190 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
the cold season, and it has been found that the more thorough- 
1 y the work has been done, larger fruit and a greater pro¬ 
duct have followed. With one or two exceptions this is the 
extent of the cultivation bestowed. As yet there seems to be 
no necessity for covering the land from four to eight inches 
with sand, as practised by eastern growers, as our lands com¬ 
bine the right proportion of silex with peat to produce the 
cranberry in perfection. 
Planting the vines has been quite extensively tried in the 
open marshes in this vicinity, and in every instance they have 
grown vigorously, and promise to have full possession of the 
ground in a few years, and yield abundant crops. In a few 
instances they have been planted on land which had been un¬ 
der the plow for a number of years. The vines have flour¬ 
ished, but the expense of keeping the ground clear of weeds 
has been considerable. Messrs. Williams &Pier, of Pine Biv- 
er, commenced this operation three years ago, and have planted 
from year to year, until they have now about thirty-five acres 
on their upland, and about fifteen acres on the grass in the open 
marsh, where no cultivation has been given. The first planted 
vines have now full possession of the ground and are yielding 
good crops. All the others promise finely, yet Mr. Williams 
informed me lately that he gave the preference in planting to 
the native sod ; the grass was no obstacle to the growth of the 
vines, but on the contrary it seemed a protection to them 
against the winds and extreme heat. Other parties, to a lim¬ 
ited extent, have removed the sod and planted the vines on 
the clean soil, and they have grown well. Where the land is 
foul with fever few, laurel (known as wild sage) and other 
weeds, the operation of removing the sod will be necessary, 
and although the work will cost in the vicinity of fifty dollars 
per acre, it will no doubt be a paying operation, if the land is 
favorably located and right in every other respect. 
The method of planting the vines is simply to puncture the 
sod, insert from two to four slips, and press them down with 
the foot, using a small line six or eight rods long as a guide— 
planting three feet apart each way. If planted nearer together 
