DEC 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
787 
that may be seeu during the passage. The 
clean berries should be packed in whatever 
sort of receptacle is the favorite in the market 
where they are to be sold, aud until wanted; 
stored in a well-ventilated, cool room into 
which neither sun nor frost can penetrate. 
The yield varies greatly in accordance with 
the cultivation, the quality of the vines and 
the soil, the injury from frosts, insects and 
other causes. A large yield would be from 
Sod to 400 bushels per acre, and an average 
one about 200 bushels. Any less than 100 to 
150 bushels would hardly pay interest on the 
investment and the cost of caring for the bed 
and harvesting the crop. 
aud either large or small, as there are two 
varieties; the Bugle, egg-shaped, a pale crim- 
son, large and small, for of this, too. there 
are two varieties; and the Bell, large, black 
and the favorite with cranberry growers. 
There are many other shapes intermediate 
between these, and in color the varieties vary 
from greenish-yellow or white, to dark rich 
purple, almost black. Having procured the 
vines or cuttings, they should be set in rows 
from eighteen inches to three feet, or so, 
apart, according to the quantity and quality 
of the plants obtained, the object being to 
cover the ground with the vines as soon as 
possible. There are several methods of plant¬ 
ing, such as sod planting, hill planting, drill 
planting, planting by pressure and sowiug 
cuttings. Good results have been obtained 
by a friend of ours by setting the cuttings on 
hills, dibbling the holes through the sand into 
cleared, it should be made quite level so that 
when flooded, the water may rest at an equal 
depth everywhere. If, however, the surface 
has a natural fall (which is favorable 
for drainage), the embankment at the 
lower extremity should be high enough to 
permit a depth of two feet of water at the 
upper end of the plantation. 
When the bed has been leveled aud other¬ 
wise prepared, it should he covered with pure, 
coarse sand to a depth of from two to eight 
inches, the depth dependiug on the compact or 
loose nature of the sbil. If it is very loose 
more should be applied than when it.is com¬ 
paratively compact, as more or less will sink 
into the soil. That the depth should be uni¬ 
form on a level surface, if the soil is of a uni¬ 
form consistency, is quite important. The 
work of spreading the saud is greatly facili¬ 
tated by laying down a rude, movable track 
on which the trucks containing the sand may 
run. When the bed is flooded in Winter 
after having been otherwise prepared, the 
coat of sand may be spread on the ice, in 
which case it will sink to its place when the 
ice melts. If the muck bed is underlaid with 
sand, aud is not too deep, pits may be dug at 
intervals, and the clean, white saud from be¬ 
neath thrown up, or a subsoil plow or trench¬ 
ing may be employed for the same purpose. 
Experience proves that sand is especially 
suited to successful cranberry growth. It is 
light, porous and almost incapable of support¬ 
ing weeds. Beach sand is found to be the 
best, and in the absence of this, pure, coarse 
sand comes next. 
cultivation. If the fruit is picked sooner it 
is likely to injure the subsequent crops. Fer¬ 
tilizers often do more harm than good. The 
only safe way in applying them is to experi¬ 
ment with a few vines and be guided by the 
result. A sprinkling of fresh, rich muck, 
well pulverized and mixed with pure, coarse 
sand, has been found the best application. 
FLOODING. 
The water should be let on only when the 
ground has begun to freeze, but before it has 
frozen hard. The pro¬ 
per time will, of course, 
vary in different places 
and also in different sea¬ 
sons. So will the depth 
of watei which should 
cover the bed—all that 
is needed is depth suffi¬ 
cient to prevent the 
plants trom freezing; 
and while a depth of 
k three feet will not be too 
Hq, much in some places, a 
vrSt. depth of two feet or less 
will prevent this in other 
|g|mk localities. The water 
should be kept on in 
Bpring until all danger 
late frosts is over, as 
this will retard blossom- 
ing. and the flowers and 
fruit of the cranberry 
are ea8 ^. v injured even 
by slight frosts. There 
3 ^ ou ^ b® no se * season 
for letting the water on 
nr off, as location and 
season should determine 
the matter. Euless in 
case of Fall planting. 
