t LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ^<^ V"/"y /^^S' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 1 CRANBERRY CULTURE ^ 7;^/ BY JOSEPH J. WHITE A PRACTICAL GliOWER. ILLUSTRATED. KEW YORK: ORANGE JUDD AND COMPANY, 24 5 BROADWAY. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year ISTO, "by ORANGE JUDD & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New Yorli. ^>D ,n^ ^^> PREFACE. In view of the rapidly increasing demand for a reliable guide, or text-book for the cranberry culturist, we have attempted, with the liberal aid of some of our most suc- cessful growers, to prepare such a work. Our aim has been to embody, in a plain and concise manner, all the useful and practical facts which study and experience have yielded to the inquiring cranberry grower of the present time. The business has increased enor- mously within the last ten years, and knowledge and ex- perience have kept pace with that increase. The insuf- ficiency of the works upon this subject, which we have hitherto taken as books of reference, is very apparent. We have endeavored to make this work as comprehen- sive as possible, and we trust it will prove an efficient guide to all who may have cause to consult its pages. J. J. W. JuLiusTOWN, Burlington Co., N. J., March, 1870. 3 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Natural History -j- CHAPTER II. History of Cultivation jg CHAPTER III. CuoicE OF Locations 25 CHAPTER IV. Preparing the Ground 35 CHAPTER y. Planting the Vines 50 CHAPTER VI. Management of Meadows 5-^ CHAPTER VII. Flooding g4 CHAPTER VIII. Enemies and Difficulties Overcome 7I CHAPTER IX. Picking g5 CHAPTER X. Keeping gj CHAPTER XI. Profit and Loss gg CHAPTER XII. Letters from Practical Growers lOO APPENDIX. Insects In.jurious to the Cranberry . II3 5 ' "■ INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. Bell Cranberry Page 9 Bugle " 11 Cherry '' 13 Section of Heath Pond 30 Feather-leaf— Cassandra calyculata 31 Section of Swamp 32 Section of Savanna 33 Section of Mill-Pond 34 Bill-hook 36 Cutting and Paring Turf. 3T Main and Side Drains 38 Sanding a Meadow 39 Trenching for Sand 42 Sphagnum Moss and Cranberries 43 Turf Cutter 44 Section of a Turf Fence 46 Plants on Clean and Rooty Surfaces 48 Planting in Strips 48 Planting in Hills 52 Planting in Drills 53 Proper Position of Vines 53 Incorrectly Planted 54 Correctly Planted 54 Planting by Pressure 55 Double-seeded Millet 59 Levelling ^^ Dam Supported by Turf 67 Flood-gate 69 Embankment Supported by a Turf Fence TO Work of the Frnit-worm "^^ The Vine- worm and its Work '^4 Portable Fan SO Peck Box 86 Cranberry Fan 93 6 CRANBERRY CULTURE CHAPTER I. NATURAL HISTORY. The Cranberry is supposed to have been so named from the appearance of its bud. Just before expanding into the perfect flower, the stem, calyx and petals resem- ble the neck, head and bill of a crane — hence the name, " craneberry," or " cranberry." According to botanical classification, the Cranberry belongs to the Natural Order Ericaceae, or Heath Family, and to the genus Yaccinium. Bilberries and whortleberries also belong to the same genus. There are two species of Cranberry growing within our territory — the Small Cranberry, Vaccimum Ox^coeciis, and the Large, or American Cranberry, Yac- cinium macrocarpon. The runners of the Y. Oxy coccus are very slender, being from four to nine inches long. The leaves are from two to three lines in length, ovate, with strongly revolute margins. The Small Cranberry is found in the peat bogs of New England and Pennsylvania, and westward to Wisconsin, and northward. 7 8 CKANBEREY CULTURE. C. L. Flint speaks of having observed it in the swamps of Provincetown, Massachusetts, where it is called the *' Spice Cranberry ;" it is also found in South America, and on the vast steppes of Russia, also occasionally in the wastes of Siberia. The V. Oxycoccus flowers in June. The berries are from two to three lines in diameter, and often speckled with white when young ; owing to its small size and acrid flavor, this species is seldom gathered for the market. It is said that in Sweden, the acid juice of this berry was formerly used to boil silver j^late in, that it might eat off* the minute particles of copper alloy. The V. inacrocarpon puts forth stems or runners vary- ing from one foot to six feet or more in length. The tendency of these runners is to trail upon the ground, and send down numerous little roots to draw up moisture and nourishment for the flowering branches which ascend from the runners, at frequent intervals, to the height of from three to twelve inches. The leaves are oblong, from four to six lines in length, and are covered with a whitish bloom underneath. The "K macrocarpon also flowers in June, producing berries varying from one-fourth to one inch in diameter; these are of a light green color while growing, but when fully rlpe^ of a bright crimson, or carmine color. It is a native of North America, and is found growing naturally in the peat bogs of Virginia, and westward to Minnesota, also northward, and abundantly in the British Posses- sions. In Minnesota it grows extensively, being gathered in large quantities by the Indians. Its favorite resorts are swamps and morasses containing rich bottoms of decomposed vegetable matter, commonly called muck, or peat. These swamps are apt to be flood- ed during every wet term, especially in winter and early spring ; but in the growing season they attain some degree of dryness, without which the vmes will not flourish. NATUEAL HISTORY 10 CKANBERRY CULTUliE. This is not apparent at first sight, as the vines appear to be growing in the water; but upon closely examining plants growing in a wet swamp, the roots Avill be found not penetrating the muck, as was at first supposed, but entwining themselves among the sphagnum moss above it (see fig. 14). The water settling away at certain seasons of the year leaves the moss comparatively dry, although it possesses the property of retaining sufficient moisture to support the plants, even in the dryest times. ANALYSIS. An analysis of this fruit was made, some years ago, by Professor E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, with the follow- ing results in one hundred parts : Water 88.78 Ash , 17 Woody fibre, organic acids, etc 11.05 100.00 Percentage of potash in the ash 42.67 " " soda '• " 1.17 The berries were dried in a steam chamber at 212° F., and from these the ash determined by slow combustion in a platinum crucible. The qualitative analysis of the ash indicated the pres- ence of the following substances, viz. : Potassa, soda, lime, magnesia, sesquioxide of iron, sesquioxide of man- ganese, sulphuric acid, chlorine, silicic acid, carbonic acid, phosphoric acid, charcoal and sand. From this analysis it will be seen that only seventeen one-hundredths, or less than two-tenths of one per cent of the Cranberry are found in the ash, as inorganic matter derived from the soil, all the rest being derived from the atmosphere and from water. " The results of experience are, therefore," says Flint, " strikingly corroborated by the deductions of science, NATURAL HISTORY. 11 12 CRAXBEKRY CULTURE. that the Cranberry will grow where nothmg else will. It explains, too, how it is that it seems to require little for its perfect development but air and water." The American Cranberry is divided, by Avriters upon this subject, into three varieties. 1st. The Bell Cranberry (fig. 1).— This variety is so named because of its resemblance to a bell in shape. 2d. The Bu^le Cranberry (fig. 2), was so called from its resemblance to a bugle bead, being elongated, and ap- proaching in shape to an oval. 3d. The Cherry Cranberry (fig. 3) is spherical in form, and somewhat similar in shape, size, and color to the cherry, from which it derives its name. These varieties are to be known only by their fruits ; the difference in the appearance or growth of the vines being insufficient to distinguish them. Although the dif- ferent forms, previously described, are distinct, and well marked, one plant producing one variety only, yet cran- berries are found existing in all the intermediate shapes between these ; for instance, the Bell and the Cherry cran- berries are distinctly marked, but many specimens are found bearing so much resemblance to both, that one could not tell, to which variety they belonged. There are, apparently, different varieties of vines also, some being lower and more trailing than others, but even these low vines produce fruit of various qualities. The largest cranberries we have yet seen — being about one inch in diameter — belonged to the Bell variety, and were grown upon vines of this character, originally obtained from a natural bog by John Webb. Other characteristics exist beside the shape of the fruit, characteristics which are much more important, to be observed by the grower ; for instance, if one goes into the market with the view of selling a lot of cranberries, the question is not What shape are they? but rather, Are they well colored? or. Are they of good size? NATURAL HISTOKY. 13 14 CRANBERRY CULTURE. The color is perhaps most carefully noted, consumers suspectmg light colored berries of being unripe. Whole- sale buyers will make a difference of from %\ to $3 per barrel on that account, giving the highest price for those which are of a deep red color. Fruit of this appearance is certainly the most attractive, but berries need not neces- sarily be unripe because they are pale ; in fact, there is an undescribed variety in New Jersey, the fruit of which is cream-colored when fully ripe, and remains so, even if kept until spring. They are of good size, among the best of keepers, and very inviting when properly prepared for the table. Many berries which ultimately turn red, partake more or less of the nature of this variety, being very light col- ored about picking time, while others, under similar cir- cumstances, are entirely red ; but even those which are disposed to become red will remain light colored much longer if hidden away in the shade of densely matted vines. There seems, however, to be a decided difference in the time of coloring, even of berries having the same shape, and produced under like circumstances. This fact renders the selection of vines for planting an important matter, since a small portion of light colored berries will, if not removed, seriously affect the sale of the whole lot. Vines producing red berries, ripening uniformly, are very desirable ; but there is no way of selecting the best vines except by a "knowledge of the fruit they produce, and this should be had, if possible, before using them. It is also an important matter, in transplanting vines, to secure those yielding large sized berries, for the reason that fine, showy fruit is at a premium in the markets, and will always command the highest prices. The appearance of one's marketing has very much to do with the price obtained for it in large cities, most of the inhabitants of which have but a slight acquaintance KATURAL HISTOltY. 15 with the different varieties of fruits or vegetables. The best looking are selected first ; reasoning by analogy, they conclude that the largest and fairest must necessarily be the best, but in this they frequently err. Those varieties of fruit which are finest, and possess the highest flavor, are generally of medium size. We know of no especial difference in the flavor of cranberries, whether they be large or small. But the small varieties are certainly the best keepers, and also the heaviest, they being almost solid, while the largest sorts are quite hollow. It has been asserted by writers upon this subject that there are two kinds of cranberry vines, viz., the jiroduc- tive, and the barren ; or, as B. Eastwood terms them, the " healthy, and the unhealthy vine." He says : " The healthy vine, as far as we have been able to discover, pre- sents an appearance of greenish-brown on the leaf; the spears and runners are fine and thin, remarkable for their wiry nature and aspect. They seem of stunted growth, but form beautiful and tufted groups of spears in their process of matting. The unhealthy vine appears alto- gether brighter and stronger, and hence, from this pecu- liarity, some are apt to be mistaken ; for instance, a prac- tical grower was disappointed in finding his most luxuriant vines, and those from which he had expected the best returns, barren. * The barren vines,' said he, ' looked greener, had more bushy leaves and stronger or thicker spears than those which produced the most fruit.' I felt confident, from their appearance, that they were the best vines I ever saw ; but I lived to find out that these signs, which I took to indicate the productiveness of the plant, were only symptoms of disease^ which disease means barrenness.'''* Another failure, resulting from the same cause, has been brought to our notice. A farmer near Bristol, Pa., desiring to cultivate cran- berries, procured vines from several reliable growers in 16 CRANBERRY CULTURE. New Jersey nnd Massachusetts, and planted them in low, rich, meadow ground, which to him seemed suitable for them. They were carefully tended, and the growth was most luxuriant, but there was no fruit. Supposing a cover- ing of sand would check the growth, he procured some at heavy expense, and spread it over them; still they remained barren, and after several years of unfruitfulness, were offered to a New Jersey grower for setting out a new bed. But the appearance of the vines condemned them ; they had become almost as thick as pea vines, and the grower would not accept them, even gratuitously. Per- haps the only way of making this patch fruitful would have been to have covered the vines, during several suces- sive winters, with as much clear sand as they would grow through, until a covering of six or eight inches had been placed upon the original soil. We have visited hundreds of acres of cultivated cranber- ry meadows, the vines for which were taken indiscrimin- ately from natural bogs, without reference to their kind or quality, and we have yet to see the first square rod of barren vines, the cause of which could not be traced to the soil on which they were growing. Barrenness may result from two causes, viz., the soil may be too rich in vegetable matter, or it may be too poor. The cranberry plant, like many others, if put on very strong land, will run to vine, and produce little or no fruit. The sweet potato, for instance, sometimes makes a great show upon the surface without yielding the abun- dant crop that its vines seemed to promise. One cannot always judge of a fire by the smoke he sees. Generally speaking, where we hear of barren vines, we hear of a luxuriant growth. Productive vines, of good repute, have, to our certain knowledge, become fruitless by being placed under circumstances most favorable for their growth and development. NATUHAL HISTORY. 17 There are two remedies for an over-abundant growth of vine; viz., sand and water, of which we will. speak more fully hereafter. Another cause of unfruitfulness may be the extreme poverty of the soil. Sand is sometimes so deficient in vegetable matter as to produce little or no vine, and when this is the case, much fruit cannot be exj^ected. As before stated, the Cranberry grows naturally on moist bottoms ; and soils of this character are the only ones upon which it can be cultivated profitably, although designing nurserymen have asserted to the contrary, with the view of disposing of their plants. By way of illus- tration we give the following, taken from the catalogue of an old established nursery: " The True Cape Cod variety^ now offered, is by far the best in cultivation, and succeeds best in uplands. There are several sorts in the market, known as the " Bell," the " Cherry," and many other fancy names, which do not compare with this, in real, practical value. Plants^ packed with great care^ $2 per 100, $10 per 1,000." To complete the decejition, they quote a writer in the Maine Farmer, -who says : " My crop, grown on loam^ in 1863, was at the rate of 453 bushels per acre." Other statements are also made in the catalogue, which are cal- culated to mislead the unsuspecting or ignorant, and in- duce them to pay enormous prices for plants which will be of little or no advantage to them, if planted in the manner recommended ; viz., " on upland," and " on loam." The policy of their assertions is evident ; small fruits, for one's own family, are generally grown in the garden, upon selected upland, and every one owning such a spot would naturally desire to have this A^aluable fruit among his collection. But comparatively few possess ground adapted to cran- berries, hence unprincipled dealers recommend a system 18 CRANBERRY CULTURE. of culture for the many, that they may sell the more vines. There is a plant called the High-bush, or High Cran- berry ( Viburnum Opulits), indigenous to North America, found on uplands in many localities in the Northern States. C. L. Flint says : " It is a beautiful shrub, some- times ten or twelve feet high, having a white blossom, and a fruit somewhat smaller than the common cranberry, perfectly red, and of an acid taste, well adapted for pies, tarts, etc., for which it is often used. The fruit differs from the common cranberry in having a small, oblong stone, instead of seeds. It is easily propagated from the seeds, layers, or cuttings, and is often found as a garden shrub, flourishing in every variety of soil, sands and clays, wet and dry. Its berries grow in clusters, and are persistent through the winter." *' The plant called, in Maine, the Mountain Cranberry (Vaccmium Yitis-Idma) ^ has leaves shaped like those of our common Cranberry, and bears an acid fruit, used for the same i^urposes as our cranberry. It is occasionally met with in Massachusetts, where it is called the * Cow Berry.' " There is still another plant {Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi, Spreng. Arbutus of Linn.) found in abundance on Cape Cod, and there called the Hog Cranberry. It also grows abundantly in the Pine region of New Jersey, where it is known as the Grouse Berry, Upland Cranberry, also Bearberry and Uva-ursi, and in some parts as " Universe," a corruption of Uva-ursi. It is not properly a variety of the cranberry, but be- longs to a different genus. Like that plant, however, it is trailing, and has leaves somewhat similar in shape. Its fruit is red, but smaller than the cranberry, and of a dry, mealy nature. Both fruit and leaves are used for me- dicinal purposes ; the latter are also in demand among the inhabitants as a substitute for tea. The plant may be ob- HISTOKY OF CULTIVATION. 19 tained in large quantities from its native soil, the dry and barren sands of Cape Cod, and the Pines of South Jersey. CHAPTER II. HISTORY OF CULTIVATION. Fifty years ago, one embarking extensively in the culti- vation of the cranberry would have been comparable to a craft putting to sea without chart or compass. Doubts Avould have accompanied his progress, and the possibility of profit resulting from his labors have been exceedingly uncertain, for the reason that the wrong courses to be pursued were far more numerous than the right ones. Hence it was that the early cultivators ventured out very cautiously, risking but little of their labor or capital in the doubtful enterprise. Many failed, but failures, although unpleasant, are not entirely without good results, and should be carefully chronicled, to the end that others may learn wisdom, and not fall into the same errors. Some were partially successful, and their names have become connected with the business, although their achievements have been far surpassed by men of Avhom we have never heard ; yet they were comparatively suc- cessful in their day, and they deserve our notice now, for having laid the foundation of successful cultivation. These pioneers in the business were men of enterprise ; for they not only encountered many difficulties in growing the fruit, but were unable to sell it, when grown, for re- munerative prices. Strange as it may appear, when the supply of cranberries was very limited, and derived al- most entirely from natural bogs, the price per bushel was 20 CRANBERKY CULTURE. discouragingly low. For instance, about thirty years ago, two well-known merchants of Medford, N. J., in- vested in a lot of good, natural cranberries, with the view of speculation. The price paid was 62 cents per bushel, and yet they lost money by the operation. The success of a few cultivators becoming known, others were induced to attempt the business, and as the supply gradually increased, the berries were exposed for sale in new markets, and people who had before been un- acquainted w^ith them were, perhaps, attracted by their fine appearance, and led to give them a trial in the famous tart or sauce, — a trial being sufficient to convince even the most skeptical of their excellence, and create a demand for them wherever they were introduced. This demand, steadily increasing, even faster than the supply, caused the j) rices to advance, and as the business became remunerative, growers were multiplied in num- bers, and stimulated to greater exertions. But, notwith- standing the enormously increased jDroduction, the demand has increased still more rapidly, and consequently the price has kept pace with it. Boswell, writing for the Public Ledger, of Philadelphia, about ten years ago, upon the cultivation, i^reservation, and transportation of the cranberry, said : " There is ten times the quantity raised now that there was forty years ago ; but instead of the price being lower than for- merly, it is one hundred i^er cent higher. Forty years ago, in Boston, which has always been the great depot for this fruit, the price was from 75 cents to $1.00 per bushel, but for a few years past the price has ranged from $1.50 to $2.50 per bushel." It may safely be said that, within the last ten years, the production has increased at least tenfold, and the price is now one hundred per cent higher than that named by Boswell. In fact, a portion of the crop of 1866 was sold by the growers at $10 per bushel. niSTOEY or CULTIVATION. 