38 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
for planting:, I received from an enthusiastic 
planter, of Sumpter District—Dr. Pitts —vvhostf 
valuable acquaintance I made at the Augusta 
Fair last year. I understand from him, that on 
good ground, one hundred bushels may be made 
to the acre. It is very valuable for hogs, and 
will grow and produce abundantly on ground 
which will not produce the common field pea. 
Yours very respectfully, 
JOIIX P. ZlMMERMAX. 
We are much obliged to our correspondent 
for the above seeds, and will try them in our 
own garden this season. We think the squash 
will perfect itself, but fear we are too far north 
for this kind of pea to ripen. We grew both 
the cow pea and cotton in our garden last year; 
neither, however, ripened well. The former 
bloomed abundantly, and the latter green-podded 
well. We think the cotton plant worth cultiva¬ 
ting as a flower in northern gardens. It is tulip 
shaped, of beautiful tints, pure yellow, white, 
and crimson; and continued renewing and shed¬ 
ding its blooms fully six weeks with us. 
THE CRANBERRY. 
Continued from page 23. 
Ix the cultivation of cranberries, whether on 
upland or lowland, it is very important that the 
ground should be entirely covered by the vines 
as soon after planting as possible, not only on 
account of the great saving in labor, by thus 
preventing the growth of grass and weeds, but 
also, because very little fruit is commonly pro¬ 
duced till the vines have thus spread over the 
surface. At the end of three years the whole 
ground should be covered; but in the instances 
of upland culture referred to, it was not so, 
though the plantation had been set at least three 
or four years. Probably, if the roots had been 
put but twelve or eighteen inches apart each 
way, the result of the experiments would have 
been more satisfactory in this respect. As it 
was, however, the yield in JS52, was one bushel 
to the square rod, when cranberries were selling 
readily at four dollars per bushel. 
But, in estimating the comparative profits of 
the upland and lowland cultivation, it will be 
borne in mind that the labor on upland is 
greater, and the land more valuable for other 
purposes. The liability to frosts, is not, how¬ 
ever, quite so great when the cranberries are in 
blossom. There can be no doubt that it will 
grow and do well on upland, and produce too, 
a superior fruit; but it seems to prefer a poor, 
sandy soil, full of moisture, such as can be best 
obtained by improving swamps, which, unless 
used for the purpose, are nearly worthless. 
Half an acre of cranberries, on a very rich up¬ 
land soil has been estimated by the owner to 
have cost him, after being set four years, and 
including labor, interest of land, and other ex¬ 
penses of cultivation, about $300, or at the rate 
of nearly $000 to the acre; whereas, it has 
been seen that the roughest and most unprom¬ 
ising swamps may be reclaimed and set with 
cranberries at about half that amount. If the 
the soil be a rich loam, as in the case above 
mentioned, the grass and weeds struggle very 
hard for the mastery, while on the poor and 
barren sand they hardly grow at all if the 
ground has been properly prepared in the first 
instance; so that the labor of cultivation is but 
very little, at most, and many think that no 
care at all is needed. Thus, there seems to be 
much truth in the remark which I have often 
heard on the subject: “ Give us sand and water 
enough, and we can grow cranberries to any ex¬ 
tent.” So far as my own observation extends, 
the fruit grown on pure white sand, is quite 
equal in point of size and firmness to that grown 
on upland. More experiments, may, however, 
show further advantages in its extended culture 
on upland. 
It should be remarked that it will bo well to 
spend sufficient i[im^ in planting the vines, to 
do it properly, since they will thus get an ear¬ 
lier start, and sooner cover the ground. In the 
case of one plantation, visited during the pro¬ 
cess of transplanting, after the sand had been 
filled in and leveled, a line was carefully drawn 
and marks were made in the sand, eighteen 
inches one way, and one foot the other, when 
holes were dug three inches deep by one man 
with the hoe, while another followed, dropping 
five or six roots into each hole, and after him 
followed a boy who pressed the sand carefully 
about them. In this way, an acre was quickly 
planted. 
No manure is needed for the cranberry. In¬ 
deed, from what has been said, it will be evident 
that the poorer the ground the better. In the 
experiments which have come under my obser¬ 
vation, where manure was used, it caused the 
grasses to grow abundantly, to the injury of 
the cranberry plants, which were not apparent¬ 
ly benefited by the manure. But in case of 
upland culture, swamp muck is often used about 
the vines, and with apparent profit. 
In the case of vines growing naturally, it 
will be found advantageous to spread over them 
occasionally, a thin covering of sand. 
Time of Planting .—If the cranberry is to 
be raised from seed, it may be sown in the fall 
or in the spring. For some reasons the latter 
is preferred, and the month of May is selected. 
It is better to crush the fruit and separate the 
seed from the pulp, though the latter is not 
necessary. The berry is sometimes crushed 
and mixed with sand, by which means the sow¬ 
ing is made more easy. 
If the plants are to be propagated by cut¬ 
tings, the spring is considered as preferable. 
The ground should be moist, but not liable to 
be flowed immediately after planting. 
But for the usual mode of transplanting the 
vines, the fall is generally preferred, though 
there seems to be no difficulty in making them 
live when transplanted at any season of the 
year. I have known them transplanted in the 
middle of summer, and to live and do well. 
But if the planting be done in the fall, they 
take root in the spring and grow more vigor¬ 
ously the first year, than they otherwise would. 
