, 1876-03-26
CRANf3ERR|ES.
Something About Their Cultivation
and tho Profits Of the
Business.
OF q Well-Known Chicasoan
II the Enterprise.

| 49, @@AC AAANA pA4SEs
Tho people Of Chicago sno, in fact, sver
other city on TIE American continent, have yer.
little ioea how that excellont coucomitant An,
dide-diah to roast turkey, the succulent Gran
berry. ia raitod. The cranberry from luxur,
has become real necessity. What housewif,
would think OF serving up Sunday, or Chris.
mas, or Thanksgiving dinner OF roast turke,
without tho cranberry aauce2 Even the careful
nsiron Of fou1tn-zate boarding-ho house, whit
superiutends the cooking OF the 'hash " for he
hoa'ders, will not Rcoru to have cranberry sancs
On suudly aud especial holidays. With tnest
facts stuffed, it might not prove less interesting
] to The TRIBUNE readers to i1npa1t + short his
| tory AMI description of
CRANBERRY CULTURE
| in the Northwest, aud given some idea of the
] vast proportions this trade has grown to, e1-
] tendlng oTen TO foreign countries, where crau-
berrioa are thing unknown to the soil.
| In Central and Northern Wisconsin arc vast
| tracts, consisting OF large, open, wet marshes.
| sulrounded and interspersad by tall pine-forests
| which send up beautiful aud health~giving
! aro.aa at all SEASONS OF the year. There also
sm'h ratings in these uaarahos, which loox like
| islands on the face Of shallow Iakea. 1t is on
an1 about these marshes that tho home Of the
| cranberry may be- fouad- It's vines are natural
J to the marshes, and there they have grown in m
! uncultlvated state perhaps for centuries.
u few gesrs, ago there was in this cty = gen.
! tleman named
then we'll known az a member Of tbs firm Of
Cornell, Ward ComingH. the former general
agents of the Wilcox l. Gibbs sewing machines,
who had Offices on Lake street. 1lr. cominss
became prostrated With + nervous diseases in the
head. produced bY oVoswors in tue Office, and
his physicians recommended him to lenye
Chicago, or he would very soon be "Ieft" " him
self. Being thus cautioned, ha concluded to
start in the enterprise OF raising craaberziea.
sn three years ago, and his family is the only
one resident in . township of miles. He
has given his personal attention to
improving tract Of 1000 ac1ea, OF
berry cultivation. Since lie has been in Wis
consln, Mr. Comings has gained greatly in health
and strength, and can take tramp OF Is miles
day, with gun on his shouIdor, and not feei
nearly 40 fatigued as wheo he had walked from
his house on Twenty-aecond atroos in the morn
lug to Lii of1ica.
THE CLIMATE
in these pine lands Is healthy, and the soil is
sanity. outside OF the marshes. Tho air seems
to be full Ut the pine aroma and the country is
FREQ from the mxlariat feyers which abound in
the low lands OF Michigan md other Ststee. Mr.
Comings says that when he trst went to live in
Wlsconaln, away ftom civilization, the new life
seemed strange to himself and family. They
had to encounter the usual hardshipa incident to
now country, which is to SONS extent modl-
fed now by q railroad and post-of1ice,
and place to market his fruit.
some G miles from where his plantation ia
located There marketing and the necessariea
Of life can be obtained once OF twica week.
within a 6 miles radius, with 1t this distance
only saw-mill for neighbor, deer, bears, and
Indians make his home occasional calls, but they
arc not nearly 30 much feared by the family ~
the Chicago people fear burglara. They have
PLENTY OF GAME
in the vicinity, and though "Lo" still lingesz,
=" "draH-poker is thing as Jet not introduced.
Mr.. Comings stated that upon these cranberry
trscts largo amounts OF money have bean az
pended in improvements.
The necessary improvements consist in OPEN
ing drainage bitches to carry OF tho surplus
water, and building dams to raise and hold tho
water during rhe winter and spring. or until tbs
time for late spring frosts has past The cram
water in the spring, and thrivss better in having
the water drawn down little below the surface
in summer. Tie improvements, such AZ are I
will cost from $4,000 to 800, QUO, for
from 500 to 600 acre tracts, according to locs-
sion-
THE SOIL IS PEAT,
such "a is taken from the bogs Of tho "onld |
sod " in ireland aud many other parts OF Europe
for fuel, and ranges from to 10 fest in depth-
This immense quantity OF fuel. though it may
A0N AAAN-
:ome very valuable. as it is literal: exhaustless.
The peat is undo1laid with white aand. while |
ray below is i stratum OF rock, which Is abso-
utely waterproof, thus holding the water which
ret and soft IN plsoea that person would al
most be afrad to walk over them for fear Of
sinking in, but the soil is 10 tough that
he Indians lead their ponies over and
'ep Them ont bg hand if they get stuck
a the mud. Throughout all this country
here Ia no surface stone Whatever to be found.
lr. Com1ngs says that he has used team Of
indian ponies with blocks TO their feet, which
ave drawn wagon through the marshes. where
ersons would be almost afraid 70 80 With poles
q their hands.
THE CRANBERRY PLAS1.
Many people have an idea that the Gran berry
rows on bush, instead OF On low, railing
inc, which, under cultivation, becomes heavy
lat like prolific growth Of clover, each sprig
ftentimas bearing from three to eight full-aizad
erries.
The method of planting the berry is very sim
le. Upon most Of these Wisconsin lands the J
erry is natural to the soL, and already on and
sady to grow, and yield crops without planting.
eps the quality. Tho difference between the
lltiyated and Wild berry is only that the former
rows to larger size, and that the vines
cid better, but tho favor Of the tmo
ia about the b.. se ne; ieas aas sssa 5sas0n 'as
God "a the cultivated lies in the :
ct that the indians aud others have alwavs
cked them before they were ripo, Lost there
Guild be some one ahead Of them. Had they g
sen loft to rlpan, they would ho ~ good ~ any I
Ter cultivated r
THEIR WONDERFUL Y1ELD. .
The yield per acre Of full crop of cranberries
aomothips roally astonishing. AZ high as GOO
lsheia have been picked from an aero in one
ason OF courhc this il an unusual crop, but /
gnther from 100 to 20o bushels FROM an acre r
o,ly considered m average yield. 70 show +
ut this sort Of farming il profitable, it might :
stated tnat tho berries bring in this market =
ON So to "a per bushel at almost any time Of =
AZ. The cost ls nothing for cultivation aftsE !
10 dams and bitches have once been built. r
METHOD OK PLANTING. /
The planting On lands where the vines do not I y
ow. and which can be easily flooded, ia simple. | a
consists merely 1u pulling up spslgs from
her places aud planting them il rows 6 feet
ast. and the closer they are put together the
ticker they yield crop. It takas from three y
four years after planting befo1e the vines viii
at in paylug quantity. Whom planted in this .
n the v,ucs soon cover the grouad. c
VITALITY OF THE CRANBERRY VINE O