21 This price, however, is unusually high, and was caused by a i^artial failure in the crop of that season ; it is only mentioned to illustrate how highly the fruit is api^reciated where it is best known. Although growing naturally in many parts of North America, there are comparatively few localities where cranberries have been cultivated; of these. Cape Cod and West Jersey are the most important. Some attention has been given to their culture in Maine, and also to the improvement of natural bogs in the ISTorth- western States. The first attempts at cultivating the cranberry in this country were made on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, about the year 1820, and considerable experience and proficiency were gained by growers in that locality before any atten- tion was given to the subject in ISTew Jersey, — the State which has since taken the lead of all others in this most valuable production. S. B. Phinney says : " Half a century has now elapsed since Captain Henry Hall, of Dennis, in the County of Barnstable, Mass., commenced the cultivation of the cran- berry. His bog, or ' cranberry yard,' as he called it, has no year since failed of producing a remunerative crop. For the next thirty years after Mr. Hall commenced, many experiments were made by others, and most of them proved to be failures. The general cultivation does not date back further than the year 1850, yet since that date there have been many failures, and many bogs, recently set, will never yield remunerative crops. By this term, and by ' successful cultivation,' I mean that the crops, in- cluding the present value of the bogs, have more than repaid the original cost, interest, and incidental expenses of cultivating, picking, and sending to market." It w^as not until about the year 1845 that the first vines were planted in Kew Jersey ; and for several years the history of the Cape Cod pioneers was repeated in the numerous failures that followed. Although the Jersey- 22 CRANBERRY CULTURE. men had heard something of the success of their Kew England brethren, they knew little or nothing of their mode of cultivation, and, until towards the year 1860, about nine-tenths of the attempts at cultivation were un- profitable. John Webb, of Ocean County, was perhaps one of the earliest successful experimenters in this State. He com- menced by removing some sods of vines from a neighbor- ing swamp, and placing them in a damp spot, that proved to be adapted to their growth ; in this they flourished, and, in course of time, the ground was covered with vines yielding paying crops. Encouraged by the success of his first efforts, he added to his number of acres, and his wealth has corresponding- ly increased. Barclay White, one of the first cultivators in Burling- ton County, writing, in 1855, to the Secretary of the Mas- sachusetts Board of Agriculture, said : " In the spring of 1851, I commenced operations by plowing up (the turf was turned under), and planting about three-fourths of an acre on a biack, peaty soil, of twelve or fifteen inches in depth, with a white sand and gravel subsoil. On either side, a few hundred yards distant, on ground in which a horse would mire, the wild vines were growing luxuri- antly. I struck out the rows four feet apart each way, and planted a sod of vines, some four inches square, at each intersection. They were cultivated some that season. That fall we picked three pecks of fruit, large and fine ; about an equal quantity had been destroyed by a worm, similar in appearance to the apple-worm. In 1852, I l^lanted about one and a quarter acres in a similar manner, excepting that the hills were placed four feet by two feet apart. The product that fall was about six bushels of large fruit, picked about the last of August, but they did not keep well. The vines had become so matted as to ad- HISTORY OF CULTIVATION. 23 mit of no cultivation, except hand pulling the grass and huckleberry bushes ; (weeds there were none). *' No more vines were planted. From the two acres, we picked (about Sept. 7th, 1853,) fourteen bushels of sound fruit ; about seven bushels rotted on the vines within two weeks previous to picking. Those picked were spread out thinly upon floors, out of the reach of frost, and de- cayed rapidly. I think the loss from decay in five months from the time of j^icking, would amount to seventy-five per cent ; while of the wild berries, picked about the same time, and kept in the same manner, the loss from decay was not more than one or two per cent. *'Upon viewing the plantation in the latter part of August, 1854, 1 found the vines most luxuriant, matting completely over the surface of the ground. There appeared then to be about twenty-five or thirty bushels of sound fruit upon them, not quite ripe enough for picking. These soon commenced rotting, and when they were picked, about the middle of September, I secured only about ten bushels of sound fruit, which kept quite as badly as during the previous winter. " Such has been my experience in the cultivation of the cranberry ; and unless I can find a remedy for this rotting of the berry, I must abandon the business as unprofitable. "If this can be avoided, there is an excellent opportu- nity here to cultivate them extensively and profitably. They begin to rot about the commencement of their ripening or coloring, on the side touching the ground, presenting the appearance of having been scalded. I have thought it might be owing to the hot sun shining on them after rain, scalding the part touching the earth. Possibly, when the vines become thicker, shading the ground more thoroughly, it may be corrected. If that is the case, I will try a new plantation, setting out the, plants one foot apart each way." There was much truth in his supposed cause of the 24 CRANBERRY CULTURE. decay, as well as in the remedy ; sucli were the difficul- ties which continually harrassed the first cultivators. They had no experience to guide their steps ; no certain rules of procedure ; consequently the slow progress, and frequent failures. It was not until near the year 1860 that the cranberry business was commenced in earnest in New Jersey. Since that time it has rapidly developed, until now the value of cultivated cranberry property in this State, alone, may be estimated at several millions of dollars. In fact, Pro- fessor Cook, State Geologist for ISTew Jersey, alluding to this production in his report of 1869, said: "Already our fields supply more than half of all raised in the United States." Our crop of that year being estimated at more than one hundred thousand bushels. And yet, with these enormous results, their cultivation is principally confined to three counties, viz.. Ocean, Bur- lington, and Atlantic, and perhaps not one two-hundredth part of the area of these is fitted for their culture. The three counties, before named, include most of what is known as " The Pines," — an uncultivated region, con- taining about twelve hundred thousand acres. From the position it occupies,between the two great cities of the nation, it may be a marvel to some that this region should have remained so long uncultivated; but it is ex- plained in few words. The soil is light and sandy, not suit- ed to growing grass or the cereals, but yielding good crop« when planted in small fruits. These, with the exception of cranberries, require easy and rapid facilities for marketing ; such as are only obtained in the interior by the use of rail- roads, and those, until recently have been withheld. Hence, the swamps were left to make cedar, and the uplands to produce pine timber. But now, railroad facilities are being afforded, and large portions of "The Pines " are destined to become as a fruitful gfarden under the skillful management of the fruit grower. . CHOICE OF LOCATIONS. 25 CHAPTER III. CHOICE OF LOCATIONS. Every possessor of waste swamp land is interested to know whether, by planting it in cranberries, he may not '' make it to blossom as the rose," and, at the same time, increase his revenue. To every one about to engage in the cranberry business, the proper location for a meadow, as regards its soil and surroundings, is a matter of the utmost importance ; for the reason, that, if a suitable soil is not selected at the start, the greatest care in preparing the ground, in setting out the vines, and in nursing them afterward, will fail to make the undertaking a success. Whereas, should a bog be chosen that is really adapted to their growth^ some carelessness in regard to preparing and planting may fol- low without causing a failure. The Cranberry is peculiar in its tastes and habits. On some soils it cannot be made to thrive, while upon others it is very hardy, and easily propagated. Indeed, we have known instances where vines, just dropped upon the sur- face, have taken root and grown. But skill and care are always essential in the management of a cranberry mead- ow, in order to obtain the best results. We would recommend any one who contemplates in- vesting largely in this business to visit, if convenient, some locality where it has been successfully conducted, that he may form a more correct idea of what is required, than could possibly be imparted by a description. The alluvial formation is the only one in which the cran- berry can be successfully cultivated. Though this forma- tion includes the most barren and the most fertile soils, the dryest and the dampest, yet its character is well marked, and it can be easily distinguished. Sand, or quartz rock, 2 26 CRANBERRY CULTURE. pulverized or granulated, is alluvium, separated from the drift by the Avaves and currents of the ocean, and eleva- ted by the action of the waters. The deltas, or rich in- terval lands near the outlets of rivers, are alluvium, and are formed by the subsiding of the finer particles brought down by the streams. The mud found in the narrow bogs and creeks near the sea shore, and the muck, or peat, underlying swamps and fen-lands, are of the same character. Salt and fresh meadows, formed j^artly by deposits of mud, and partly by decayed vegetable and animal mat- ter, belong to the same class. In fact, all alluvial forma- tions are caused by the action of water. There are several varieties of muck, or peat, all of which have a fertilizing effect upon the cranberry vine. Muck is composed almost entirely of decayed vegetable matter, but deposits are found in different stages of de- composition ; those most thoroughly decomposed being best adapted to our purpose. Professor Sidney K. Smith, of N. J., has analyzed a sample of muck, with the follow- ing results : " The muck is spread on a plate, and placed over a ves- sel of boiling Avater — this affords a means of maintaining an equal temperature at 212° F. In this j^osition it will lose 50 per cent (^ U its weight of water. If you will weigh 100 parts of the sample thus dried, and burn it, and then weigh, you will have from 6 to 30 parts of ashes; so that from 70 to 94 per cent is organic matter, which took the gaseous or aeriform state as soon as heat enough was ap- plied. " But this difference in weight of ash comes chiefly from the larger per cent of sand, or silicates, in some varie- ties than in others ; aside from this, since the amount of the salts of potash, soda, lime, etc., is small, compared with the whole weight of the muck, it need not be reckoned. " It is, then, the volatile or organic part that contains CHOICE OF LOCATIONS. 27 the elements of fertility which we want to render availa- ble for plant-food. This part has been found, by careful analysis, to consist of several substances, to winch has been given the general name of Ge'ine. Some kinds of muck contain as high as 95 per cent of geine ; and in this are locked up nearly all the fertilizing substances (ammonia excepted) to be found in cow-dung. The average amount of soluble geine found in peat is estima- ted at 25 per cent ; the more soluble it is, the greater will be its value." The cranberry cannot be successfully cultivated in the ^^ Drift formation.''^ Hundreds of experiments have been tried, and nearly all have proved to be failures. Pro- fessor Agassiz describes the drift formation as being that portion of the earth's surface which was formed by glacial action, and consisting of rocks not in place — that is, loose, and not in solid ledges— gravel, clay, and loam. This definition is plain, and to the point, and will enable any one locating a cranberry meadow to distinguish the drift, and reject it. Bogs, naturally well adapted to the growth of this fruit, have been ruined by using drift ma- terial in preparing them. In some bogs where partly drift and partly alluvium were used, the exact line between the two could be traced by the difference in the growth and appearance of the vines. Such is the testimony of S. B. Phinney, of Barnstable, Mass., and its truth is corroborated by our experience in New Jersey. It is said " there are exceptions to all general rules ;" but we never knew of but one exception to the rule previously stated, that " cranberries cannot be successfully cultivated on the drift formation," and that was a small portion of a twelve-acre meadow near Med- ford, K. J., where the vines were flourishing upon a soil containing sufiicient clay to make good moulding sand. But success in this instance was owing to the peculiar lo- 28 CRANBERRY CULTURE. cation of the soil, it being situated on a elope which received sufficient spring-water to keep the ground always loose, or unpacked, and somewhat of the nature of quick- sand. If this patch had been drained sufficiently to make the surface dry, and allow it to become packed, no doubt the vines would have failed, and perhaps perished. Clay and loam are to be avoided, under all circum- stances, by those desiring a profitable and permanent in- vestment in cranberry meadows. Gravel is spoken of as belonging to the drift formation — this, of course, means gravel composed, in part, of clay, such as is used for road making. There is a kind of gravel, however, composed of pebbles and beach sand, belonging to the alluvial formation, which is well adapted to the growth of the vine. There exists also a variety of yellow sand, which, at first sight, appears to contain a portion of clay ; but if, upon being submitted to the test, it proves to be colored sand only^ it may be used to good advantage in prepjaring the meadow. The test for sand or gravel to be used in cranberry culture is this : Take a portion of the soil and compress it tightly in the hand ; if it is suitable, it will fall apart upon being released ; but if composed in part of loam, it will adhere together after the pressure is removed. This is a simple but reliable test, and one much used by practical growers. We knew one instance of failure, where the grower had planted his vines upon a soil that strongly resembled clear, white sand, but upon examination it was found to contain a large percentage of white clay, which readily accounted for the failure. The cranberry flourishes in pure muck, but in it the growth is frequently so vigorous as to render the vines un- productive, as well as soft and pliable, indicating a defi- ciency of earthy matter in the soil. As stated in a previ- ous chapter, vines growing naturally in a swamp, are not CHOICE OF LOCATIONS. 29 rooted directly in the muck bottom, but rest among the mosses above it — a twofold advantage being thus gained — ■ for the plants are not only lifted above the water during the growing season, but they are thereby prevented from making an over abundant growth. The soil best adapted to the production of cranberries is an equal mixture of coarse sand and much^ which is most certain to be obtained by covering well-decomposed muck with beach sand, the latter leaving a clean surface for the young plants ; while in a few years the two become thor- oughly incorporated, making, as it were, a soil of black sand. Could a soil of this composition be found in a state of nature, rightly situated as regards moisture, much ex- pense of sanding might be saved. Heath Ponds. Muck is frequently found to the depth of five or six inches in heath ponds^ or low basins, — places naturally flooded with water during w^inter. When the muck in these ponds is underlaid with coarse, white sand, a cheap and valuable plantation may be made by plowing to the surface two inches of the silicious subsoil, and, at the same time, turning the muck under. Heath ponds are frequently underlaid with a very hard substratum, known as tlie " hard pan," which is almost impervious to water. It having acted an important part in the- formation of the pond, care should be taken not to break through it while preparing for the vines, lest by so doing the surface of the ground be rendered too dry. One failure from this cause has come under our immediate observation. Figure 4 gives a section of a heath pond, showing the position of the different strata. In selecting a location, it is very important to observe the varieties of plants or trees existing upon the ground. Although no cranberry vines may be growing there, yet 30 CRANBERRY CULTURE. the presence of other plants, requiring similar conditions of soil and moisture, indicate a soil congenial to the growth of the cranberry. For instance, the Feather- leaf, also called Gander-bush, and Leather-leaf [Casscm- dra calyculatcL) (fig. 5), so abundant in heath ponds, is considered a sure indication of a proper locality. The Ground Laurel {Kalmia an gusti folia) thrives upon land that will produce cranberries — sometimes profitably — but such should not be chosen for a perma- nent meadow, it being generally too dry. Vines, planted upon these lands, become matted in a few years, produce one or two crops, and then assume a woody, or dead aj^- ,A*A*^;MZ-,/- Fig. 4.— SECTION OF HEATH POND. pearance, — and this is especially the case if they are not submerged during winter. A soil producing the Upland Huckleberry must always be avoided, as it becomes parched or dried u]) in summer. Swamp laxds, upon which the White Cedar, or Juniper, the Maple, Swamp Huckleberry and Magnolia thrive, are frequently selected. It is in these that the deep deposits of muck are found, and, when projDerly prepared, they make lasting and valuable meadows. N. H. Bishop says : " Gum-swamp bottoms are to be avoided,. as the presence of the gum-tree (N'yssa multi- flora) denotes a cold, springy soil, which would require an CHOICE OF LOCATIONS. 31 Fii?. 5.— FEATHER-LEAF— CASSANDRA CALTCULATA. 32 CRANBEERY CULTURE. expensive amount of drainage. The soil of gum-swamps seems to favor the production of more grass than any other swamp lands that we have prepared for the vines. "It is, however, a good sign to find gum-trees in abund- ance, growing at the heads of streams, and all their small tributaries, as it promises an abundance of spring water that may be needed further down the valley." For the purposes of cranberry culture, it is always es- sential that swamps be surrounded by sand — coarse sand, Fig- G —SECTION or s\\ imp. if possible, it being less liable to pack than that which is finer. The section, fig. 6, shows a swamp favorably situ- ated. Savannas, or ground lying between swamps and upland, are ofttimes turned to good account, but they contain a diversity of soils, which renders their selection a matter of care. For instance, we not unfrequently find in them heath ponds containing muck, ridges of black sand, and knolls of white sand. A Savanna is represented in section in figure T. CHOICE OF LOCATIOXS. 