For this reason, if the ground can be made 
ready in the fall, it is desirable to have the 
vines set out then, and they will thus ordinarily 
have the start of those planted the following- 
spring, by two or three months. If planted in 
the autumn, they will also bear a little the next 
summer, and the crop will increase gradually 
till the fourth or fifth year, when it seems to 
attain its highest yield. Circumstances may 
make some difference in the length of time 
which must pass before a full crop is obtained, 
as, if the vines are much choked up by grass, 
and retarded in their growth by want of care. 
The statement made above, both as to the time 
ordinarily required, and as to the effect of the 
unfavorable circumstances alluded to, is con¬ 
firmed by the experience of many who have 
been engaged in the cultivation of cranberries 
long enough to have had opportunities of ex¬ 
tended observation on the subject. There 
seems to be no reason why the crop should di¬ 
minish after the fifth year, nor is it certain that 
it will, as a general rule ; yet it is evident that 
if, at this age, the thrifty and healthy vines 
have covered the whole ground, they will be 
likely to bear to their utmost capacity. Proba¬ 
bly, after the seventh or eighth year, it will be 
found to be well to rake or stir the surface un¬ 
der the vines so far as it can be done, or per¬ 
haps, to spread over them a thin covering of 
sand or loam. 
The Yield .—The yield will vary according 
to circumstances, but about one hundred and 
fifty bushels per acre will be a fair average ; 
though an acre in full bearing will often pro¬ 
duce more than two hundred bushels. In a 
very large number of cases, a bushel to the 
square rod has been gathered without much 
trouble of cultivation. In one lot visited by me, 
more than three bushels to a rod, or at the rate 
of four hundred and eighty bushels to the acre, 
on two or three rods, were obtained from very 
thrifty vines on a peat bottom, with a thin cov¬ 
ering of sand. This must be regarded as a re¬ 
markable yield ; and when the quality of the 
fruit is such as to command a ready sale at from 
nine to eleven dollars a barrel, which was offer¬ 
ed for them the past season, this crop must be 
acknowledged to be very profitable. 
Loudon remarks, that Sir Joseph Banks, 
after having imported the American Cranberry 
into England, raised, in 1831, three and a half 
bushels on a piece of land eighteen feet square. 
This is at the rate of about four hundred and 
sixty bushels to the acre. 
It is probable, that for several years in suc¬ 
cession, the average yield throughout the State 
would not be more than a hundred bushels per 
acre, if it were so great; being some years much 
more than that, and others much less, the num¬ 
ber of bushels varying according to the acci¬ 
dents of frosts and winter. 
The market value of this fruit will also be 
different in different seasons. In 1852, four 
dollars a bushel, for cultivated cranberries, were 
very readily obtained. During the past season, 
the price has ranged from two to four dollars a 
bushel, according to the quality ; raising and 
falling, also, to some extent, according to the 
demand and the supply in the market. 
The demand is rapidly increasing, and there 
can be little doubt that it will continue to in¬ 
crease as the superior quality of the cranberry, 
in some sections of this State, becomes better 
known. And if, owing to any circumstances, 
as competion from abroad, the value should 
fall to one dollar per bushel, it would still be a 
profitable and desirable product, especially when 
it is left to occupy its favorite barren and other¬ 
wise unproductive swamps and dead sands. 
There are few crops which, with the same 
amount of labor, will make so good a return. 
Varieties . — There are but two species of the 
cranberry, properly so called, which are of much 
practical value, as has been already intimated 
in speaking of the natural history of this plant; 
yet of each species there may be several varie¬ 
ties, more or less permanent, according to the 
circumstances and manner in which they were 
produced, just as there are varieties of the ap¬ 
ple produced b} r the accidents of cultivation, 
and which are not permanent; as, for example, 
if we plant the seeds of any improved and cul¬ 
tivated variety, like the Baldwin, we cannot de¬ 
pend upon having, from the seedling, the same 
variety as that from which the seeds were taken. 
The varieties of the cranberry have not been 
distinctly named, as most varieties of the apple 
have, and must be described, and can only be 
distinguished, by difference in shape and color. 
It is very important that the most approved va¬ 
rieties should be selected for cultivation, as they 
command a much higher price in the market. 
The large, round and black cranberry of Cape 
Cod and Cape Ann, sells for nearly a third more 
than the oblong and softer variety, more com¬ 
mon in other parts of the State. It might prop¬ 
erly be called the Black cranberry, so nearly 
does its beautifully shaded, deep red, approach 
to black. It is very hard, nearly as hard as a 
Baldwin apple, and will bear transportation to 
any distance. It keeps well through the win¬ 
ter, and even, in some cases, into the succeed¬ 
ing summer. Indeed, with a little care, good 
cranberries may be kept a much longer time, 
either dry in bottles, corked so as to exclude 
the air, or in bottles filled with pure spring 
ater. 
It is probable that the superior qualities of 
this variety arise, in a great measure, from pe¬ 
culiarities of soil and situation, and from the 
fact that it can remain on the vines till it is full}’ 
ripe, without danger from frost. The proxim¬ 
ity of the sea, also, may have much to do with 
this superiority. From extended inquiries into 
the quality of the same variety, in different lo¬ 
calities, I have been led to the conclusion that 
the sea air is, for reasons alluded to above, 
highly conducive to its perfect development. 
| There is an oblong cranberry, more common 