^ flooding is, as a rule, not 
necessary uu til the third 
year after the plants 
have been set out. Some- 
F av times it is advisable to 
, 1 flood the meadows dur¬ 
ing the Summer drought 
— but then it is advisa¬ 
ble to apply only water 
enough to give the soil 
a good soaking. 
Form. Fig. 688. 
6 GATHERING. 
Gathering is now mostly done by hand, as 
it has been found that the cranberry rake in¬ 
jures the vines and so damages the fruit, or 
rather mixes with it so much dirt and leaves, 
that it brings a lower price in the market than 
the haud-picked sort. The picking begins in 
September or October, and in the operation 
various sorts of crates, baskets, hurdles, etc., 
are used, the main object being to allow all 
foreign bodies to fall through when the fruit 
STRAWBERRY NOTES, RETROSPEC 
TIVE AND PROSPECTIVE. 
E. WILLIAMS 
Of the vast numbers of new strawberries 
that have been sent out during the last 20 years, 
very few have attained any respectable stand¬ 
ing as desirable acquisitions over auv great 
extent of territory. This is due, first, to the 
fact that this fruit is more or less local in its 
habit; second, that the great merits of the dif¬ 
ferent varieties existed only in the lively im¬ 
agination of their originators. Among them a 
few created a great sensation by their immense 
size and attractive appearance; others obtained 
their notoriety by persistent puffing and ad¬ 
vertising, claiming for them extraordinary 
merits they never possessed. 
The Charles Downing, out of the long 
list. I venture to say, like the modest and be¬ 
loved gentleman whose name it bears, stands 
liigher to-day as a standard, reliable sort, over 
a wider range of country, than any other. 
True, it fails sometimes, is subject to blight 
some seasons; but, take it all in all. for good 
size, quality and productiveness—the three 
most important requisites in any strawberry— 
I know of none superior to it. 
The Sharpless, though larger and more 
vigorous in growth, will hardly yield as much 
fruit, in bulk: neither is the quality as good to 
my taste: still, it is a popular, standard sort. 
The Crescent is vigorous, very productive, 
and large enough; but it is deficient in qual¬ 
ity—too acid. 
The Bid well is very vigorous; berries per¬ 
fect in shape and color; quality good, but the 
vine is deficient in productiveness, and the 
fruit ripens unevenly. 
Miner’s Prolific has size, vigor and pro¬ 
ductiveness to recommend it; but the quality 
is uot always up to the standard desired, and 
the berries sometimes ri|x?n a little unevenly. 
Cumberland Triumph is large, handsome, 
and productive, of good quality, but strictly 
an amateur fruit. 
Manchester, with us. has proved to be au 
enormous cropper—none more so; plant vigor¬ 
ous; fruit larg?, but too acid in quality to be 
agreeable; yet in some places during the past 
season it has failed entirely. 
Jersey Queen has given me more satisfac¬ 
tion in size, beauty and productiveness than 
any of Mr. Durand’s seedlings I have ever 
tested, but it is too acid for some people. 
The Great American only occasionally 
rinds congenial soil and treat¬ 
ment, as noted by Mr. Augur in 
the Rural of July 7th. 
The Agriculturist, among 
the first of the modern monsters, 
made a great sensation; but it is 
now seldom seen or heard of. 
jk The Mt. Vernon, on my 
grounds, has failed to fulfill the 
rak * claims made for it, aud the quali- 
ty is poor. 
jj j | m The Marvin, Sterling. Wai 
reu, Longfellow. Glendale, and 
l O Jg, a host of others, of which great 
things were promised, if not ex- 
pected, are only occasionally 
I commended. 
! Crystal City, so highly 
I puffed as being the earliest of 
it' aH, is so small and unproductive 
as to be worthless. 
Thus, as we take a retrospect- 
ive glauee over the whole field, 
the question arises: What real, 
substantial progress has been 
made? The end and aim of origi¬ 
nators of new varieties seem to 
have been obtained in size and 
s. In their srn fe for these quali¬ 
ties. they have sacrificed the delicious flavor 
aud sweet perfume that characterized the 
Pines and Early Scarlets of years ago. A quart 
of the old Scotch Ruuuer, or Pineapple, as it is 
called, would furnish more aroma than a bushel 
of the modern productions. Now, gentlemen, 
embankments, etc. 