33 The best savannas are those which contain the most heath ponds, or have a uniform surface of deep, black sand. Of the methods of preparing the various kinds of soil, we will treat in the next chapter. MiLL-PoNDS have been made available by simply draw- ing off the water, and j)l^iiting vines in their beds. Some, thus treated, have succeeded admirably, while others have failed. Joseph Hinchman, of N. J., owns a meadow of this character, the bottom of which consists of a mixture of sand and muck, the latter predominating. It was planted in cranberry vines about ten years ago. Fig. 7.— SECTION OF SAVANNA. and we are assured by the owner that its production of fruit has increased every year since that time. A portion of the surface was covered with sand, but that which was not has succeeded quite as well. In most cases, however, it will be found necessary to sand mill-pond bottoms, in order to obtain the proper conditions of soil. Hence, in selecting such locations, it is important to consider well the surroundings. Sand should be abundant, and deep ; and when this is the case, the surface will look barren, and the growth upon it will be somewhat scanty ; frequently consisting of pine, ground oaks, upland huckleberry bushes, etc. High banks and bold shores are* desirable, on account of the spring water they afford, which, when properly controlled, becomes exceedingly valuable esj)e- cially in times of drouth. (See fig. 8.) The cranberry requires moisture always near the surface 34 CRANBERRY CULTURE. of the soil, but it is necessarj that it circulate freely through the ground ; as stagy} ant water is fatal to the growth of the plant. Therefore, in choosing a location, though everything else may be favorable, if you cannot drain the ground at least one foot below the surface, re- ject it at once. This drainage is required to enable the water to pass readily through the soil, and avoid anything like stagnation. On true " Cranberry ground," although the ditches may be cut one or two feet deep, the soil rarely becomes dry San d S'a n (/ ri'-. The nourishment for the plant is derived principally from the an- and water. As in clearing swamps, savannas must first be ditched 44 CRANBERRY CULTURE. and then turfed. For cutting the turf in strips to prepare it for the hoe, an ordinary cleaver may be used ; or, to ac- complish the work more expeditiously, use a tool (fig. 15) made in the following manner ; viz : fix a stout, sharp coulter in a beam, with handles and clevis attached ; and let it be drawn through the turf by a horse, the length of the blade being j^roperly adjusted to cut to the required depth. Some prefer the coulter to incline backward, that it may slide over large roots, but when in that position, the ten- dency is to raise out, and it requires considerable pressure to keep it to its work. In order to dispose of the turf after being separated from the soil, we have sometimes heaped up and burned Fig. 15. — TURF CUTTER. that grown on the lower portions of the meadow ; on the higher parts, the turf generally contains too much sand to burn freely. The ground may be cleared more cheaply in this way, but the effect of ashes upon the soil is to pro- duce a growth of Tree-moss {Polytrichum commune)^ which, when abundant, is a serious injury to the vines, in that it keeps the runners lifted above the ground, and prevents them from rooting. Upon spots where heaps of turf have been burned, moss frequently comes in, even after plowing ; but if the ashes are spread on the surface, and plowed under, no injury will result from them. Ashes have also a fertilizing eifect upon the cranberry vines ; this fact induced us to spread them, several years ago, upon the surface of a sandy knoll, where the vines PREPARING THE GROUND. 45 were not thriving, but the damage resulting from the growth of moss overbalanced any benefit derived from the ashes. The "Pines" of ISTew Jersey are subject to devastating fires, which sweep through them during the drouths of summer, doing an immense amount of injury to growing timber, and frequently jeopardizing the turf fences which surround the numerous cranberry meadows in that region. When the fire is once in a turf fence, it is almost im- possible to extinguish it, 4he only remedy being to cut a wide gap in the fence, to save that which is not on fire, and let the burning portion gradually smoulder away. A portion of the fence surrounding Howard White's fifteen-acre meadow, near New Lisbon, took fire in August, 1869, and continued burning for two months, although a number of heavy storms occurred during that time. Fires in the " Pines " often originate from "coalings," or are started by men desiring a winter's job at chopping the dead timber. As the smoke looms up, it is seen by some one in the country who recognizes it as being in the di- rection of his " tract," and hastens to the spot, where, with the assistance of the inhabitants, he endeavors to im- pede its progress by firing against it, or by throwing sand. When a native of the pine region starts out to " fight fire," he as naturally takes with him his shovel and matches as the city fireman does his hose-carriage or engine. The extinguishing effect of sand, when thrown upon the flames, is quite equal to that of water. These fires sometimes burn with sufticient fury to con- sume all the turf on portions of savannas over which they pass ; and where this is the case, the moss starts up very luxuriantly. As a general rule, in clearing savan- nas, it is best not to burn the turf upon the ground, but to cart it off, and build with it a fence around the meadow. A turf fence, when properly constructed, bears some resemblance to a " dry wall " of stone. In order to build 46 CKANBEREY CULTUES. one, first ascertain where it is to be put, then mark the inner line of the fence with numerous stakes, after which decide upon its width, or thickness, which Avill vary ac- cording to the quantity of turf to be used up — from four to six feet — the average height being from five to eight feet. Having determined the width, set up another row of stakes parallel with the first, to indicate the outer line, and then build the wall up perpendicularly between the two. Care should be taken to keep the top of the fence Fig. 16. — SECTION OF A TURF FENCE. level, and to hind on the outer tier of floats by lapping the second row a little over them; this will make the structure firm and durable. (See fig. 16.) The forh that we have found most convenient for handling turf is one made from an ordinary two-tined hay-fork, by simply cutting off" the tines to about eight inches in length, bending them to the proper shape, and securing them in a manure-fork handle. (See fig. 16.) This handle is very efiicient in placing the turf on the Avail, it being quite an improvement upon the straight one so frequently used. While the fences are being built, it is best to make ar- rangements for flooding the meadow, as it may require a difierent arrangement of walls to protect the dam. (See PREPARIXG THE GROUND. 47 chapter on Flooding.) Having disposed of the turf, the next step is to take out all sound stumps and live roots, as described for clearing swamps, after which the surface may need some leveling ; for instance, a pond, A, iig. 7, containing muck may be in proximity to a ridge, B, of sterile sand ; if so, the knoll must be cut down, and the sand used for covering the muck ; this will make the gen- ral surface more level, and require less Avater to flood it. It will be quite important, however, to return some of the muck to the poor soil on the ridge, where it should be thickly spread about, and plowed under. But if the deposit of muck in the pond is not deep enough to require sanding, in most cases it will not pay to level the ground, for the reason that the sand, if spread too thickly in the pond, would injure it, and the knoll from whence the sand was taken be left too poor to pro- duce fruit. In all these operations good judgment and skill are re- quired to bring the meadow into the best possible condi- tion for the vines. In some instances, clay or loam is found underlying a thin stratum of muck. Where this occurs, the subsoil should not be brought to the surface ; but if sand is not convenient for covering it, plant the vines upon the cleanly raked surface of the muck without plowing. When this is done, the meadow must be flooded in winter to prevent heaving. We recently visited a savanna where the vines had been planted upon an inch or two of muck ; they were exposed to the weather, and were badly thrown out by the action of frost. When only a thin covering of muck rests upon a bed of sand, it is best either not to plow at all, or very slightly, turning up only an inch of the sand. After plowing savannas, it is necessary to give the ground a thorough harrowing, to level any irregularities 48 CRANBERRY CULTURE. that may exist, and also to loosen the roots and bring them to the surface. Some growers think it best to leave the roots upon the surface, saying, " when they decay, the soil will be in- creased in fertility." But we cannot afford to use such expensive fertilizers as roots and sticks, for the reason that, if they are left in the soil, some of them will grow : PLANTS ON CLEAN AND ROOTY SURFACES. and if upon the top, they will seriously interfere with the matting vines by keeping the runners from rooting. Fig- ure 17 illustrates the difference between a rooty surface and one made perfectly clean. Savannas, with sand Avithin reach of the plow, may be very cheaply prepared by throwing the turf, one rod each way, into windrows, and planting vines upon the cleared ground between them. (See fig. ]8.) The wash from the decaying turf is found to act as a good fertilizer, and the embankments serve as a protec- =:f^Me>j,%A^^nl!M^iKX>.,^u gi(fe^:^.,,v^...,-v^-5..±: ^^/t^^»M 5J^M.^Mgvw)y>■^\Wy Wtf'A>. Fig. 18. — PLANTING IN STRIPS. tion against the blasts of winter, in situations not suscep- tible of being flooded. MiLL-PoNDS. Success in cultivating the cranberry on mill-pond bot- toms depends, perhaps, more upon the location than upon PEEPARIJ^^G THE GROUND. 49 the manner of preparing the ground. But, however favor- able the location, if the bottom is not completely drained and well managed, it will fail to produce good results. One great source of failure is imperfect drainage. Mill-pond bottoms require no turfing; the standing water having destroyed the growth of bushes, etc., since none but aquatic plants can exist when entirely submerged. If the soil is about an equal mixture of sand and muck, no extra sand will be required; but should the bottom consist of muck alone, it must be covered, and to accom- plish this, several methods have been adopted ; for instance, the swamp may be flooded, and the sand taken out upon rafts and thrown into the water, stakes being used to mai-k where it is deposited. Or, it may be spread evenly over the surface of the ice in winter, and, when the ice thaws the bottom will be well sanded. Railroad cars and tracks are used to advantage in cov- ering extensive tracts; but the cheapest and most expedi- tious method that has come to our notice was one adopted by Joseph Hinchman, the practicability of which he proved by thoroughly covering with sand a mill-pond, containing eighty acres, in a few weeks, with the assistance of two or three men. Water wns the vehicle used to carry the sand, and to utilize it the stream Avas dammed near the head of the swamp, which caused the water to flow in raceways con- structed upon each side of the meadow. He then com- menced at the lower end, and, by turning all the water into one channel, succeeded in washing away high knolls, or banks, and depositing the sand evenly over the surface of the meadow. The secret of success seemed to lie in keeping the channel in form — like the arc of a circle — at the place where the washing was going on, and to do this was the principal work of his assistants. The banks of this mill-pond contained more or less clay in combination with the sand, and, had they been 3 50 CRANBERRY CULTURE. spread over tlae surface in the usual way, the probabilities are that the undertaking would have resulted in failure. But during the process of sanding with the aid of water, the clay was washed out and carried down stream, giving the water an ochreous hue for several miles below, thus leaving the sand in good condition for the vines. CHAPTER V. PLANTING THE VINES. The surface of the meadow being thoroughly pre- pared, the question arises. When, and how, shall I set out the vines ? We know of no particular time, better than all others, for planting the vines ; but in spring, from the first of April to the first of June, is the proper season in New Jersey. They may be put out even later than this in the New England States. It is considered here that vines, set out after the first of June, are but little better than those planted the following spring. The cranberry vine is exceedingly hardy, and will live, in its proper soil, under treatment that would be fatal to almost any other plant. We have seen vines live, transplanted even in June while in blossom, and in July with berries on them. Indeed, some growers being late in making their ground ready, have put out many acres of vines during these months ; but, in most cases, it is very unwise to do so, since more or less of the plants will perish from ex- posure to the scorching suns of midsummer, or from being put on ground deficient in moisture, while those surviving make little or no growth until the next year. PLANTING THE VINES. 51 Fall planting is recommencled by some, but this season of the year is no better than early spring. Those, how- ever, having more ground prepared than they can put out properly in the spring, will do well to plant the higlier portions of the meadow in autumn, being careful to avoid any low places containing clear muck, the freezing and thawing of -which would heave out the young vines. The best mode of planting cranberry vines is a point upon which " doctors disagree ;" therefore, to enable each one to select for himself, we will describe the various methods in use, and call attention to those which have answered us best. 1st. Sod Planting consisted in taking, from their na- tive marshes, sods containing cranberry vines, moss, turf, etc., and depositing them at regular or irregular distances upon the prepared or unprepared meadow, as the case might be. If the meadow was prepared, holes were made to receive the sods ; if not, they were simply thrown upon the surface, among the grass, etc., and left to take their chances. This was one of the earliest plans, originating, perhaps, from a desire not to disturb the roots of the plant ; but there being many and serious objections to this method, it has long since been discarded. 2d. Hill Planting was an improvement upon the sod system in one respect; viz., bunches of clean vines were used, free from the roots of other plants. The ground was marked out in drills about two feet apart each way, and a handful of vines planted at each intersection; but large bunches of vines have a tendency to dry up and become woody, thus seriously injuring the plantation. This difficulty induced some cultivators to adopt the ex- pedient of planting in funnel-shaped holes, made by rota- ting a sharp stick or dibble ; the vines are placed in these holes, and scattered around so that, when the center is filled with sand, they will be spread out, pointing in all 52 CRANBERRY CULTURE. directions (see fig. 1 9) ; dead bunches are tlius avoided ; but this plan is not generally adopted, it being more ex- pensive and less satisfactory than some others. 3d. Planting in Drills. — Upon all soils which require no sanding, but are susceptible of being prepared with Fig. 19.— PLANTING IN HILLS. the plow, the best method is to " strike out " the ground with a plow in rows, three feet apart, and scatter the vines thinly, but evenly, along the farrow, putting only one or two in a j^lace. They should be leaned up against the " land side," projecting four or five inches above the surface, after which the hoe is required to fill up the fur- row, and thoroughly cover the roots. (See fig. 20.) Care should be taken to pull a portion of sand upon the vines, in order to bend them down upon the surface, as shown in fig. 21. This causes them to sucker up and grow more luxuri- PLxVNTING THE VINES. 53 antiy tban wben left standing upright, to be swayed by the winds. The labor of planting vines is generally performed by women ; one, taking a bmidle under her arm, drops the Fig. 20.— PLANTING IN DRILLS. vines in the drills, while another follow^s after her with a hoe. The average price paid the women is 75 cents each per day ; the whole cost of making the furrows, dropping and covering the vines, amounts to about |8 per acre. In striking out cranbcriy ground with a plow, it is im- li.UlLU lUililON OF VINES. portant to have the land sides of the furrow as nearly as j)0ssible the same way ; and this may be done by going down one side of the meadow and up the other, or by 64 CRANBERRY CULTURE. striking it out in " lands," letting the plow rnn out at the ends. The object in doing this is to obtain a uniform distance between the rows. If the furrows were made in the same manner as for corn or potatoes, and the vines dropped on the land side, the work, when finished, would look very irregular, pre- Fig. 23.— INCORRECTLY PLANTED. senting an appearance somewhat like that represented in fig. 22. When correctlv planted, the vines appear as in fig. 23. The quantity of vines required to plant an acre is ten barrels, the cost at present being $3 per barrel. If sent to a distance, the expense of freight and barrels would be additional. Upon soils disposed to become foul with grass, more vines are necessary, because they have the weeds and grass to contend with ; and the greater their numbers, the more complete will be their victory. But if more than ten barrels per acre are needed, they should be put on by diminishing the distance between Fig. 23.— CORKECTLT PLAN TED. the rows, and not by increasing the number of vines in a place, as the plants die if crowded. It is best, in most cases, to use a moderate supply of vines for planting ; they then form a new and even mat over the ground. When they are placed in rows, although the interme- diate spaces may become entirely matted, the rows will remain visible, and serve as valuable guides to the pick- ers, each one taking the space between two of them. 4th. Planting by Pressure is, perhaps, the best mode of putting out vines upon all soils, prepared by spreading PLANTING THE VINES. 