Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-04-23
Cranberry Culture.


Sir: notice the revival of the Ameri'
can Institute Farmers Club, in whose discus.
sions l have heretofore taken much interest
should like to be present at some of its meet
ings and take share in its discussions, but
as this is inconvenient, avail myself of the
pen as an alternative. l send you another
specimen Of my cranberries, and also another
article which has been prepared with the
hope of supplying, in some degree, the de-
mands made of late for information on the
subject of cranberry culture. ..,
Soil best adapted to Raising-A low,
swampy piece Of land is, in my opinion, best
adapted to the growth of the fruit and vine in
question. Nature herself seems to teach this
lesson. Travel from Maine to Minnesota,
and, so far as my knowledge extends, you
will find the cranberry growing, in state of
nature, only in some swamp or on its margin
You will also find that it is located in some
swamp which is likely to be moist throughout
the year, thus evidencing its affinity for water.
Again, the swamp commends itself to the
would-be cranberry cultiyator, for the reason
that it is generally useless for other purposes;
and to fit it for other purposes would require a
greater outlay than to fit it for cranberry rails
ing For the latter you need only a sufficient
number of drains to remove surface water,
more are not only unnecessary, but, think,
detrimental. Still further, the case with
which most swamps can be flowed during
Fall, Winter and Spring, give the cultivator
an advantage over weeds which, on dry land
are not only more annoying but which can
be kept in check by persevereing use of the
hoe, or something equivalent. To accom-
plish this, one has only to close his
drains in the Fall, as soon as the fruit
is gathered, and leave them closed auntil
the return of warm weather in the Spring, a
course which would recommend wherever
practicable. Where this can be done, very
little, if any, wedding or hoeing will be neces-
sary.
Mode Of Culture-Having drained The
land as intimated, those portions on which
the water remained most of the year, will
usually be sufficiently clean for the immedi-
ate introduction Of the plants If any portion
is covered with thick sod, it should be par
ed off and thrown into heaps for decomposi-
ton; the result forms an excellent manurial
preparation for fruit trees. In the new sur
face thus exposed, make shallow parallel
trenches, eighteen inches or two feet apart );
and in these trenches place my vines, vary
ing from two to eight feet in length. A slight
covering every six or eight inches completes
the work of transplanting. At each point so
covered, roots will be formed and new vines
will shoot off. Set in such soil, no drouth
need be apprehended. In two or three years
they will cover the ground. Being an ever
green, the plants may be set late in the spring.
AS season for transplanting, prefer spring
to fall; plants set in the latter season have no
time to take root, and consequently are liza
BILE to be thrown out by the frosts.
Prolific Qualities-My variety, the Low
Land Bell (Oxcoccus macrocarpusO } is an an
nual bearer, and will produce fruit the same
year in which the plants are set From few
rods of ground set in cranberries last May, l
gathered half bushel, some of which are in the
package send you. My crop has increased
in four years from seven to sixty bushels
The readers of your paper, especially those
who read the price current of this fruit, need
not to be told that an outlay of fifty dollars
on swamp which was before useless, was
no bad investment. Many similar swamp,
which now disigures many mans farm,
might, by similar outlay, be made to yield
similar or even greater profits. Drain them,
we say, and transplant the cranberry, and
the desert, in summer, will "blossom as
rose," and in autumn wear the crimson desert
which not only all good housewives, but even
kings may well covet. ...
NOBLE HILL.
Cation, Steuben County, N. Y.