The bed should be surrounded with au em¬ 
bankment, which should be at least four feet 
high when first made, as it will settle some¬ 
what; and, moreover, it is well to have it o 
foot or more above high watermark, to guard 
against breaks. If the soil excavated from 
the drainage ditches in the bed is sufficiently 
compact, it may form the embankments; 
otherwise, different soil must be added. If 
there is not naturally a sufficient supply of 
water to flood the bed when desired, a reser¬ 
voir should be constructed at the upper end 
of the plantation, from which it should be 
separated by an extra-strong embankment, 
with a flume and gate, for the purpose of let¬ 
ting iu the water and shutting it off. At the 
foot of the plantation a dam must be con¬ 
structed of the nearest suitable material, 
strong enough to resist any possible pressure 
that eau be brought against it when the 
bed is flooded, and high enough to allow a 
depth of at least two feet of water in the 
shallowest part of the plantation, incase this is 
not completely level—a condition which is very 
desirable, though sometimes unattainable ex¬ 
cept by too heavy an outlay. The dam should 
also Vie furnished with a flume and a sluice¬ 
gate, the latter to be shut down to let the 
water overflow the cranberry vines, and 
opened to let the flood off when de¬ 
sired. Often one set of embankments, 
flood-gates, etc., will answer for sev¬ 
eral parties, tt they cau agree to share the 
expense. The bed may be one acre or a hun¬ 
dred, provided it can be properly flooded. 
Almost the entire cost of the plantation is due 
to the preparation of the bed, as outlined 
above. An estimate of the expense is impos¬ 
sible, as it will cost as much to remove the 
trees, stumps, brush, etc., and to build reser¬ 
voirs and embankments on one piece of land 
as to fully prepare another for the reception 
of the plants. The outlay has varied from 
$100 to $600 per acre; but it must be borue in 
mind that, with moderate success in a suitable 
location properly prepared, the investment is 
permanently remunerative. If the swamp be 
covered with valuable timber, the sale of the 
trees may pay the whole expense of convert¬ 
ing it into a cranberry meadow. 
varieties and planting. 
The best time for plantiug the vines Ls from 
the beginning of April to the middle of June, 
according to the latitude and climate; but 
where the bed can be kept moist the work 
may be continued during the entire Summer. 
Sometimes the plants are put out iu the Fall 
aud covered with a sufficient depth of water 
to prevent the ground from freezing aud 
throwing them out. Iu any case, it is of 
first importance that the plants should be 
obtained from fruitful beds as well as those 
that produce the largest and best fruit. Wlien 
plants cannot lie obtained in the neighbor¬ 
hood either from wild or cultivated beds, they 
should be bought from those who make a 
business of growing plants for sale; but iu 
such cases care should be taken to secure 
good plants, aud that they should lie carefully 
packed before they become dry. A little 
extra care aud expense in this matter, will 
be amply repaid in more profitable returns 
afterwards. The three principal varieties of 
cranberries recognized iu the markets are: 
the Cherry, round, hard, dark, almost black, 
A Country School-House. Side Elevation. Fig. 683. 
is carried from the field or spread out to dry. 
All unsound berries should lie carefully re¬ 
moved before the fruit is packed for market. 
Iu large plantations the berries are run 
through a fanuing mill furnished with a long 
sieve or grate to separate the small berries 
from the large, or a separator constructed 
for this purpose is used. After they have 
passed through this ordeal, they undergo the 
inspection of a row of women and children 
on each side of a long table, at one and of 
which the berries are started and passed 
down to the barrel or box at the other end, 
each persou pickiug out an}' damaged berries 
ations, especially in the West, are made with 
plants taken directly from the wild beds, and 
they are removed in large clumps or sods from 
whichall weeds and grasses should be removed 
before they are transferred to the cranberry 
bed. or else cuttings are made and planted the 
same as those procured from cultivated beds. 
CULTIVATION. 
For the first two or three seasons the bods 
should be carefully cultivated, aud no weeds, 
grass or sprouts from brushwood should be 
allowed to grow. A hoe may be used the 
first year for eradicating these, but later the 
vines cover the ground so thickly that a hand- 