55 sand over muck. This is accomplished by first marking out the ground, fourteen inches aj^art, with a small sled, having three runners ; the vines are then dropped on these marks, about two in a place, and fourteen inches apart, and pressed into the ground wnth a spade-like tool, placed on the vines about one-fourth the distance from root to top. We have used a forked stick for the same purpose ; but the blade is an improvement, it being more easily forced into the soil, and when removed, it leaves no hole around the plants to dry their roots. It is important that the vines should be pressed in at an inclination, thus Fig. 24. — PLANTING BY PRESSURE. bringing the tops near the ground, and causing them to sucker up better than when pressed down perpendicularly, for the reason previously given in drill planting. Figure 24 shows this mannfer of planting. The roots of the vines should be brought into close proximity with the muck below^, that they may be stimulated to grow more rapidly. Women may be allowed to drop vines in this way, but they should never be chosen for pressing them into the ground. As a leaning posture is required, their skirts have a tendency to drag the vines out of place and waste them. Covering the vines with sand was tried, a few years since, by Theodore Budd, an enterprising cranberry 56 CKANBEEKY CULTURE. grower, of Burlington Co., New Jersey. He first spread the vines evenly over the surface of the meadow, and then entirely covered them with sand — putting it on about one inch thick. The young shoots came up through this cov- ering as thick as wheat, and made an excellent growth, quickly matting the whole surface. This method requires more vines than the two last named, but by adopting it, a crop will be produced sooner than by planting in any other way. The vines must not be spread far ahead of the men who are covering them, lest they be injured by the sun and wind, although they wdll endure as much exposure as most hardy plants. Sowing Cuttings may be done successfully, a fict which goes far toward establishing a reputation of hardi- ness for the cranberry vine. The vines are passed through a straw-cutter, and chopped in pieces about one inch long ; they are then sown like oats, upon an evenly pre- pared surface, and harrowed in. It is essential that this be done very early in the sj^ring, and upon moist land, so as «to enable the cuttings to become well rooted before the heats of summer. A patch put out in this way may be seen on the grounds of Shinn & Allston, near Turkey- town, N. J., in a thriving condition, but this system is not recommended for general culture. Great care should be taken, in selecting the vines, to procure those which yield large berries ; the shape of the fruit is of little consequence ; the great desideratum being, as previously stated, to obtain berries of ffood size and color. As it is impossible to judge from the appearance of a cranberry vine what shape or size its fruit will be, it is best either to become acquainted with the quality of the vines before using them, or to purchase them of reliable parties. Even with these precautions it would be diffi- cult to obtain a large lot of vines, producing berries of a MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 57 uniform sbaj^e or size ; but a good class of vines may be supplied in large quantities from many well established cultivated meadows in New Jersey. More care is needed among cultivators of the cranberry in propagating valuable varieties. There is no reason why we should not have a " Triumph of America," or an- " Early Wilson " among cranberries as well as among strawberries or blackberries. Large red cranberries are certainly the most valued in the city markets, and by planting this variety only, upon our meadows, the profits might be increased. But it must be admitted by all, that successful cranberry culture depends not so much upon the variety of vines as upon the soil in which they are planted, and the manage- ment afterward. Attem^^ts have been made to grow them from the seed ; but owing to the longer time required for the vines to be- come profitable, and the increased expense of keeping them clean, this system has been abandoned for general culture. New seedling varieties may be obtained by planting the seeds, near the surface, in a soil composed of three parts sand and one part muck. This should be in a warm situation, and kept always slightly moist while the plants are young. CHAPTER yi. MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. After the vines are properly set out, the next considera- tion is to get them matted over the ground as quickly as possible, in order that they may yield a full crop, and re- ward the grower for the labor and care bestowed upon them. Indeed, it is no uncommon thing for the first full 3* 58 CRANBEREY CULTURE. crop of cranberries to pay for all the expense of j)urchas- ing, preparing, and setting out the land. But, until the vines are matted, one very important rule must be observed, viz : Keep the Tneadoxo thoroughly drained^ at least one foot below the surface. It will generally be found necessary to go deeper than that to effect a thorough drainage^ without which the vines will not thrive, even if planted on ground well adapted to their growth. By allowing the meadow to remain very wet, the vines may be almost prevented from growing at all. When properly drained, a good meadow will become matted in three years, although some of the most perma- nent plantations have required a longer time to come into full bearing, owing to the dampness of the soil. For two or three years after putting out the vines, it is best to keep the ground free from grass and weeds, that the plants may have undisputed possession. During the first year a hoe may be used ; but afterward, the grass must be pulled by hand, or taken out with a trowel, to avoid loosening the runners which are rooted in the soil. This weeding by hand, may sound like a very formidable undertaking, but generally it is not, since the turf has been all removed, and poor sand is not very encouraging to the development of plant life. It should be done in August, before the weeds go to seed. For two years past, it has cost only |2.50 an acre per annum, to clean " our 20-acre meadow," and next season the expense will not be so great, as the vines are becom- ing well matted over the ground. Some growers assert that it is not necessary to dig up rushes, claiming that the vines will, in time, root them out, provided they are mowed off every season, to prevent the formation of seeds. Experience has taught us that it does not pay to remove the " Double-seeded Millet " from newly prepared bogs. This (fig. 25) is an annual, producing seed under ground MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 59 Fiff. 25.— DOUBLE-SEEDED Mih-LET.—{Amphicarpu}n PiasJiii.) 60 CKANBERRY CULTURE. as well as above. It makes its appearance on savannas and heath ponds directly after the ground is broken, al- though, perhaps, not a specimen was visible before. Dur- ing the first year its growth is vigorous, and somewhat alarming ; the next, it comes np from the seeds again, but does not grow so luxuriantly ; and the third season, al- though the seeds germinate, the plants have a sickly, yel- low api^earance, and most of them fail to perfect their fruit ; after this they almost entirely disappear. In alluding to cranberry meadows, Dr. J. Gibbons Hunt, a well-known naturalist of Philadelphia, says : " A very curious grass comes up in these bogs after the turf has been removed. It has tufted, flat, lanceolate leaves, cloth- ed with bristly hairs. It flowers both above and under the ground. Botanists call it Millet-grass, or Amphicarpum Purshii. The aerial flower is borne on a loose branching panicle, with fruit rarely ripening. Below the soil subterra- nean peduncles branch ofi* from the roots, bearing on their ends perfect, solitary flowers, which are followed by ma- ture fruit. Thus a double life seems to be given to this humble grass, and, for a weary time, like Patience herself, it has been waiting and flowering beneath the turf, plant- ing its unseen and unsunned seeds, until man should come and bid it cover the sod to feed his flocks. How wonder- fully are the bogs of this life, too, prepared for a higher culture by the little seeds of truth and love which have lain subterranean for so long a time, until turfed and drained by the Divine husbandman." The millet does but little injury to the vines, as it gradu- ally decreases as they increase and have need for the ground. Large sums of money, perhaps thousands of dol- lars, have been unnecessarily expended in removing this grass from cranberry meadows. Mill-pond bottoms sometimes become very grassy after the cranberry vines are planted, yielding, occasionally, a ton of hay per acre, and presenting an appearance rather MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 61 discouraging to the novice ; he should not despair if the vines are on a situation adapted to them ; the grass may be overcome without hand pulling, by simply mowing it off in summer, to prevent its going to seed, and then keeping the water up late in the spring — say until about the first of June. This late flooding is quite destructive to the grass, without being injurious to the young vines, which start off vigorously when the pond is drained, and make good use of the advantage they have gained. Joseph Hinchman succeeded in subduing the grass upon his most valuable meadow by summer mowing and late spring flooding. Thorough drainage is required to obtain a growth of vines ; but after the mat is completed, there are certain times when considerable moisture is necessary to insure a good crop ; for instance, during a season like that of 18C9, when a drouth, occurring in June, blasted fifty per cent of the blossoms upon most plantations ; on meadows naturally moist, and on those which were irrigated by raising the water in numerous ditches, the loss was much less. Again, there are other advantages in having a moist surface (not surface water), while the fruit is grow- ing ; viz : it causes the late formed berries, of which there are always more or less, to grow up to the full size, when, without moisture, they would come to naught ; and it also checks the ravages of the fruit worm. But where irrigation is resorted to, care must be taken to lower the water in the ditches by the middle of August, that the vines may be enabled to make a good fall growth. If this is not done, the crop of the coming year may be seriously damaged. The fruit-buds are formed in the fall, and are visible at the ends of the new growth on the upright branches. The Management or Improvement of Natural Bogs is worthy of our consideration. James A. Fenwick, 62 CKANBERPwY CULTURE. one of the most successful operators upon natural bogs in New Jersey, says: "They must be drained gradu- ally and carefully at first, to enable the vines to settle by degrees, and become well established upon a firm founda- tion." As before stated, cranberry vines, in their normal con- dition, frequently grow among sphagnum moss, some distance above the solid muck ; and when this moss is suddenly made dry by ditching, the vines are liable to perish before they become rooted in the muck. Hence the necessity of draining carefully at first, although, in time, the bog may be completely drained. Where sand is accessible, under a natural meadow, the vines may be greatly improved by digging trenches two rods apart, and spreading the sand among the grass and vines. Even muck, taken from trenches where sand could not be reached, and spread over the surface, has benefited vines growing on muck bottoms. J. A. Fen wick states that, from $100 spent in trenching and sanding natural vines, he was benefited to the amount of $1,000. Natural meadows require flooding every winter as well as those under cultivation. Fertilizers. Many attempts have been made to increase the growth of the cranberry vine by using fertilizers ; but, as yet, nothing has been found so good, in all respects, as swamp muck. All tJie necessary elements, excepting those obtained from air and water, are contained in sand and muck, and, as previously stated, the proper soil is a mixture of the two. If muck is in excess, it should be diluted with sand; and if sand is overabundant, it may be enriched with muck. Even after the vines have been planted upon poor soil, a top-dressing of muck will greatly improve them. MANAGEMENT OF MEADOWS. 63 Peruvian guano causes a wonderful growth of vines, and, in some cases, might prove beneficial if apxDlied with care, but little guano being required. Ashes, provided they are spread on the ground before plowing, may be profitably used where muck is deficient. Lime, marl, and stable manure might improve tlie vines, but, since they have a tendency to bring in weeds and grass, we would not recommend their use. Mud deposits, formed by the washing of rich uplands, are so productive of grass, etc., that successful cranberry culture upon them would be exceedingly uncertain, such is the character of many of our river marshes and mead- ows, subject to tidal influence ; and it is very doubtful whether sufficient drainage to grow cranberries could be obtained by diking, ditching, and building sluice gates, as is done in reclaiming grass lands. Flooding might be resorted to under such circumstances for subduing the grass, but these situations are not con- sidered desirable, and the chances of success would not warrant one in spending large sums of money upon them without first testing the ground in a small way. Unlike most other agricultural productions, cranberry vines, growing upon land adapted to them, require no expenditures for manure or tilling to keep them in good condition. When once established, they will last for years, yielding good returns as regularly as ordinary farm crops. These facts, in connection with the high price of the fruit, render cranberry culture a most remunerative busi- ness. It requires a very considerable .expenditure of labor and money to start the business, and after that, much pa- tience to reap the reward ; but when once a good meadow comes into bearing, he who owns it may congratulate himself upon possessing something that is pleasant to look after, and that is profitable withal. 64 CRANBERllY CULTURE. CHAPTER yil. FLOODING. It is now admitted by all, that winter flooding is desira- ble, and, in most cases, essential to successful cranberry culture, although some j^lantations have been remunera- tive without it. Flooding is necessary to insure perma- nence to the vines, and protection against the ravages of insects. Savannas are generally looked upon as being less per- manent than swamp bottoms ; but we know of no instance of vines " running out," even on savannas where winter flooding has been resorted to ; on the contrary, worn out meadows have been renewed by building dams about them, and raising the water to cover the A^nes during winter and early spring. Flooding not only prevents injury from the cold blasts of winter, and destroys insects and their eggs, but the water has also an important fertilizing efiect, which is particularly valuable if the plantation is deficient in muck. Streams flowing through cedar swamps, or rich muck bottoms, become freighted with minute particles of vegetable matter, which gradually settle to the bottom of the pond, and form a fine top-dressing for the vines. Young plantations should not be flooded until the third winter after planting, unless the vines are infested with worms, or the ground is disposed to heave the roots out while freezing and thawing, which it will assuredly do if the soil is composed of clear muck, or a portion of the oxide of iron. The object, in not covering young vines with water, being to avoid any unnecessary packing of the soil, and also to allow them to commence growing as early as possible in the spring. Some difference of opinion exists as to the proper time FLOODING. 65 for submerging cranberry meadows in the fall, some as- serting that it may be done any time after picking the fruit. This, however, is an error ; for the reason that the vines are known to make a very considerable growth after the first frost, and the berries should be gathered, if possible, before frost. It is a safe rule to raise the water as soon as the tem- perature becomes sufficiently low to stop vegetation. The time will be indicated by the vines commencing to assume a dull red appearance. The water should be kept up all winter, and not let off until, say, the 20th of April or 1st of May in New Jersey, and the 20th of May, or 1st of June, in the latitude of Massachusetts. It is not safe to keep the water on savannas in New Jersey later than the 1st of May, as it would retard the growth, and render the blossoms and newly formed ber- •ries liable to be injured by the hot sun or drouths in the latter part of June or first of July. Springy bottoms, which are always moist during the dryest seasons, may safely be flooded until the 10th or even the 15th of May without injury to the crop, be- cause there will be sufficient moisture in the soil to perfect all the late and small berries. Flooding to destroy insects, etc., is alluded to in the chapter devoted to Enemies and Difficulties. In order to flood a meadow effectually, it is necessary to construct a substantial dam across the lower end of it, and, in doing this, no pains should be spared to render the barrier reliable and permanent. It is false economy to carelessly throw up an embank- ment, with turf or muck under it, leaving roots or brush scattered through the sand, and expect it to hold a liquid which is always striving to obey the one great law of its nature ; viz., to seek a level. Turf fences or muck will not answer the purpose ; the only dam for a cranberry 63 CKAXBEKRY CULTURE. meadow that may be depended upon, is one constructed of clean sand, free from roots, or pieces of turf, and built upon the solid sand or loam, as the case may be. If it be desired to build a dam across a meadow con- taining muck six feet in depth, dig a road entirely through the muck, and lay the dam upon a sure foundation, or it will not stand the test. Before comniencing the dam, learn where you want it, and then how large the flood will require it to be. Its locality must depend upon circumstances ; its dimensions upon the height of water required to flood the meadow. To determine this last point, level the ground with a theodolite, if one is at hand ; if not, take an ordinary ^-'.'UA^ Fiir. 26. — LEVELLING. spirit-level and two boards, and proceed to the lowest spot along the line of the proposed dam ; there drive the boards perpendicularly into the earth, eighteen inches apart, and rest the spirit-level on top of them, pointing to the highest knoll you intend covering with water. Bring it to a level by tapping on top of the highest board. Then send your assistant to the knoll, with instructions to erect a pole, and move a white target up or down it, as you direct him, by the motion of your hand. By sighting along the top of the spirit-level you will be enabled to judge when the target is level with your eye. Having established this point on the pole — by a pencil mark — the difi"erence in the height of the two positions may be ascertained by subtracting the height of the mark FLOODING. 67 on the pole from the height of the spirit-level above the surf ice of the ground. By way of illustration, let the mark, A, (fig. 26) be one foot high, and the top of the level, B, be three feet above the ground, C. Then will BC^less AD, equal two feet. And it will require a dam two feet high, erected at the point, C, to raise water to the top of the knoll, D. Having thus determined the greatest depth of the re- quired pond, build your dam accordingly, making it fully as thick as the water will be deep ; for instance, if it is found that a '' head " of six feet will be required, dig a Sanr:' I FU . — A DAM PROTECTED BY TUKF. ditch, six feet wide, entirely through the much^ and fill it up with clean sand for the foundation of the dam. On each side of this foundation erect a substantial turf wall, six feet thick, to support and protect the true dam, which is afterward made by filling up and packing with sand the space between the walls. The dam should be made somewhat higher than it would generally be required, to prevent freshets from overflowing and washing it away. Fig. 27 represents a dam such as we have described. The object of having turf on each side is not to hold water, but to economize the sand by supporting it just 68 CEANBEKIIY CULTURE. where it is needed, and also to protect tlie dam from the rippling water, which otherwise would undermine and wash it down. The dimensions given for the dam may seem large, but if you attempt to construct one upon the muck, or make the width of the dam less than the required depth of the water, or the protecting walls narrower than the bank of sand, thinking, thereby, to save expense, you may be sadly disappointed. " A thing worth doing at all is worth doing well," is an old saying, and it is jiarticularly applicable to the building of dams ; for the water will be sure to attack the embankment in the weakest place, and a small leak will drain a great pond. A dam was once constructed in the manner described, excepting that the turf walls were about half ^^ thick as the embankment of sand. The result was, upon raising the water, the sand settled down, and forced the walls asunder, threatening to " let all the mighty waters out," which, no doubt, would have been the consequence, had not one of the proprietors adopted the expedient of driv- ing down large stakes on each side of the dam, and con- necting them with stout wires, thus sustaining the walls, and preventing them from separating further. A dam near Tom's River, IST. J., built at a cost of $6,000, to flood a meadow containing three hundred acres, broke recently, because of a weakness under the floodgates. The massive gates and a portion of the dam were carried away, which, in connection with having the water drained off* in midwinter, has damaged the owner to the amount of about $2,000, besides doing considerable injury to land and mill owners located on the stream below. Floodgates are necessary in all dams of any considera- ble size, in order to regulate the depth of water in the pond ; but for savannas or heath ponds, where the sup- FLOODING. 