaces they 

 escaped. Berries, on a strip where the vines (in a natui al 

 bog) had been covered with sand, thrown from a ditch, 

 being firm and hard, w^hile on both sides of this strip 

 they were softened." 



Excessive Heat. 



When berries begin to change from green to white, a 

 temperature of 85°, F., will soften many of them. This 

 fact will cause the culture of cranberries to be confined 

 to a line a little south of New Jersey, as the heat of 

 September (the ripening season) must increase to the 

 southward, so that, although the fruit may be grown, it 

 is likely to be of an inferior quality. 



During the summer of 1869, one very hot day was suf- 

 ficient to destroy hundreds of bushels of cranberries in 

 New Jersey. The berries, being partly c<»oked, remained 

 on the vines in a soft, worthless condition, until picking 

 time, much to the annoyance of the pickers, who were re- 

 quired to sort them out. 



The Scald or Eot. 



When cranberries upon the vines appear semi-trans- 

 parent, as if they were partly cooked, they are said to be 

 scalded. Since the first edition of this work was pub- 

 lished, scalding has been investigated by Mr. J. A. Fen- 



