Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-05-05
FARM AND GARDEN.
THE CRANBERRY AND GRAN
BERRY QUIZ ORE.

THE CRANBERRY AND GRAN
BERRY CULS ORE.
The following letter from a gentleman
of experience and culture will be read
with interest by our progressive and think
ing farmers. We hope some of them,
especially in West Tennessee, where 80
much low land abounds, may be induced
to experiment with this fruit. Once es-
tablish the fact that the low, swampy
lands of that section will grow cranber-
ries and their value will increase a hun
dred fold. Vines may be procured from
the author of the following letter at a
small cost. Persons wishing TO try the
experiment can inform US, and we shall
take pleasure in procuring them few
vines:
To the Editors of the Union and American:
HAMMoNToN, N.sJ., April 10, 1S71.-I
have for some time been reader of your
valuable paper, and have witnessed with
pleasure the interest you take in all mat
tiers pertaining to the advancement of ag-
ricultursl affairs. take nearly all the
agricultural journals and papers of note
published IN the country, and must say
that the agricultural department of your
papar is behind none in point of ability,
so far as it relates to the agricultural pro-
ducts of your section, though some Rgri-
cultural papers give directions for the
management of crops in all portions of
the country, and cover 8 more extended
field. Ihsye thought that it might be in
teresting to your readers to have some in
formation in regard to a delicious fruit
cultivated very extensively in this section,
and therefore / viii send you few COM
municstiOns in reference to
THR CRANBERRY AND CRANBERRY CULTURE.
This fruit is cultivated in large quaint
ties in this State, and also in Massachu-
sets, Maine and Connecticut The cram
berry fields of Cape Cod have long been
celebrated, and the berry grown there is
considerably larger than that raised in
New Jersey. Bet l have not now the
time to enter into any extended remarks
upon the history of cranberry culture, and
will, therefore, confine myself to practi-
cal remarks ia regard TO the soil, the man
ner of preparing the ground, the mode of
culdVsting, and the profits of cranberry
culture.
And first let me say that cranberries are
found in wild state in the swamps of
New Jersey, where for ages the water
from the surrounding elevations has
washed into these swamps the best pOr-
tons of the soil, and where kind of
black earth or mud, commonly called
muck has accumulated to the depth of
from one inch to two or three feet, and
sometimes even deeper, as in the case OF
cedar swamps.
DESCRIPTION OF THR CRANBERRY.
There are two species OF cranberry,
the high and the low. The high Gran
berry grows on bushes or small trees tC
the height of from eight to ten feet, suC
is founl in a wild state in the swsmpt
and lowlands of New York and othel
northern localities. But the cranberry
raised In New Jersey, and generally sold
in the markets, grows on low vines, il
boggy or marshy ground, and il
named by Gray Uoecinianl n1dcro
carpon. Ii is described as a SINAI
and hardy vine, with sn evergreen
top, and bearing acid fruit. A NOR
minute description than l have given cal
be found in ApsJetOn'S Encyclopedia
though the notice there given on tn,
whole subject is very brief. Very few
people, except those who have had an op
portunity of seeing the cranberry
either in its wild or cultivated state
have any idea of its appearance
or the manner of its cultivation. Tn
vine, b til in its wild and cultivste
state, cresps along the ground like
strawberry vine, continually sending on
runners IN every direction, TIL the Who'll
surface of the ground is covered with
matted growth. These running vine
send up, at intervals, shoots in perpeI
dicular direction, varying from five
ten inches in length, according 10 Il
kind of soil and age of the plant. III
leaves are alternate and very small, an
from the 10th to the 18th of May Il
plant begins to blossom. Either in wi
or cultivated state, after few year
growth the vines cover the ground with
beautiful network OF runners, from whiC
uprights extend like blades of grass in
meadow, ald from this fact cranber
grounds are frequently called cranberl
BleddOarS.
THEeson
In wild ate land all the lands tn
are planted are cultivated by Observil
the natural characteristics of the pls
where wild, the vines grow in swan
filed with black mud or peat. On son
of these swamps there is only grass,
Others there is q species of small shru
about foot high, (called in this secti'
prim. and then there are what are call
savannah lands-thst 10 III Sc on viii
the muck is from one TO five inches dee
underlaid with sand.
As some of your readers may wish
know whether there are lands in Tennt
see suitable for the cultivation of thee
berry, it is important to knc
that, before engaging in crsnber
culture, the utmost care shou
be taken in the selection of the Ian
There are three kinds of ground suit
for the cultivation of the berry, Il
spots of ground with grass or smi
bushes, covered with a vegetable moi
OF mud 10 the depth of two or thr
inches; 2, the same kind of land, b
with tn mud from six TO twelve inche
and s, land with mud Cor muck as
usually term it here) from one to three
even, tour or five feet deep, such as
found N swsmps, and which in Ne
Jersey Is usually covered with cedi
The cranberry land of New Jersey
underlaid with sand aad covered wi
muck or vegetable mould, from one in
10 SIX ieet ia depth (of the muck) al
usually low, and subject 10 be ov'
flowed by water. This muck g
tsome'i mes called poatl mus: be Fl
from clay, or only slightly composed
u, ana II sand is either underneath if,
con be placed upon it, the prof Of G
e'Aaop az 'aGIessytRs EssGa. iRs sffp fsna tel