69 ply of water is dependent upon rains, tlie damming of a ditch, or filling up with sand, a small cut in the embank- ment will frequently be found sufficient. For a small stream, and low head, floodgates may be constructed in summer by any ordinary workman, as fol- lows : Select cedar, or other lasting timber, (as the water will be drawn off in warm weather, thus leaving tlic wood-work in the most favorable condition for decay) and drive down thick planks on each side of the ditch, with their broadsides towards the outlet, for posts. Then fix a plank, ten or twelve inches wide, in the bottom of the ditch, to serve as a mud-sill, and nail it firmly to the posts, letting it extend five or six feet beyond them, to form a portion of the wings. These wings are afterward FLOODGATE. boarded up along the dam, on each side of the gates, and a sheeting is constructed, reaching entirely through the dam, to convey the water off. (See fig. 28.) The corners between the wings and sheeting, as well as the space under the floodgates, should be filled up with clean sand. Boards, sliding in grooves above the mud-sill, are employed to raise or lower the head of water. In large rapid streams, or with high heads, floodgates made in this way would not be efficient. For these, plank, driven down in front of the mud-sill, is the only sure method of preventing the water from flowing under the gate. Preparations for cranberry culture have become so ex- 70 CEANBEERY CULTURE. tensive of late, that it has frequently been found neces- sary to construct massive dams of eartli, similar to those used for mill-ponds ; and where the surface to be covered is very large, it is better to incur this expense than to leave the vines uncovered in winter. Where a small head of water, say about one foot only is required, the dam may be made by throwing up against the turf fence an embankment of sand, and sodding the Fis:. 29. — EMBANKMENT SUPPORTED BY A TURF FENCE, face of it with turf, to prevent its being washed down. (See %. 29.) A dam of this character may be seen at our twenty- acre meadow, near Nevv^ Lisbon, rendering efficient ser- vice where a head of two feet is required. The same rule applies to this as to other barriers for holding water, viz. : No muck should be used in its con- struction, and, if possible, allow it to settle thoroughly before raising a permanent head. ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. 71 CHAPTER VIII. ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. There are numerous obstacles in tlie path of the cran- berry culturist — obstacles which frequently baffled the efforts of early growers, and disappointed their brightest anticipations. But, happily for us, the enemies have all been met, and most of them subdued, but " still they come ;" we may defeat them this year, and they will meet us next. The fight is perpetual, and our only hope of gaining the victory, year by year, lies in keeping well guarded, and diligently using the means of defence that have been put into our hands. Fruit Worm. Soon after the hopeful cultivator has established his plantation, and while he is anxiously watching its first fruits, he observes some of the berries prematurely turn- ing red, shriveling, and, before picking time, entirely dry- ing up. This destruction is caused by the fruit loorni. This larva bears a striking resemblance to the ordinary apple worm, and, like that, is lazy and sluggish in its habits. We have reason to believe that the perfect insect lays its eggs under the tender skin of the newly- formed berry. This egg is hatched by heat, and the young grub eats its way into the heart of the fruit, caus- ing certain destruction. It has been asserted by some cultivators that one worm will destroy one berry only ; but this is a mistake ; the same worm will frequently de- stroy at least two. This is fully established by the fact that two berries may be found witli a hole passing di- rectly from one to the other, at tlie point where they come in contact — one being red, and the other fresh and 72 CRANBERRY CULTURE. green, with a nearly full-grown worm in it ; as further evidence, we may state that worms have been discovered on the passage from one berry to another. This premature coloring of the berry — the effect of the fruit worm — has been observed in New Jersey as early as Fig. 30.— WORK OF THE FllUIT WORM. the 10th of July, on the dryest meadows, and later on those that are moist. Its ravages continue until the 1st of September, after which the remains of the fruit are visible in the form of dry, hollow shells, from which the worms have disappeared. These shells may be counted upon a small space, and the damage ascertained by pro- portioning them to the amount remaining sound. In dry ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVERCdME. 73 seasons, the loss resulting from the fruit worm frequently amounts to one-half of tlie berries formed ; and, in some cases, it has been so great as to leave only one-tenth of the fruit to come to perfection. The work of the Fruit- worm is illustrated in figure 30. The defense employed against this voracious worm consists in keeping the surface of the meadow moist^ from the formation of the fruit until toward the middle of August ; if it is not so naturally, resort to irrigation. The effect of moisture at this time seems to be to keep the bottom cool, and thereby to prevent the hatching of the worm — after the same manner that weevils are avoided, by allowing the grain to become fully ripe before it is gathered into barns ; thus preventing its heating in bulk, and hatching the weevils. James A. Fenwick says : " I have observed natural patches, a rod or two wide, sloping to a stream, where, next the stream, not a berry would be injured, while on the dryer j^art three-fourths Avere destroyed — this destruc- tion reaching nearer the stream in proportion as the sea- son was dry or wet. It is natural to infer that the o,^^ is laid in the berry ; and on the moist land the tempera- ture is not sufiiciently high to hatch it, while on dry ground it is." Mr. Fish observes : " When fully grown, the worms enter the ground and spin their cocoons within a few inches of the surface. The cocoons are covered with grains of sand, and are hardly distinguishable from small lumps of earth. They remain in the ground all winter. I do not positively know the perfect insect, as I have never been able to rear it in-doors. In the spring of 1867 I bred two species of Ichneumons from these co- coons that had remained in the house over winter." 74 cranbeeey culture. Vine Worm, There is another species of larva which feeds upon the leaf of the cranberry vine, and, when uncontrolled, works early destruction upon the whole plantation ; spinning Fig. 31.— VINE -WOEM AND ITS WORK. a, Larva ; 6, Moth, natural size ; c, do., magnified. its web around the leaves and upright branches, it binds them together, and destroys them. This larva looks very much like the fruit worm in size and color, excepting that ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. 75 its head is darker, and its body more hairy. Figure 31 shows the larva and perfect insect of the Vine worm, and the appearance of the vines after its attacks. eTames A. Fenwick, speaking of the vine worm, says : " It feeds on the under side of the leaf, leaving nothing but the veins, and increases rapidly to a countless multi- tude, causing the meadow infested by them to appear as if scorched by fire ; hence their name, ' fire worm.' Upon observing a meadow infested by them in April, I found the worms feeding upon the leaves, and partially sur- rounded with webs. In June I noticed they had webs enclosing clusters of vines (ignorant persons thinking them spider webs), apparently for shelter from the weather. Upon app)roaching them with a heavy tread, the w^orms suddenly disappeared, dropping to the ground ; but, stepping noiselessly, and touching the webs, the worms would drop into my hand, making, at the same time, vigorous efforts to escape. By the close of July not a worm could be seen, but the webs remained; doubtless the worms had enclosed themselves in cocoons. In August, the millers arose in numbers around my feet, taking short flights, and again settling upon the ground ; by September these had disappeared, and the worms had increased a hundred-fold; evidently showing that two generations of these insects were hatched in one season." In Packard's Guide to the Study of Insects may be found the following minute description of the vine worm, and the moth, of which it is the larva : " Mr. Fish has discovered an undescribed species of Anchylopera, which feeds in the cranberry, and which we may call the Cran- berry Anchylopera {A. vacciniana). The moth is dark ash, the fore-wings being whitish, dusted with brown and reddish scales, with white, narrow bands on the costa, al- ternating with broader yellowish-brown bands, five of which are several times larger than the others, and from four of them regular indistinct lines cross the wing. The 76 CllANBERilY CULTURE. first line is situated just beyond the inner third of the Aving, and is often obsolete. The second line is the largest, and is slightly bent over once in the middle of the wing. There is a large brown spot parallel to the costa, being situated on the angle. The third line is oblique, and slopes before reaching the inner angle, and is forked on the costa, while the fourth line is a short, apical, diifuse, irregular line. The apex of the wing is dark brown, and is a little more acute than usual in the genus. The length of a fore-wing is the twentieth of an inch. It lays its eggs on the leaves during the month of August, and a new brood of larvae appears in September, though they hatch mostly in the following spring, or early in June, and become fully grown in July. " The larva, seen from above, is much like that of Loxotmnia rosaceana, but the head is a little larger in proportion to the rest of the body, being as wide as the body in its thickest part The body is more hairy, while the j^rothorax is not dark. The chrysalis is rather slender, the body being contracted at the base of the abdomen, on the rings of which there are dorsal rows of fine spines. " Mr. Fish writes me that these larvae, calted the Cran- berry Yine Worms, hatch about the first of June from eggs that have remained upon the leaves of the jilant all winter. They commence to feed upon the tender grow- ing shoots of the plant, drawing the leaves together with their web for shelter, concealing themselves, and feeding within. Before reaching their full size, they, if very numerous, almost wholly destroy the leaves and tender shoots, giving the whole bog a dark, dry appearance, as though a fire had been over it. This is why they are, in some places, known as ' fire worms.' Having reached their full size, they spin up among the leaves, or among the dead leaves upon the ground. After remaining in the pupa state about ten or thirteen days, the moths come out, and deposit their eggs upon the leaves. ENEMIES AND UIP'FICULTIES OVERCOME. 77 " This year (1868) the moths were out the last of June and first of July. In five or six days the eggs hatched, and this second brood, which is usually the most destruc- tive, mostly changed to pupa on the 20th of July. On the 26th of July the first moth came out, and most were out before the 4th of Auo-ust. Most of the eix^s laid in August do not hatch until the following spring. I did succeed in finding two or three larvos in Sej^tember, but they were rare at that time." In New Jersey, the larva? are quite common during the month of September, and may frequently be found in October. We are disposed to believe that many of them live through the winter in sheltered places, securely wrapped in their webs. Turf fences, and densely matted vines, not flooded, affording them a safe asylum. This opinion is confirmed by the fact that large-sized larva? may be found early in the spring ; and also from our hav- ing kept a worm in a cold room until March, with every indication of its living until May. The cranberry was not the principal food of the vine worm until it was brought under cultivation ; while growing naturally in bogs and swamps, where it was liable to be flooded during the winter and early spring, it was not well adapted to their requirements. The worm had made its home among the Fenther-leaf {Cassandra calyculata) and Low-bush Huckleberry, until the days of cranberry culture, when it descended upon the new plantations, and threatened, for a time, their entire de- struction. But Yankee enterprise came to the rescue, the meadows were flooded^ and the worms defeated. By some it is supposed tliat there are four generations of these pests in one season ; however this may be, by destroying them once a year, they will be rendered almost harmless. To work their destruction, keep the meadow flooded until the 10th of May, in New Jersey, and until near the 1st of June, in Massachusetts; or, cover the 78 CEANBERKY CULTURE. vines with water just before they blossom^ while the fruit- buds are showing plainly, and hold it on for twenty-four hours^ but no longer, as the water injures the crop of fruit if left on too long while the vines are in this state. The latter expedient can only be resorted to when a copi- ous stream is at hand. Plantations that have, to all appearances, become worth- less by the ravages of the fire worm, may be restored by flooding. This was illustrated on the " Willow Farm," near Medford, N. J. Upon this tract osier willows had been planted among the cranberry vines, with the object of obtaining a double crop. But, like one who aims too high, and hits nothing, this planter lost both basket ma- terial and cranberries ; for the worms, attacking the wil- lows, soon spread over the vines beneath, and spoiled all. The meadow remained in an unprofitable condition for several years, when, as a last resort, dams were construct- ed at considerable expense, and a head of water raised, which resulted in exterminating the worms, and shortly after (in 1867) a crop averaging one hundred bushels per acre Avas produced. This was quite a recommendation for the farm, and enabled the owner to dispose of it to good advantage. The next year a light crop was general throughout New Jersey, and the Willow Farm w^as not an exception ; but, in 1869, it again yielded handsome re- turns, and now no danger is apprehended from the " fire worm." In locations where water cannot be commanded for winter flooding, other means must be adopted to destroy these insects. Professor Agassiz recommends building fires at night around the meadow, while the moths are in existence. The dazzling light attracts them, and many fall victims to the devouring flames. The same principle is sometimes applied more efiectu- ally in the following manner, viz. : a large ball of cotton is tightly wrapped in fine wire, and saturated with kero- ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. 79 sene ; it is then supported by wire over the middle of a cheese-box lid, for instance, with a handle attached, the lid being covered inside and out with fresh tar. Several men, armed with these weapons of offence, proceed to the meadow at night, and, with their lamps lighted, march over the vines within touching distance of each other, all the while moving their lights from side to side. The ef- fect is to stir up the moths, which become scorched in the flames, or entrapped by the tar. Geasshoppees and Crickets. Grasshoppers and crickets sometimes commit serious depredations upon the growing fruit. When very numer- ous, they have been known to destroy one hundred bush- els of cranberries per acre. They do the damage by eating a small portion from the side of the fruit, thus causing it to shrivel, until nothing but a dry shell remains. These are easily distinguished from the hollow shells left by the fruit worm. Grasshoppers are most abundant upon meadows containing a large amount of grass ; while crickets prefer to work near turf fences, or on some locali- ty which affords them a good hiding-place. These facts offer strong inducements for having' cranberry meadows thoroughly cleaned, i. e., free from grasses, brush, etc. It has been asserted that flooding will dispose of them ; but as the season for their depredations, viz., during July and August, is hot, this would be attended with great risk of ruining the whole crop by scalding. The destructive visits of grasshoppers and crickets have not been very common to cranberry growers, and many have rested in the belief that, when they did come, all that was neces- sary was to raise the water, then hoist the gates, and let them float down stream. But this will not answer, for the reason that every recruit in that vast army has nimble legs which render him quite competent to "paddle his own 80 CRANBEKKY CULTURE, canoe." This water-cure was fully tested near Medford, a few years since, where an eye witness avers that he saw one specimen out beyond his depth actively engaged in teaching diving-school. It is believed that deep flooding in winter, and clean cul- ture, are the surest means of avoiding the depredations of both crickets and grasshoppers. Musk-rats ais^d Mice. Among the enemies of cranberry culturists may be numbered musk-rats and mice. The former sometimes in- jure the crop by crawling over the blossoms and fruit, and also in boring through dams and letting off the w^ater at unseasonable times. The latter are addicted to the wasteful habit of eating the seeds, from the berries, both before and after picking, and leaving the remainder entirely w^orthless. Whole handfuls, treated in this way, may be found at times during picking season. The only remedy for these evils seems to be to trap the vermin. Frosts. Frosts occurring late in spring, or early in autumn, are seriously apprehended by the grower. If they come towards the last of May, or first of June, the fruit-buds are liable to be destroyed ; and if during September, or while the berries are white and unripe, the effect is to soften and spoil them. The damaging results of spring frosts are avoided by flooding sufliciently late to destroy the vine worm. This retards the growth of the vines, and buds are not formed until after the danger is past. Care must be taken, how- ever, not to retard the crop too much, lest it be overtaken by frost in the fall. ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVEKCOME. 81 Upon some meadows, the fruit-buds in spring, or unripe berries in autumn, are destroyed by frost, while others in the same neighborhood escape uninjured. Natural bogs are more apt to suffer from this cause than those which have been sanded. This is partially owing to the dense covering of sphagnum, bushes, etc., keeping the swamp from becoming warmed during the day. In all cases where the soil is barren, deprived of vegetable growths, stony, or sandy, it becomes far hotter by the absorption of the sun's rays, and hence less liable to frosts than one that is covered with plants ; for instance, in the deserts of Africa, the heat of the sand often amounts to from 122"^ to 140° F., while upon the oases, where the surface is clothed in verdure, the temperature of the soil is always lower. Plants cool much more rapidly by nocturnal radiation than the earth, and this fact, in connection with their being at a lower temperature at sundown, is sufficient to explain why frost is deposited sooner upon vines growing among mosses and grass than it is upon those cultivated upon beds of sand. But even when the temperature is sufficiently low to produce frost on cultivated meadows, the berries some- times escape without injury. It is a peculiarity of frost that, w^hen removed gradu- ally, it loses its power to destroy. Even tender garden plants, when frosted, may sometimes be saved by throw- ing cold water on them early in the morning. When frost forms on vines in a swamp, it remains until the rising sun dispels it rapidly, thus causing destruction among the tender buds and green berries, while upon some cultivated meadows, when a slight frost forms dur- ing the night, the sand, by reason of its conducting power, thaws it gradually, without any injury resulting there- from. James A. Fen wick observes that "cranberries suffer 4* 82 CRANBEKllY CLLTUKE. much more from early frosts during drouths than when meadows are moist, particularly if they are covered with old vines and dry grass ; these being non-conductors, the frost remains longer in the morning ; and when the direct rays of the sun fall upon the vines, the thawing is sudden, and the fruit is softened." He says, further : " I have ob- served the effect of frost upon bogs during drouths, when all the berries appeared the same before sunrise, but before noon, those growing on old, thick vines,^ among grass, were softened, while on sanded surfaces they escaped. Berries, on a strip where the vines (in a natural bog) had been covered Avith sand, thrown from a ditch, being firm and hard, while on both sides of this strip they were softened." Excessive Heat. AYhen berries begin to change from green to white, a temperature of 85°, F., will soften many of them. This fact will cause the culture of cranberries to be confined to a line a little south of New Jersey, as the heat of September (the ripening season) must increase to the southward, so that, although the fruit may be grown, it is likely to be of an inferior quality. During the summer of 1869, one very hot day was suf- ficient to destroy hundreds of bushels of cranberries in New Jersey. The berries, being partly cooked, remained on the vines in a soft, worthless condition, until picking time, much to the annoyance of the pickers, who were re- quired to sort them out. Scalding. Scalding is the result of a hot sun shining on the ber- ries after rain or heavy dews. The destruction of fruit from this cause is greatest upon new plantations, where much sand is exposed to the heat of the sun. When the ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. 