394 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
at the most uniform depth, leaving the grain to grow all over the 
ground. 
I believe if the course indicated above was pursued by the 
farmers of Wisconsin, it would add millions of dollars each 
year to the productive value of the state. There is scarcely a 
piece of dry land in the state but might be made to produce very 
much more in quantity in five years than at present, and still get 
greater profit from the land each year while being improved. I 
have been experimenting with a compound of salt and plaster. 
So far, the results have been quite satisfactory. Will report fully 
next year. 
CRANBERRY CULTURE. 
Read before the Slate Agricultural Convention, in February, 1873. 
BY H. FLOYD, BERLIN. 
Cranberry culture of the west is quite unlike that of the east, 
as I understand it. I shall confine myself in this paper to the 
system as practiced in the vicinity of Berlin, Wis. In this locality 
and north of Fox river, there are quite extensive marshes, most of 
which, fifteen years ago, were considered worthless. The one 
now known as the Sacket marsh being the only one which had 
produced fruit to any extent. The natural conditions of this 
marsh were so perfect, that it had covered itself with vines, and 
bore-at least one enormous crop of fruit while in its natural state. 
This was in the year 1849. What the marsh had done before, I 
know not. Two or three years after this, a summer freshet, 
followed by excessive heat, continued for several days, killing all. 
the vines on the marsh excepting those above the water, most of 
which were on the margin of two islands. Since the freshet, the 
vines have again spread nearly over the marsh, which covers an 
area of about four hundred acres. 
The improvements on this marsh consist of a large storehouse, 
