Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-09-07


Mr.. w. c. Glen (Tim Bunker) thus tells
where to look for cranberry bog
1.-The large profits realized from the sale
of crsnberries for the last ten years, has
led many 10 inquire for suitable lands for
plantation. II is by no means necessary to
go to New Jersey. or to Cape Cod for
this purpose. There IL undoubtedly a
larger amount of peat boys and sand banks
In these sections tnan can be found in
most places. but there, also, the value of
the raw material is best appreciated, and
the prices are correspondingly high. So
far as climate is concerned, peat bog In
any of the shore towns from Maine to New
rsey is just as good as In Cape Cod OF
Ocean county The frosts are kept of by
sea air. and the land. IL properly handled
would be quite as productive. Peat boys
in these localities which the cranberry few
er has not visited are still quite cheap, say
from $40 to $50 an acre. while on Cape
Cod they would be worth at least ten times
that sum. To make plantation 4 success
| ful commercial enterprise. several things
| are to be considered. We must have the
| three essential things-pest, sand or gray
| el, and capacity for fowage, or there is no
| assurance of success. A bog that does
| not have those reqsites is not cheap at any
| price. Then a hog, with everything prom
L
a. To leave a small margin FOR profit IL
| the raw material costs $500 acre, aud
| the skinning sanding and planting costs
| $500 more. the capital l. $500 per acre. and
| one will have 10 wait three years before he
| can expect to make much return. The
\ conditions are changed for the better when
We can get equally good land for $50 an
| acre. and the cost OF preparation Is $500.
| such lands can be found in many of those
| shore towns. and the owners are willing to
| sell them because they are unproductive
| and they haze no faith In cranberrics, or
| no capital to invest In such Improvements.
Still further back from the shore for my
| miles or niorc. there lands Just a. good
| If the stream running through them j. large
| enough to admit of sudden fowage to
| guard against the frosts in September.
| Sometimes tins can be secured by a reser-
| Voir. even where the stream that supplies
it j. small. But this reservoir OF water
can only he had ST an extra expense, and
must be taken into account In making the
investment. The cranberry interest j.
constantly increasing In the localities re
fcrrcd to. and large sums are annually ex-
pended in clubbing old maple ana cedar
swamps. carting sand or gravel and plant
ing vines. James \ Bill. OF Lyme. ton
nccticui. i Just finishing the sanding oi
| thirty acres. at cost of about twenty
thousand dollars when the plants are al
in. Mr.. Spencer, OF Saybrook. near th'
Shore Line Road. has about twenty acres
nearly covered with gravel. and the plant
will be set this season. Dennis Iutlle. a
Madison. has been Al work upon a plania
tion several wears. and his vines put gu
last year are coming on finely ooul,
be desired. The small plantation put on
. by Mr.. Small a dozen years ago. though
not 50 thoroughly prepared as the latte
ones, still bears abundantly. aud annual.
makes converts TO the cranberry faith.
! single acre OF this plantation one ycAr pro
duced loo barrels OF fruit. worth NOT "a
: ! from 81 COO. This successful rntcrpri>
has led many TO drain their peat boSs, an
make plantations In all the ncIghborin
: towns. There j. siili much land OF TIN
. sort 10 be possessed. and the chief thin
wanted j. capital 10 develop IL. The bus
, ness j. now pretty well understood BY tn
a gentlemen who have undertaken these i'm
proNcmcnis. Skilled labor can be found 1
sand the land and set out he plant,
/. There is no mon risk 10 the investmer
/, than in ordinary farming. and capital lad
clou>ly expended brings n large rewarc
i, Men who wish To make investments In thi
=. Kind OF fruit culture can hardly do bette
a. than visit these plantations along the Coz
= uccticui ~hoTr.