83 vines become matted, and thoroughly shade the ground, the loss is but slight. Grass and Rushes. Grass and rushes are not the least of the difficulties to be overcome. They should be removed with a hoe the first season after planting ; but during the second and third years it will be found necessary either to hand-pull, or carefully take them up with a trowel, to avoid loosen- ing the runners. The millet-grass, being an exception, need not be dis- turbed, since it will gradually die of its own accord, and make room for the vines. (See Chapter VI.) Even rushes, it is said, if mowed twice a year, to prevent their going to seed, will give place to the vines. They fre- quently grow upon lands that are best adapted to cran- berry culture. Late flooding is also a means of destroying grass, etc. (The process is described in Chapter YI.) Moss. • The moss {Polytrlchimt commune), so prevalent upon lands containing ashes, is objectionable, in that it lifts the runners, and prevents them from rooting in the soil. We know of no better way of disposing of moss than to cover it with an inch or two of sand. This remedy may be applied even after the vines are one or two years old ; the runners should be covered, and the upright branches, if possible, left out. The vines, thus established, will j^ut forth runners, and take posses- sion of the clean surface. TIP-AVORM. There are other insects beside the vine and fruit worm, which interfere more or less with the cranberry crop, 84 CKANBEKKY CULTUP^E. which, as yet, growers have not discovered any remedy for ; of these, Z. H. Small, of Harwich, Mass., writes us : " The most destructive, and the least likely to be noticed by growers, is a very small, orange-colored insect, called the ' tip-worm,' which preys only on the newly-formed buds at the tip of the shoots. This insect is too small to be readily seen, but its presence is indicated by two leaves at the top of the shoot, standing erect, and concaved, or spoon-bowl shaped, on the inner, or bud side. It seems to do its work in the summer, while the berries are growing, and buds forming for the next year's crop. Very few yards are entirly free from this insect ; some can be found in almost any cranberry joatch, and, in a few cases, they have been known to destroy the whole crop." The tip-worm has been noticed slightly in ISTew Jersey, but most cranberry growers in this State arc unacquaint- ed with both the worm and its works. Span-Wokm. Z. H. Small also alludes to another insect, which he says is a peculiar kind of span-worm, of a dark-brown color, making its appearance in swamps, and, like the lo- custs of Egypt, leaving only destruction behind. A few patches in Massachusetts are attacked by it almost every season, but, as yet, they know nothing of its parentage nor its habits, excepting what is witnessed in its work upon the vines. It comes when the fruit is about setting, and there seems to be no way of destroying it except by raising the water, which, at that season of the year, causes the fruit to drop off. This worm is unknown among cranberrry culturists in N'ew Jersey. (See ap- pendix.) Want of Moxey. Our list of difficulties would be incomplete did we not call attention to the very serious inconvenience which PICKIXG. 85 some have experienced in obtaining money to carry out their too extensively laid plans. We therefore recommend all beginners who are likely to fall into this difficulty, to count the cost before beginning, and allov/ a sufficient margin for contingencies. It is better to complete five acres than, in clearing fifteen, to exhaust the treasury, and leave the vines unplanted. CHAPTER IX. PICKING. If you, persevering reader, have practically folloAved us through all the matter-of-fact descriptions of locating the meadow, preparing it for the vines, and bringing it into the best possible condition for future profit, you may, per- haps, by this time, have experienced some of the weariness felt by us while living for months in a log cabin, laboring to accomplish the self-imposed task of setting out thirty- two acres of cranberry meadow. If so, we trust when you come to " picking" on your own account, you will realize some of the pleasure and satisfaction incident to finding the fruit of one's own labors abundant. The picking season is a pleasant one, for several reasons, to both picker and proprietor. The weather is proverbially fine in that most delightful of all months, October, when women and children turn out in great numbers to join the " cranberry picking " frolic, with well-filled dinner baskets and happy countenances. The price for ]3icking averages about fifty cents per bushel; the hands, at this rate, making $1 per day, although a " right smart " picker can, where the berries are numer- ous, earn $2 per day. 8G CRANBEiaiY CULTURE. In New Jersey, we commence picking on savannas about the middle of September ; but on our densely mat- ted swamp lands, it is deferred until the 1st of October; the time being regulated by the coloring of the berries. The work should commence as soon as they are suffi- ciently colored to command good prices, in order that they may all be gathered before the first heavy frost, which may be looked for towards the last of October. Much care is requisite, while picking, to secure the ber- ries without bruising them. If they are poured into bags, and used for seats by the pickers, or thrown over their shoulders and carried half a mile or so, over a rough road, the loss from shrinkage and decay will be very considerable. But if the fruit is picked in peck baskets or boxes, and poured directly into the j^ackages in which they are to be shij^ped, no loss from the handling will ensue. When dead vines, grass, etc., are gathered with the fruit, they may be blown out while it is being poured into the barrel, by using a very light, movable fan (fig. 32), made to clamp the edge of the barrel, somewhat in the same manner that a clothes- wringer is fastened to the sc— PECK BOX. tub. This machine would also remove the dried or shriveled berries, and leave the fruit in a good marketable condition. The idea is for the picker to pour a peck of berries into the hopper. A, and turn the crank B while they are run- ning through. The invention is not patented, and . we give it to the public for what it is worth. We have used peck hoxcs^ fig. 33, for picking in, made 33. — PORTABLE FAN. of light material, in the following manner, viz. : The sides are of boards, half an inch in thickness, 13'| ^ inches long, and 6 inches wide ; about these were nailed thin strips of lath, 9 inches long, making the inside dimensions, when finished, 13' |^ in. x 8 in. x 6 in., or equal to a heaped peck. A wooden handle is then screwed to the top. This box is cheaper than a peck basket, gives good satisfaction, and, when properly constructed, will last several years. In order to pick the meadow over, if the vines have been planted in drills, let each picker take the space be- tween two of the original row^s, pick on it for about one hundred yards to a given line, and then walk back and start a new row. The object in turning back is to prevent confusion, which will inevitably result if they are allowed to pick in both directions, or if the rows are long and in- distinct. Where there are no rows visible, but only a solid mat of vines, let the pickers all start in evenly, with instruc- tions to keep in a straight line, which they can nearly do, for a short distance, by the slowest pickers taking the narrowest strips, and vice versa. Sometimes, when no rows are to be seen, the meadow is staked oif in lots of a few square rods each (this should be done in spring, to avoid trampling upon the berries), and regularly picked over, each picker taking one lot at a time. Some care is necessary, at first, to properly discipline the pickers, and cause them to pick clean as they go. This may be done by calling them back in a pleasant, but decided manner, to gather any berries that may have been found after them. They will soon take the hint, and perform their work carefully. It is very important that a reliable and expeditious method of keeping the pickers' accounts be adopted, es- pecially if you have a large quantity of fruit to gather. 88 CKANBEKIIY CULTURE. The old plan was to pick in baskets, and then pour the berries into bags, only taking them up at noon or night to be measured by the boss ; the number of pecks or bushels picked by Till Willitts or Hannah Butler, being then credited to them in his book. The objections to this system were serious : the berries were unnecessarily han- dled ; the trouble of measuring a large lot of fruit, while the pickers were standing around, impatient to get home, was very great ; and tlic accounts, kept under such circum- stances, were not always to be depended upon. Hannah would keep her own account ; and if, in the settlement, yours did not correspond with it, what could you do but allow hers ? These inconveniences induced growers to look about for something better, which they found in the ^eck boxes or baskets, now used. The barrels are taken into the meadow, and deposited in some spot convenient to the pickers. When a peck box is filled, it is brought up and emptied by the picker, who in turn receives a ticket, somewhat like this. ONE PECK. (Grower's Name.) Other tickets, of different colors, and larger denomina- tions — for instance, one bushel, and five bushels — are convenient to exchange for these. The object in havinght shoots or pieces, eighteen inches apart each way. ine S grew well, and with very little trouble from grass or we^ds; have had, generally, fair crops, which con- vinced me that the failure in my first attempt was not on account of soil or location, but wholly owing to the wrong material used in covering the muck, or mud, and keepmg ' Mf:;;^ o^rltt ^ the way of cranberry culture, and the one that has, I think, been the most profitable or U the best percentage on the original - of -y patch n this region, was on a peat swamp of about t^vo acres , the rro4h 1 pon it was huckleberry bushes, smal ma- 1 es and a kind of low bushes, with ns called laurel bushes The soil was from one to three feet of turf and pelt underlaid with a thin stratum of white sand, then a hard pan. The swamp could be drained and flooded almos any time from a pond near by. This patch I pre- pa^eTas the others before named, putting on the -h.te Lnd taken from the edge of the swamp and upland. Se he V nes which, by way of accident, proved to be about Z ;ines y^ found in this P-t of tlie —y^ They grew well, and put out for a fine crop on the thud yeai, but wllk in f» 1 Woom, the vine worm made its appear- and. After four or five days, not only the bio— we- destroved but there was scarcely a green leaf to be seen ? htlTooded it every winter and spring to about the firs of ApS when I let^he water ofl". That was the usual ItS'lettingoffby the o-^^-^^ ^-°J" If,! cinity So, that year, this patch, as far as cop was con eerned ^a an entire failure. About this time which was about 1854-5, the vine, or fire worm, had taken 104 CliAXIiEKliY CULTUKE. almost full possession of all the cranberry yards on the CajDe. After trying various experiments, such as sprink- ling over the vines with ashes, lime, pepper, tobacco, and several other articles with no good results, the growers became very much discouraged, and began to feel like giving lip the business as a failure ; but, in the spring of 1857, I concluded to try the experiment of keeping the water on or over the vines later than usual, and did not let it off until the 4th of June, and flooded and let off again three times up to the 20tli of June, letting the water stay on each time from twenty-four to forty-eight hours ; the result was the vines were undisturbed by the vine worm. They put out well for a crop, and, after quite a portion of the fruit was eaten by the fruit worm, I har- vested about 110 barrels. Those rej^eated floodings, in this case, were to make sure work of it. I don't find it actually necessary to flood more than once where the water can be kept on until it is warm enough to destroy the egg of the vine worm, which is deposited on the under side of the vine leaf I find that the insect takes no note of the month, or day of the month, in making its appear- ance, but is governed entirely by the temperature of the air or water. In a forward spring, in a warm, sheltered location, the Vvater may be let ofl* earlier than in those locations more exposed to the wind, or where the water is supplied from cold springs. Where we have the means of flowing at pleasure, I think it as well to flow soon after picking time, and let the water off after the hard frosts — here, in Massachusetts, about the 20th, or last of May. The greatest difiiculty I have to contend Avith now is an overgrowth of vines. I have tried several methods to overcome this trouble, but the only one that seems to promise any favorable results, is putting on, or among the vines, some two or three inches more of sand ; the best way, I find, is to spread it on the ice when the vines are flowed in the winter. The LETTEKS FEOM rilACTICAL GROWERS. 105 process of flooding, and especially of late flooding, does something to prevent the ravages of the berry worm, and vt is at least a partial remedy for this evil, which most cranberry growers have to contend with. There are several other insects that interfere more or less with our cranberry crops, which, as yet, we have not ■ been able to find any remedy for ; the most destructive, and the least likely to be noticed by growers, is a very small, orange-colored insect, called the tip-worm, which l^reys only on the new-formed buds at the tip of the shoots. This insect is too small to be readily seen, but its j)resence is indicated by two leaves at the top of the shoot standing erect, and concaved, or spoon-bowl shaped on the inner, or bud side. It seems to do its work in the summer, while the berry is growing, and buds forming for next year's crop. Very few yards are entirely free from this insect. Some can be found in almost every cranberry patch, and, in a few cases, they haA^e been known to destroy the whole crop. There is also a peculiar kind of span worm, of a dark brown color, which makes its appearance in swarms, like the locusts of Egypt, destroying everything in their way. We have a very few patches attacked by them almost every season ; as yet, we know nothing of their parent- age or habits, except what we witness in their work on the vines. They come when the fruit is about setting. The worm and the fruit may both be destroyed by flood- ing — that is, the worm will drown, and the fruit drop ofi". Respectfully yours, Zebina H. Small. To J. J. White : — After nearly twenty years' personal experience in cranberry culture, and a favorable opportu- nity of observing the practice of other cultivators, I have come to this conclusion. For the successful cultivation of this fruit the following requisites are necessary : 3 06 CRANBEKKY CULTURE. First. — A peat or muck soil, free from loam or clay. Second. — Clean beach sand for covering the peat. Third. — A dam and water, to overflow the vines when necessary. Fourth. — Thorough drainage. With all these advantages, apparently, there have been some failures — without them I know of no one who has profitably cultivated this crop. The limit of profitable cultivation of the cranberry will probably be found betAveen the thirty-ninth and forty- second degrees of latitude. North of this, the period be- tween the ripening of the berry and frost is too short for harvesting the fruit. South of it, the temperature is too great for properly ripening the fruit. Frosted berries are improved for immediate use, but will not bear carriage. When the fruit is grown, and rij^ening, exposure to the sun, Avitli a temperature of ninety degrees, Fahrenheit, scalds the fruit, and renders it worthless. Good cranberry ground can be selected with much cer- tainty by observing the natural growth of vegetation ; the best are those deep peat bottoms, in which the White Cedar or Juniper flourishes. Next in value are the heath ponds, with a thinner muck deposit, generally marked by a growth of Gander Bush ( Cassandra calycvlatci) ; if these can be flowed with brandy-colored cedar swamj:* water (which derives its color from the muck or peat held in solution), they are very little inferior in value to the first. Other soils may sometimes repay the expense of preparation, but are best avoided. Good unimproved cranberry soil, without timber, is worth from twenty-five to fifty dollars per acre. Properly preparing and planting the ground costs from one hundred and fifty to five hundred dollars per acre. First-class meadows, with three-year-old vines, have a LETTEES FKOM PRACTICAL GKOWEKS. lOT market value of about one thousand dollars per acre. Some liave sold for that price, and repaid the purchaser in three years. A few extra meadows have sold for fifteen hundred dollars per acre. If properly prepared, the expense of keeping a cran- berry meadow free from foreign growth is very small — averaging, probably, from three to ten dollars per acre, per annum. Picking is done by hand, and costs fifty cents per bushel. Bushel boxes, thoroughly ventilated, and cleated at the ends, so that they cannot lie close together, are best for preserving fruit that is stored. These boxes cost from sixteen to twenty cents each. The fruit, if well colored, should be placed in them in the meadow, to avoid unnecessary handling ; then carried in a spring wagon, and stored in a cool cellar. Fruit should be well colored before storing. If not so when picked, it should be spread thinly on floors, exj^osed to the light, but not to the sun. The market value of cranberries, during the winter just past, has ranged from three to seven dollars per bushel. Juliustow7i, JSf. e/i, 3mo., 4, 1870. Barclay White. The following is the experience of SamKel H. Shreve, of New Jersey, February^ 1867. In selecting a site for a cranberry bog, it is first neces- sary to ascertain if there be a peat or muck bottom, as, without this, our labor will be wasted. The peat should be without any mixture of loam or mud, and when taken out of the swamp, and dried, should be light and flaky. Its depth is not of consequence. In our swamps, it is found varying in depth from six inches to fifteen feet, and even of greater depths. It rests, generally, upon a coarse 108 CRANBEllRY CLLTUiiE. white sand, and is mostly found of the best quaUty in cedar swamp bottoms. Its depth can be found by run- ning down a pole. The next requisite is thorough drainage, which is equally important with the peat. If the swamp or land selected cannot be thoroughly drained, so that the water can be brought at least tw^elve inches below the surface, it had better be abandoned, no matter how advantageous the location may be, how well adapted the peat, nor how easily it is flooded. Having cleared the swamp of all turf and vegetation, smoothed the surface, and thoroughly ditched and drain- ed it, it is tlien ready for the sand. Tiiis should be clean, coarse, and entirely free from any mixture of loam ; otherwise, it will pack hard, and prevent the roots of the vine from spreading, and from reaching the peat or muck beneath. The runners cannot take root, and the plant will scarcely extend beyond the hill in which it is planted. Without the sand, vines planted upon 2)eat will grow luxuriantly, and may bear one or two crops. The surface becomes covered with a dense growth of long runners and uprights of twice the usual length. The runners become woody, and the uprights are soft and flimsy. The pres- ence of sand is absolutely necessary in the growth of the healthful and fruitful vine. The vigorous, short uprights, full of berries, will have, when drawn through the fin- gers, a rough, grating feeling, compared with the long, barren uprights, grown upon pure peat. In addition to checking the too luxuriant growth of the vine, and aflbrding a requisite element of its proper food, the sand, to a very great extent, prevents tlie growth of weeds. The depth of the sand upon the peat should not be less than six inches.