OBSERVATIONS ON THE EFFECT OF WATER-RAKING ON THE 
KEEPINCx QUALITY OF CRANBERRIES 
H. F. Bergman^ 
(Received for publication August ii, 192 1) 
The practice of "water-raking" cranberries — that is, of flooding the 
bog and "raking" or "scooping" up the berries as they float on or near 
the surface of the water — is prevalent among many of the Wisconsin cran- 
berry growers. This practice has raised the question of the effect of the 
more or less prolonged submergence on the keeping quality of the berries. 
It is often asserted that "water-raked" cranberries do not keep well. 
Many growers believe that even the flooding of a bog to prevent frost 
injury to the ripening fruit has a detrimental effect on their keeping quality. 
On the other hand, it is claimed by others that water-raked berries keep as 
well as dry-raked if properly handled. 
No previous work on water-raking in relation to the keeping quality of 
cranberries has been done. Accordingly a series of observations was made 
to secure evidence as to the occurrence of injury which may be properly 
attributed to water-raking, the causes of injury, the conditions under which 
it may occur, and how it may be eliminated or reduced. 
The work was done in Wisconsin during the cranberry-picking seasons 
of the years 1 91 8 and 191 9. In 1918 field observations were followed by 
counting tests of berries in storage at Chicago, 111., and Minneapolis, Minn. 
Observations on the Keeping Quality of Dry- and Water-raked 
Cranberries in Storage 
In attempting to secure some indication as to the effect of water-raking 
on the keeping quality of cranberries in storage, a number of counting 
tests have been made on berries from various sources. In these tests as 
many data as possible have been secured as to the previous treatment of 
the berries which might affect their keeping quality. Such tests, naturally, 
do not have the value of experimental results, since the lots of berries from 
which these counts have been made represent different growing conditions 
and different treatments during harvest and subsequently until their 
arrival at the warehouse where the counts were made. However, the 
figures are of some value as "indicators." In some instances in which 
lots of dry- and water-raked berries have been taken from the same marsh 
and have been kept under essentially the same conditions since harvest, 
the results are nearly as valuable as if obtained from definitely planned 
^ Formerly Assistant Pathologist, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C. 
245 
