National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-12-13

The development Of Wisconsin indus
try and resource, writes correspondent
OF the Milwaukee Wisconsin, was pre-
sented to me in the vicinity of Berlin.
While IN this place, n week or two since,
| met Hon. lloberL S. Sackett, one of
the most popular and effective member,
OF the last Legislature, and willingly ac-
cepted his invitation TO visit and inGpect
his cranberry marsh, located about three
miles from Berlin city. Before leaving
for the marsh, | accompanied him TO his
depot in tho city, whore three hundred
men, girls and boys were busily engaged
in sorting the berries preparatory to
their shipment to Milwaukee, Chicago
and elsewhere. We then drove out to
the marsh located near the Fox river,
with every facility for being overiiowed
at the proper time, which is early in the
spring. In the center of the marsh is II
new and mammoth elevator, used for
storing and preparing the cranberIies for
parket Diverging from this ware.
house on the marsh are partable lines of
railroad, on which small trucks run dur
ing the harvest to the extreme verge Of
the marsh, being filed and returned to
the elevator from near and distant points.
When one floor is filed. the trucks are
elevated to track on the other floor ald
so on, until the five or six floors are
filed. Each large chamber is supplied
with complet cu.angements for drying
and ventilating and all the contrivances
about this novel building are unique and
effective, and reflect very favorably on
tl,., pl, III n,1 90 NJ. Snnly.tt
who devised them Here number of
men and girls were also employed in
drying and sorting the berries. thus
showing tnat this industry has the cheer.
ing feature Of giving employment to
many, like the lumber, mining and
other industrie, that bless our State.
supposed that the cranberries grew on
bush, but find that they grow on Il vine
like that of strawberry, only thicker
and stronger
The rise, development and progress
of this cranberry interest has been so
sudden and unexpected, and its results
of profit to the growers, and creating
and maintaining reliable and certain
markets, so prodigious rs to surround
it with more wonderful romance than
any otherindustry can show, not except
ing the oil wells of Pennsylvania. Some
twelve years since, Mr.. Sackett, Sr.,
then of Chicago, got acquainted with
Gov Randall, and on his advice invested
some money in Wisconsin school lands.
These were selected by some men Mr..
Sackett placed confidence in, but some
years after, when financial loss made
the lands of account to him, and he
came to look them up, he found that the
other parties had taken all the good
farming lands and left him the swamps.
In his distress and difficulty, the idea of
cranberry culture must have come to
him like an inspiration /; but come Ii
did, and he at once acted on 1t, and the
marsh that | was on now yielding a
clear profit of $50, 600 to S6J,0UU year
and constantly increasing, was first cul
tivated by Mr.. Slckett, ST., who before
he died found that the despised swamp
land was the most lAcky hit Of his life. |
in this vicinity, astonishing stories are
current of the rise Of fortunate possess
ors of cranberry lands. Some men have
been toiling for years on their farming |
land, and neglecting their swamp land,
when taking it into their heads to try |
cranberriss they have gone into the cul
ture and at the end of season or two
received offers of $4,000 or $50, 900 for
swamps that year or two before they
would have jumped to get hundred
dollars for. The chief cutivators, be-
sides the Sacketts in this vicinity, are
the Carey brothers, who lately sent
carload of berries to California, where
they sold for S23 dollars barrel. AT
this time of the year these firms are busy
sending their cranberries to the various
and the railroad depot at Berlin
is constantly stocked with barrels await
ing transportation.