* * When the muck is only one foot thick, two or three inclics of sand will be found suflicicnt. J. J. w. LETTERS FIIOM FllACTICAL (UIO^N'ERS. 109 Imperfect drainage will promote the growth of weeds, and check that of the vme. Flooding, tliough not absolutely necessary, is still very important. Judiciously managed, it will almost entirely protect a bog from the ravages of insects. The vines should be set out in the spring, and a little more care taken here, than is usual, will greatly advance their growth. A bunch of vines is often placed in a hole, or furrow, and the sand pressed aromid them ; and they are kept in an upright position, so that the runners have a difficulty in reaching the ground. Some little pains be- stowed upon the arranging of the roots, and placing the vines in an inclining position will be Avell repaid. There are many pieces of low ground in this country where there seems to be, naturally, the proportion of sand and muck, and where it is necessary only to take oif the turf and plow the ground to make it ready for tlie vine. In other places, after the removal of the turf, the peat is of so little depth that the plow will bring up the sand. We have, growing wild, in addition to the Bell, Bugle, and Cherry varieties, others as well defined, and as valu- able. Cranberry cultivation is yet in its infancy, and we have much to learn concerning it ; and a little observation of the great number of bogs that are now making will teach us, from the great variety of soils on which they are made, and the different methods of making them, valuable facts, in many cases, at a heavy expense, to unsuccessful cultivators. But of these flicts I feel assured ; that a good peat bottom, pure sand, thorough drainage, and a proper flooding, will insure success. I have never known them to fail. Bogs have succeeded with but a part of these requisites, and similar bogs have failed. Because vines are found growing upon the surface of the water, twenty feet from land, where it is several feet deep, it is no reason that a bog should be flooded the whole year. Neither is 110 CKANBEllKY CULTURE. the growth of wild vines any indication that the soil there is peculiarly adapted to them ; nor is their absence any argument against the choice of a swamp. Exposure is of no consequence. As compared with Cape Cod, our bogs are now cheaply made, less liable to injury from frost, and as productive ; our berries are larger, of finer color, and of better flavor. March 2^th, 1870. The vitality of the cranberry vine is so great that, after it has been transplanted four or five years, if the season should be favorable, the yield is likely to be very great. This fact misleads many, and is the cause of many foolish theories. Many again form theories without ever having seen a successful cranberry bog. I mean one that averaged, from the time it was five years old until it was ten years old, about 200 bushels per acre for every acre in vines. This large yield is not owing entirely to the soil, etc.; as the following instance will show. Near mine was a bog of just five acres. It had never yielded much over 600 bushels, though it was about seven years old. On my recommendation a friend bought it for $6,500. I di- rected the care and management of it, and the next crop was 1,500 bushels. Since then, the crop has been from 1,150 to 1,300 bushels, yearly — an average of over 200 bushels per acre. The former owner now ofiers $10,000 for the bog. I felt very confident of the result, for the vines were of a good variety, the soil and exposure excel- lent. My bog has never produced so large a crop, its largest being over 2,000 bushels on 7^ 1^ acres, and its average about 200 bushels per acre. In a few words I will give you what I consider abso- lute requisites : LETTERS FKOM PRACTICAL GROWERS. Ill A good, rich muck, entirely free from loam or clay ; pure, clean, white saod ; good water ; and first, last, and all the time, drainage, drainage, thorough drainage. I sometimes think tliat you can almost produce any effect upon a cranberry bog by proper drainage. There are many other points to be attended to, the chief of which is the vines. The habits of the vines differ greatly. Some appear to grow like trees, throwing out uprights from uprights, never taking new roots, but yearly increasing the size of the main stems, or runners. Others show a stronger disposition to form new roots, and seem to drop the old uprights, as new ones grow directly from the runners. These are more uniform in their yield, while the former produce larger crops ; but I believe will not live longer than about twelve years without resanding or pressing into the earth. I am, very respectfully, S. H. Shreve. Femherton, JV. J., March 27th, 1870. Dear Sir : — I received yours of late date a few days ago, Avishing me to give you my experience in the cultivation of cranberries, which, I have no doubt, is similar to the experience of other growers Avhom you have consulted. I have been in the business of growing cranberries for about twelve years ; and, while all the ground that I have planted has paid well on the investment, some has not succeeded to my expectations, Avhile other has succeeded far above them. At the time I commenced to cultivate the cranberry, it was a new business in this neighborhood. I had to gain knowledge by experience, which is by far the best way to acquire it. The articles that were written then on the culture of cranberries were detrimental to their growth, and calcu- 112 CRANBEKIIY CULTURE. lated to lead the beginner from tlie laws of nature and success in the culture of the fruit. All advocated Leach sand — so poor that nothing else would grow — and the ground A\ell saturated with Avater in the summer season, and flowed in the months of June and July to kill the berry worm, all of which is at variance with the proper growth of the cranberry. I have found, by experience, that they will not grow, to produce much fruit, on poor sand, unless it 'is underlaid with muck or peat, so near the surface that the vines will have the benefit of it. And they will make but slow growth, and produce but small crops, unless well drained in summer. And that flooding in June or July will effectually kill both berries and worms. Cranberry bogs can be irrigated, by having water run- ning through them in ditches. Irrigation will be a benefit in times of drouth ; but should the water become stagnant, the vines will cease to grow; and if it is long continued so, they will die. I have had the best success on muck or peat. Have had as good success without sanding as with ; both have done well when properly drained, yielding from 100 to 200 bushels per acre, while the savanna laud has yielded but from 15 to 40 bushels per acre. In short, I think the success of raising cranberries is based on three points, viz. : 1st. Thorough drainage in summer. 2d. Plenty of mud or peat, destitute of loam or clay. 3d. Flooding in winter, to kill the vine worm. Hoping this may meet your views, I remain your Friend, Theodore Budd. IXSECTri INJUEIOUS TO THE CRA^BKRllY. 113 APPENDIX. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE CRANBERRY. Heport of 'William C. Fish to the Gape Cod Granherry Groioers' Association in 1869. It will be necessary for us to understand, at the outset, the different stages through which nearly all true insects pass before arriving at maturity. As an example, we will first consider the life of the VixE Worar. These worms hatch somewhere about the 20th of May, from eo'gs that have remained upon the vines all winter. These ^eggs are a flat, circular scale, of a honey-yellow color, and measure about 0.3 of an inch. Just before it is time for the egg to hatch, the black head of the young worm can be seen through the skin with the naked eye. When hatched, the young worm immediately finds its way to the end of the young shoot, and commences to feed upon the tenderest leaves, drawing some of them to- gether with its web for shelter. It is, at this time, of a pale yellow color, with a black head. In this way they continue to work, drawing more leaves together, and feeding first on the tenderest parts, and then upon, the older leaves. When very numerous, by the time they are full grown, they will have eaten most of the leaves and tender shoots, leaving very little except dry stems. They attain their fidl size in about two Aveeks from Iiatching, and are then about 0.45 of an inch in length, having become of a dull yellow-green, with a black head. It now prepares to pass from the larva to thg pupa stage of existence by spinning a slight cocoon among the 114 CRANBEllEY CULTURE. dead leaves, or among the litter at the surface of the ground, and within this the worm becomes a pupa, or clirysalis, as it is sometimes called. This pnpa is about 0.25 of an inch in length, and is light brown. Remaining quiet in this state for from ten to thirteen days, the pupa works its way partly out of the cocoon, the skin splits, and the moth escapes. The insect having become a moth (or miller is the common name), has ar- rived at its perfect, or imago state, and its mission now is to lay eggs for another brood of worms. These moths were numerous in Eastham from the 10th of June until about the first of July. The eggs were de- 2)osited on the under side of the leaves. It was a common theory that the eggs were " laid in the bud ;" but I have never been able to find one there, and have yet to meet with the person that found the egg on that part of the plant ; therefore, I am forced to con- clude that it was only theory. I have seen hundreds of the eggs, and never one but it was on the under side of the leaf. This moth is most active in the afternoon, and just at eve. The eggs that are laid in Jime hatch sometime about the 4th of July, and the insect passes through the same stages of existence as before, moths coming out in August, and laying eggs on the vine. These eggs remain on the vines all winter. A very few may hatch in Sep- tember, but I have never succeeded in finding more than three or four in that month. The first brood is not usu- ally so numerous as the second ; but this year the first brood visited the bog of Mr. Nathaniel Robbins, of Har- wich, and completely stripped the vines, eating everything that it could eat. I visited his bog on the 28th of June, and I never saw the second brood do more than this first brood did. I think this bog was under water until the first of June. At Sandwich, on the 16th of July, there were vine INSECTS IXJUEIOUS TO THE CRANBERRY. 115 worms of the second brood nearly full grown upon one bog, while upon another, several miles away, the millers were just laying their eggs for the second brood. Water is, and probably always will be, the most ef- fective agent in destroying this insect. Those that have this convenient will find it best, I think, to flow their bogs once or twice between the 10th of May and the 7th of June — that is, if they let ofi*the water early in the spring. If they keep on the water until the first of June, it would be well to flow two or three times during the month. I think it will b.e difficult to find anything that can be readily applied to destroy these insects in their larva, or worm state. They live so sheltered within the leaves that they have drawn together, that it is almost impossible to reach them all, except with water. When they have spun their cocoons, and have been changed to chrysalides, I think it doubtful if we can reach them with anything. I hope that, in time, we shall find some way to entrap the millers and destroy them ; or that something will be found that will make the vines ofi'ensive, and drive them away. Knowing that some moths were attracted by a mixture of molasses and water, I experimented with that, and found that it did not attract this miller. I have had no opportunity to test fires, but from what I can learn from others, I think that it is an uncertain remedy, at least. Many of these millers might be destroyed by catching them in a hand-net of muslin, and crushing them. On a large bog, this would be tedious ; but on a small bog, one or two persons could soon catch most of the millers after a little practice in handling the net, going over the vines about sunset. Sawdust, or old rags that have been soaked in kerosene, or something else offensive to insects, if scattered about 116 CEANBEEKY CULTUEE. among the vines, just as the millers come out, might drive them away, although I have not tried the experiment. "The Feuit Woem" Is placed, by scientific men, in the same family, Tor- tricida3, as the vine worm, but it is a distinct species. It is probable that the most of us are familiar with the habits of this insect in its larva state. Aboift the first of August, some of the small cranberries will turn prema- turely red ; and, on opening them, we find a small yellow- green Avorm feeding upon the inside of the berry. Hav- ing exhausted the interior of one, it enters another, and in this way destroys several before reaching its full size. I took the first one this year upon the 21st of July, and at this date, August 18th, they are full grow^n and some have left the fruit. The above dates refer to bogs that were not flowed in the winter. On such bogs, I have always found it hard to find the fruit worm after the first of September. They travel at night, from one cranberry to another. When full grown, they are about one-half of an inch in leno-th, and are of a lio^ht careen color, tinged wdth pink upon the back. The mouth is dark brown. They now^ enter the ground, and just below the surface, they spin a close cocoon, covered with grains of sand, or other substance, and there change to chrysalides. This is as far as I have traced them, as all that I have tried to raise for several seasons have died after spinning their cocoons. They have to be kept over winter, to rear the moth, and they do not do well in the house. This worm has been considered the same as the " apple worm," but it is distinct from that insect. There can be no doubt but that it is the larva of a moth, as I have high scientific authority for the statement. Some have thought that it was similar to the curcu- lio, and that the parent insect punctured the fruit and INSECTS Il^JUrJOUS TO THE ^CKANBEKRY. 117 laid its Qgg within ; but there is no resemblance whatever between this insect and the curculio, except that they both destroy fruit ; and there are no facts to prove that the pa- rent insect punctures the berry. The millers have no instruments, to my knowledge, with which they could pierce the skin of a cranberry. One gentleman has raised " waspish " flies from these worms. So have I, after keeping the cocoons over winter ; but they were ichneumons of two different species, para- sites that had destroyed the worms, and were, therefore, our friends instead of enemies. I hope to rear the moth by another spring, and if I do, will report to the Association. I watched closely to de- tect the moth in depositing its egg, but did not succeed. In the absence of all facts in regard to the moth, the most natural theory seems to be that the egg is laid by the moth upon the berry j ust after it sets, and the egg hatching, the 3^oung worm burrows into the fruit. The apple moth belongs to this family, and deposits its egg upon the apple in the blossom end, the egg hatches, and the worm eats its way into the fruit. I hope, in time, to learn the facts. During the first half of August, the wormy berries examined will have, in nine cases out of ten, the hole close to the stem. After the worms get larger, the hole will more frequently be on the side. I found that by putting the berries under water, the worms would come out in a few hours, and that twenty- four hours would destroy them. I have tried twelve hours, and found that to be enough to kill most of them, although two or three had their holes stopped so tightly that the water did not reach them. It has been remarked by a friend that, where a bog can be flowed, the water is usually kept on long enough in spring to prevent these insects doing great injury ; but as some are giving up the practice of late flowing, it may be found advantageous to flow some time between the 10th and 25th of August, 118 CRANBEIIKY CULTUliE. provided it does not injure the berries. I find a differ- ence of opinion among growers as to the effect that water would have upon the berries at that time, and the matter could only be decided by experiment. At their first appearance, I think it would be useless to flow, as at that time the berry is almost completely water- tight, Mr. "Wm. Chipman, of Sandwich, once tried with suc- cess strewing ashes over the vines, just as the berries were setting. Mr. Joshua Cole, of Eastham, once tiied tobacco water with good effect ; he tried it again another year, without success. It will be necessary for those wlio experiment with such things to be well posted in regard to the habits of the insects they are dealing with, as a few hours' difference in the time of using any remedy might make success impos- sible. There is but one other caterpillar that has yet proved very destructive to the cranberry, and that is known as the Black Span Worm, although it is far from being black. I first met with this insect at Harwich, August 25th, 1869, where I saw some that had been taken from the bog of Mr. Wm. H. Underwood, where they did much dam- age. They also injured the vines of Mr. Nathaniel Hinckley, of Marston's Mills. I sent some of these span worms that were taken on Mr. Underwood's bog to A. S. Packard, Jr., M. D., of Salem, who was publishing a Avork on insects. He gives a description of it in his work called "A Guide to the Study of Insects," a work that should be in the hands of every one who has insects to deal with. Dr. Packard says of it : " It is a dull reddish-brown. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE CRANBERRY. 119 simulating the color of the twigs of the cranberry, and is finely lineated with still darker lines. The head is speckled with brown, wdth a conspicuous transverse band across the vertex, and two rows of pale spots across the front. Just above the spiracles is a broad, dusky band. Beneath the body is paler, with a mesial clear line, edged with brown. It is 0.8 of an inch in length." This year I have heard from them but once. On the 3d of August, Freeman Ryder, Jr., of North Harwich, sent me a small box, by mail, containing quite a number of these span worms. I could not visit Mr. Ryder's bog until the next week, and when I did so, I found that they had all disappeared. They were not near so numerous as on Mr. Underwood's bog, last year. I think that they must go just under the surface of the ground to change to chrysalides. Only two of those I received changed to chrysalides, and, as yet, the moth has not escaped. The chrysalis is 0.38 of an inch in length, of a mahogany-brown color, quite dark about the head. This insect is probably only an occasional feeder upon the cranberry, for if this plant w^as its only food, we should find it every year upon the bogs. It has been suggested to me that the European House Sparrow might be made useful if this insect should ever become very numerous. If it w^ould hunt out the vine worms also, and catch the millers as they come forth, it would be a very valuable friend. The common Blue Bird is one of the greatest destroyers of smaH caterpillars and worms, and should be protected everywhere. This span worm feeds upon tlie tender shoots, and later upon the older leaves. It spins no web. The Cecidomyia, or Gall Gnat, of the Cranberry. We now come to an insect very difi'erent from those before described. 120 CRANBERRY CULTURE. If you go over your viues about the middle of June, and look carefully at the ti23S of the growing shoots, you will notice that some of the small leaves at the end are closed together. These leaves have much the same ap- pearance as those drawn together by the vine worm when it first commences to work in the tip of the shoot ; but if you examine them, you will find that there is no web, and that the leaves have grown out of shape. Within some of the smaller leaves, protected by those that are closed together, you will find the author of the mischief, a small, orange-colored maggot, without legs, and measuring, when full grown, but about 0.6 of an inch in length. This maggot, when it first hatches, is white, but its color increases as it grows, until, when full grown, it is orange. By the 80th of June, most of them will have spun a little oblong cocoon within some of the small leaves at the end of the shoot. This cocoon resembles white tiss-^ue paper, and within can be found the orange colored pupa. In this state it can readily be distinguished from the maggot by the blunt head, whereas, hi the maggot, both ends are tapering. After remaining in the cocoons about twelve days, the perfect insect, a gnat, comes forth. This gnat is 0.4 of an inch in length, its body is orange, and its wings transpar- ent. This gnat lays the eggs for another brood of mag- gots. The egg of this insect is unknown to me, the insect being so small, that the egg must be quite minute. The maggot only works among the minute tender leaves at 'the end of the young shoots. They have no jaws, and " must suck in the sap and moisture through tlie mouth, or absorb it through the skin. They make no excrement." This insect first came under my observation in June, 18G6, at Sandwich. It was very abundant at that placCo I:N SECTS INJURIOUS TO THE CRANBERRY. 