PRACTICAL PAPERS—CRANBERRY CULTIVATION. 187 
to the season. The berries are from a quarter of an inch to an 
inch in diameter, of light green color until ripe, when they be¬ 
come a bright red, and if fully exposed to the sun, a very dark 
red or nearly black. It is the most valuable of all the cran¬ 
berries, and is native to the open marshes adjoining the Tam¬ 
arack swamps, where there is a considerable depth of partly 
decomposed vegetable matter in the form of muck or peat 
combined with a silicious sand, but is found in no other kind 
of soil. The leading and the most productive of all varieties 
of this species of cranberry appear to be four in number, viz., 
those known as Bell, Bugle, Egg and Cherry. Although not 
superior in quality, if equal to the smaller sorts, they bring 
the highest price in market on account of their large size and 
attractive appearance. There is no difference in the appear¬ 
ance of the vines of the different varieties, all being identical 
in every particular. Like other fruits, the size of the cranberry 
depends very much on the condition of the ground on which 
they grow; and herein is the great and important point in 
cranberry culture. A large sized berry, although not intrinsi¬ 
cally more valuable, is more rapidly and consequently more 
cheaply gathered, and will bring from one to three dollars more 
in market than the smaller sized berries of the same varieties ; 
therefore it will be readily seen that it is important, as regards 
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profits, to have a large, deeply colored berry, well enameled, 
hard and firm and possessing long-keeping qualities. 
Location.— Any person who intends to commence the bus¬ 
iness of growing cranberries, should bear in mind the advan¬ 
tages to be gained in the selection of a site naturally adapted 
to the purpose If the vines are already growing naturally, it 
is sufficient evidence, that so far as the soil is, concerned, it is 
all right; but there are other considerations besides adaptabil¬ 
ity of the soil. An extensive open marsh is greatly to be pre¬ 
ferred to a small one surrounded with timber, as the frost will 
frequently injure the blossom or the fruit on the small one, 
while on the larger one no injury will occur in consequence 
of a free circulation of air. 