121 Tliis year I Avent over the same bogs, and found it scarce. It seems to be widely distributed over the Cape, as I have not failed to find it on every bog I have visited. There is a little Chalcis fly that is a parasite upon this insect, and destroys large numbers. It is doing far more than man can to keep this insect under. I did not find this maggot numerous anywhere during the early part of the summer. On the 23d of this month I went over the bog of Mr. Nathaniel Hinckley, of Mars- ton's Mills, and found traces of the insect everywhere ; it was too late to find the insects themselves, but in some places you could scarcely find a shoot but had been checked by the maggots. The effect of the occupation of this maggot of the tip of the shoot can be readily seen. The minute leaves and tender tip are killed, and the growth is stopped. If the shoot is strong, it may put out a shoot at the side, and this may, in turn, be checked. I have seen a shoot start the third time, although, most frequently, they do not grow more, but form buds, from which start side shoots next year. Mr. Hinckley and myself searched in vain for a side shoot with fruit on it. I have seen them with fruit, but rarely. In June, I tried to drown some of these maggots, and as they moved after remaining under water fourteen days, I gave it up. Later in the season, I met with Mr. Calvin Crowell, of West Sandwich, who informed me that he had saved some of his vines by flowing ; that after his bog had been flowed, he noticed that some of the shoots came right up between the leaves that were misshaped, proving that something had removed the insect. The only way that I could account for it was that the water might have washed out the maggots, and, they being without legs, could not get back to the end of the shoot. Since then, I have seen some things that led me to think 6 122 CRANBERRY CULTURE. that such was the case. On Mr. Hinckley's bog I noticed numbers of these shoots that plainly showed that the in- sect had commenced its work, but had been removed, as the shoot kept right on. On inquiring, I found that Mr. Hinckley had flowed his bog on the 26th of June. This was, I think, rather late to hit most of them, but it proba- bly washed out some. After the insect has spun its cocoon, it is impossible either to wash it out or to drown it. llecently, I placed a shoot in water that contained two of these maggots ; they were all I could lind to experiment with. One of the two washed out, the other remained. Probably flowing would prove more eftectunl vdien the maggots are quite small, as the leaves do not close to- getlier very tightly until the maggot is nearly full grown. I hope it will be seldom that the bogs have such a visita- tion as the bog of Mr. Hinckley received. If any of the members of tlie Association wish to see what the insects can do when numerous, they had better visit this bog. Had I known that they were so numerous there during the early part of the summer, I should have been glad to have been upon the ground, to see what results would follow flowincr when the mao^o-ots first commenced their work. It would be a good plan to flow when the parent gnat is out. Some might be bred in the house, and then one would know exactly when they were out. It is usually some time about the 4th of July that the gnat comes forth. This first brood is the most numerous, although there are other broods as long as there are growing runners. I found a few of these maggots in September, 18G8. I am not aware that this insect has ever been described by scientific men. I have, at diflferent seasons, sent them to some of my scientific correspondents, but I cannot learn that they have published any description of it. It is a true Cecidomyia, closely related to the minute Hessian-fly, that is so destructive at times to wheat. INSECTS INJUllIOUS TO THE CKANBEKKY. 123 I have searched many works relating to the Hessian- and Wheat-flies, hoping that some of the remedies that were used against those insects Avould answer for our gall gnat. Strips of woolen cloth, dipped in melted brimstone, and fastened to sticks in different parts of the field, and particularly on the windward side, are set on fire for sev- eral evenimrs in succession, at the time the gnats are de- positing their eo-gs. This has been efficient in the case of the Wheat-fly, and, if thoroughly tested, it might do o-ood in the case of some of our insects'. "" The minute Chalcis flies that sting the maggot, and deposit their eggs within it (which hatch, and then we have a maggot within a maggot, the inside one havmg the advanta-e, and kilhng its host), are doing a great work ; and the Ichneumons, that work in the same way upon 'the fruit and vine worms, are doing much to pre- vent their increase. I have seen large numbers of dead vine wornls this season destroyed by these parasites. In closing my report, I wish to thank the members of the AssociaUon, and the cranberry growers generally, for the aid which they have given me, and for kmdnesses which they have shown me at all times, during the three months that I have been engaged in these investigations ; and if my report will induce the growers to study the habits of these insects themselves, and become acquamted with them, in a word, to become their own entomologists, I shall feel that the time which I have spent in the study of these insects has not been in vain. CONTRACTS TAKEN. COUNSEL GIVEN. Cranberky Meadows and Vines For Sale. After several years' practical experience in the cranberry business, during which we have j^lanted thirty-three acres of our own, taken charge of others, and closely observed the proceedings of many of the most successful cultiva- tors in South Jersey, we are ready to contract for prepar- ing and planting cranberry meadows in Burlington County, and to give professional advice, to those at a dis- tance, as to the adaptability of soils for cranberries, after examining samples of the same, accompanied by an ac- curate and detailed description of the location and its sur- roundings. We have for sale about eighteen hundred acres of land in Burlington County, seventy acres of which are now j)lanted in cranberry vines, most of them in bearing con- dition, and doing admirably. A large j^ortion of tlie balance is well adapted to cranberries, and the remainder is similar to tlie oft described Yineland tract. Also, first-class cranberry vines, in large or small quan- tities, at low rates. For further particulars, address Joseph J. White, Jul'mstown^ Burlington Co., K. J. 124 I INDEX Alluvial formation 2o American Cranberry T Ampliicarpum Purshii 58 Analysis of Cranberry 10 Appendix 113 Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi 18 Ashes 6'^ Bear-berry 18 Bell Cranberry 12 Bill-hook 36 Bishop, N. H 30 BiKld's, Theodore, Letter HI Bugle Cranberry 12 Canned Cranberries 95 Cassandra calyculata 30 Cherry Cranberry 12 Choice of Locations 25 Clean Surfaces necessary 48 Color of Cranberries 14 Covering by Sand 56 Cranberry, American "7 " Analysis of 10 Bell 12 "■ Bugle • 12 Cherry 12 High High-bush Hog Jelly Large Mountain " On Upland Sauce 94 Small "^ '•' Spice S "■ Varieties of 12 Cuttings, Sowing ^^ Dams *«-67 Double-seeded Millet 58 Drift Formation 27 125 Drainage . . ^^ Drains 38 Embankments ' '''0 Enemies and Difficulties overcome. Tl Excessive Heat ^2 Exporting ■ • • • ^^ Fan, Cranberry ^3 " Portable ^6 Feather-leaf 30 45 73-74 62 45 09 04 46 80 30 S3 30 IS 30 Fences Fenwick, Jas. A Fertilizers Fires Fish's, W. C, Report 113 Flood-gates Flooding Fork for Fence Making. . . Frosts Gander-bush Grass Ground Laurel Grouse Berry Gum-tree Hall, Capt. Henry 21 Heath Ponds 29 " Preparing 41 High-bush Cranberry IS High Cranberry 1^^ Hin Planting 51 History of Cultivation 19 Hog Cranberry Horsford'S, Prof. E. N., Analysis Hunt, J. Gibbons Insects " Anchylopera vacciniana. . '• Black Span-Worni " Cecidomyia " Crickets " Fruit-Worm " Gall-Gnat IS . 10 , . GO . . 71 ..lis ..119 . . 70 1-116 .119 126 CRANBERKY CULTURE. Insects, Grasshoppers 79 Span-worm 84 " Tip-worm 83 " Vine- worm 74-113 Kalmia angustifolia 30 Keeping 91 Laurel, Gronncl 30 Large Cranberry 7 Leather-leaf 30 "Letters from Practical Growers 100 Levelling 06 Lime 63 Locations, Choice of 25 Makepeace's, A. D., Letter 101 Management of Meadows 57 Marl 63 Meadows, Management of 57 Mice 80 Mill-ponds 33 " Preparing 48 Moss ■ 83 Mountain Cranberry 18 Muck 26 Mud as a Fertilizer 63 Muskrats 80 Natural Bogs, Improvement of. 61 Natural History 7 Nyssa multiflora 30 Otis', Amos, Letter 102 Packard, A. S 75 Peck Box 86 Peruvian Guano 63 Phinney, S. B 21-27 Picking 85 Pines of New Jersey 45 Planting by Pressure 54 in Drills.... 52 " in Strips... 48 Hill 51 Sod 51 the Vines 50 Pointsett, John 40 Polytrichum commune 44 Position of Vines 53 Preparing the Ground a5 Preserved Cranberries 95 Profit and Loss 96 Rushes 83 Sacketts', S. A., Letter 100 Sanding 39 Sand, Test for 28 Savannas 32 Scalding 82 Scalping 36 Seed Sowing 57 Shinn & Allston 56 Shreve's, S. H., Letter 107 Small Cranberry 7 Small's, Zebina H., Letter 102 Sod Planting 51 Sphagnum Moss 43 Spice Cranberry 8 Stable Manure 63 Swamp Lands 30 Swamps, Preparing 36 Tickets 88 Tree Moss 44 Trenching for Sand 42 True Cape Cod Variety 17 Turf Cutter 44 Turf Fence 45 Turfing 36 Unfruitlul Vines 15 " Upland " Cranberries 17 Upland Cranbei-ry 18 Uplands 34 Uva-Ursi 18 Vaccinium macrocai-pon 7 " Oxycoccus 7 Vitis-Idaea IS Viburnum Opulus 18 Want of Money 84 Webb, John 22 Weeding 58 White's, Barclay, Letter 105 Willow Farm 78 PEACH CULTUEE. JAMES ALEXAISTDER FULTOIsr, DOVER, DELAWARE. ILLUSTRATED. Within the last few years, fruit culture, in all its varieties, has greatly in- creased in this country; so that, to-day, it is one of the leading interests. Among the fruits, the Peach, if not the most, is one of the most important of all. It is so easily raised, comes into bearing so soon, and is so delicious, as well as beautiful, it is impossible that it should not be a favorite. The conse- quence is that, in the sections specially conducive to its cultivation, almost every farm has an orchard, and some farms are but one continuous orchard ; and sometimes farm after farm is devoted to Peaches. Some planters have set as many as twenty thousand trees in a single season. Orchards of twenty, thirty, and fifty acres are not at all infrequent. Living in the very centre of the peach-growing district ; sharing the common interest felt in the subject ; deeply impressed with its importance to the individual planters themselves, and also to the community at large ; and believing that a lasting benefit could be done to both, the author has been induced to prepare, and now ofi"ers to the public, this work on Peach Culture. CONTENTS. Introduction. Chapter I.— Site of Nursery. Chapter II.— Seed. Chapter III.— Seed-bed. Chapter IV.— Preparation of Ground for Nursery. Chapter V. — Planting the Seed. Chapter VI. — Nursei-y Cultivation. Chapter VII.— Buds. Chapter VIII.— Budding. Chapter IX.— Cultivation of Buds. Chapter X.— Taking Up and Send- ing to Market. Chapter XI.— Selecting a Site for an Orchard. Chapter XII.— Planting an Orchard. Chapter XIII.— Orchard Cultivation. Chapter XIV.— Coming In. Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter XV.— Baskets and Crates. XVI. —Transportation. XVII.— Consignees. XVIII.— Ladders. XIX.— Shipping. XX.— Picking. XXL— Returns. XXIL— Markets. XXin.— Profit. XXrV.— Culture after a Crop XXV.— Uses. [eases. XXVI. — Insects and Dis- XXVIL— Special Cultm-e. XXVIIL— ThePeach-House XXIX.— Varieties, [logue. XXX.— Descriptive Cata- XXXI.— Fancy Varieties. Price, Post-paid, $1.50, • ORANGE JUDD & COMPANY, 240 Broadway, J^ew-Tofk. DOWNING'S FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES BY A. J. r)ow^jsri]sr<3. J^eivly Bevised mid Greatly Enlarged BT CHARLES DOW^lSriNG^. Octavo, 1122 pages. The original work of the late A. J. Downing appeared in 1S45. Some years after it was revised and much enlarged by his brother, Charles Downing, who has again completed the work of a second revision. Charles Downing is upon all hands acknowledged as one of our highest pomological authorities. He writes but seldom, but whatever bears his name is accepted as the judg- ment of one who is entirely disinterested, as far as the commercial aspects of pomology are concerned. The present edition contains the results of many years' labor and experience, which have been devoted to testing the value of fruits, and acquiring a knowledge of them that should benefit others. Eecommendation from Hon. MAESHALL P. WILDER, President of the American Pomological Society. Boston, October 4, 1869. Gentlemen : I have received a copy from Mr. Charles Downing of the second revised edition of "Fruits and Fkuit Trees op America." It is the most comprehensive of any similar work— in fact, a complete Encyclo- pedia OF American Pomology brought down to the present time. The original edition by his brother, the late Andrew Jackson Downing, popular as it ever has been, is made doubly interesting and useful by this revision, comprising as it does the results of a long life of critical observation. As a work of reference, it has no equal in this country, and deserves a place in the library of every pomologist in America. MARSHALL P. WILDER. This elegant and valuable work will be an indispensable requisite to every library, and to all interested in Fruits or Fruit Culture. Price, prepaid, $7.50. ORANGE JUDD & CO., 245 Broadway f New-York, i THE SMALL FRUIT CULTURIST. BY ANDREW S. FULLER. Beautifully Illustrated, We have heretofore had no work especially devoted to small fruits, and certainly no treatises anywhere that give the information contained in this. It is to the advantage of special works that the author can say all that he has to say on any subject, and not be restricted as to space, as he must be in those works that cover the culture of all fruits— great and small. This book covers the whole ground of Propagating Small Fruits, their Culture, Varieties, Packing for Market, etc. While very full on the other fruits, the Currants and Raspberries have been more care- fully elaborated than ever before, and in this important part of hia book, the author has had the invaluable counsel of Charles Downing. Tlie chapter on gathering and packing the fruit is a valuable one, and in it are figured all the baskets and boxes now in common use. The book is very finely and thoroughly illustrated, and makes an admirable companion to the Grape Culturist, by the same author. Chap. I. Barberry. Chap. VII. Gooseberry. Chap. II. Strawberry. Chap. VIII. Cornelian Cherry. Chap. III. Raspberry. Chap. IX. Cranberry. Chap. IV. Blackberry. Chap. X. Huckleberry. Chap. V. Dwarf Cherry. Chap. XL Sheperdia. Chap. VI. Currant. Chap. XII. Preparation fok gathering Fruit. Sent post-paid. Price $1.50. ORANGE JUDD & CO., 245 Broadway, New-York AMERICAN POMOLOGY. APPLES. JBy Ooct. JOHjN^ A. ^V^rtl>EIl, PRESIDENT OHIO POMOLOGICAI. SOCIETY ; VICE-PKESIDENT AKERICAH POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 293 IliliUSTRATIONS. This volume lias about 750 pages, tlie first 37.j of wMcli are d&. Foted to the discussion of tlie general subjects of propagation, nur- sery culture, selection and planting, cultivation of orchards, care of fruit, insects, and the like ; the remainder is occupied with descrip^ tions of apples. With the richness of material at hand, the troubit^ was to decide wha,t to leave out. It will be found that while the old and standard varieties are not neglected, the new and promising sorts, especially those of the South and West, have prominence. A list of selections for different localities by eminent orchardists ^ a valuable portion of the volume, while the Analytical Index oj Catalogue Baisonne, as the French would say, is the most extendea American fruit list ever published, and gives evidence of a fearfiiJ amount of labor. CONTEI^TS. Chapter l.-I\Tll«I)UCTOIlY. Chapter II.-HI.STORY OF THE APPJLE. Chapter III.-PIIOI'AGATION. Buds and Cuttings— Grafting— Budding— the Nursery Chapter IV.-DWARFING. Chapter V.-DI^EASEfS. Chapter VI.-TIIE SITE FOR AN ORCHARD. Chapter VII.-PREFARATION OF i^OIIi FOR AN ORCHARD Chapter VIII.-8ELECTION AND PLANTING. Chapter IX.-CULTURE, Etc. Chapter X.-PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING. Chapter XI.-THINNING. Chapter XIl.-RIPENING AND PRESERVING FRUITS. Chapter XIII. and XIV.-INSECTS. Chapter XV.-CHARACTERS OF FRUITS AND THEIR VALUE-TER3IS USED. tlhapter XVI.-CL.ASSIFICATION. Necessity for— Basis of— Characters— Shape— Its Rogu larity— Flavor— Color— Their several Values, etc. i>e- scription of Apples. Chapter XVII.-FRUIT LISTS- CATALOGUE AND INDEX OF FRUITS. Sent Post-Paid. Price S3.00. GRANGE JTJDD & CO., 245 Broadway, i^ew-York O M Jl, 11) IP ami] THE i 'M ANDEEY^ S: FULLEE. NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION. THE STANDARD WOBK ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE HARDY GRAPE, AS IT NOT ONLY DISCUSSES PRINCIPLES, BUT ILLUSTRATES PEAGTIGE. Elverv thinj^ is inade perfectly plain, and. its teach- ings may be fbllo\ved. npon ONE VINE OR A VINEYARD The foUoiving are some of the topics that are treated ; Growing New VARrETiES from Seed. Propagation by Single Buds or Eyes. Propagating Houses and their Management fully descr'pl'd. How TO Grow. Cuttings in Open Air, and how to Make Layers. Grafting the Grape — A Simple and Successful Method. Hybridizing and Crossing — Mode op Operation. Soil and Situation — Planting and Cultivation. Pruning, Training, and Trellises— all the Systems Explained Garden Culture— How to Grow Vines in a Door-Yard. Insects, Mildew, Sun-Scald, and other Troubles. Description of the Valuable and the Discarded Varieties. Sent post-paid. Price $1.50. Orari-e Judd & Co.. 24.5 Broadway. RURAL' BOOKS PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY NO. ORANGE JUDD & CO., 24.5 BROADWAY, NEW YOBK. 51^" Any Book on this list will be forwarded, post-paid, to any address in the United States, on receipt of the price. Allen's (L. F.) American Cattle |3 53 Allen's (L. F.) Rural Architecture.. 1 50 Allen's (U. L.) American Farm Book 1 50 Allen's New American Farm Book. . 2 50 Allen's Diseases of Dom. Animals... 1 03 American A2;r. Annual, pap., 50, clo. 75 American Hort. Annual,pap., 50, clo. 75 American Bird Fancier 30 American Rose Culturist 30 American Weeds and Useful Plants. 1 75 Architecture, (Cummings& Miller).10 00 Architecture, Modern Am., do 10 00 Bement's Rabbit Fancier 33 Bommer's Method of Making Manures 2'. Book of Evergreens 3 03 Boussingault's Rural Economy 1 GO Breck's New Book of Flowers 1 75 Buist's Flower Garden Directory — 1 53 Buist's Family Kitchen Gardener. . . 1 00 Caldwell's Agric. Chem. Analysis... 2 00 Chorlton's Grape Grower's Guide. . . 75 Cobbett's American Gardener 75 Cole's (S. W.) American P'ruit Book 75 Cole's Veterinarian 75 Copeland's Country Life, Svo, cloth. 5 03 Cotton Culture, (Lyman) 1 50 Cotton-Planter's Manual, (Turner).. 1 50 Dadd's (G. II.) Modern Horse Doctor 1 50 Dadd's American Cattle Doctor 1 53 Dana's Muck Manual 1 25 Darwin's Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, 2 vols. C 00 Dog & Gun, (Hooper's), pa. 30c., clo. 60 Downing's Fruits & Fruit Trees, Svo. 7 50 Downius's Landscape Gardening — G 50 Draining for Profit and Health 1 53 Eastwood on Cranberry 75 Elliott'sWest'n Fruit Grower's Guide 1 50 Farm Impl'ts & Machinery (Thomas) 1 50 Flax Culture 53 French's Farm Drainage 1 50 Field's (Thos. W.) 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CO Rivers' Miniature Fruit Garden 1 00 Rural Church Architecture 12 00 Saunders' Domestic Poultry, paper. . 40 cloth.. 75 Schenck's Gardener's Text Book 75 Skillful Housewife 75 Stewart's (John) Stable Book 1 50 Thompson's Food of Animals 1 00 Tim Bunker Papers 1 50 Tobacco Culture 25 Warder's American Pomology 3 00 Warder's Hedges and Evergreens... 1 50 Woodward's Cottagcs&Farm-houses 1 59 Woodward's Suburban and Country Houses 1 50 Woodward's Country Homes 1 50 Wheeler's Rural Homes 2 00 Wheeler's Homes for the Paople 3 00 Youatt and Spooner on the Horse... 1 50 Touatt and Martin on Cattle 1 50 Youatt on the Hog .' 1 00 Youatt on Sheep 1 CO SPECIAL, Woodward's National Architect 12 00