The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-09
CRANBERRIES ARE COSTLY.
Unusually Short Crops All Around Cur.
tails Thanksgiving Supply-Machines
Used as pickeTs.

Used as pickers.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
No well-appolnted Thanksgiving
dinner is considered complete without
cranberry sauce to go with the tur-
key but this year the short crop Of
cranberries has so curtailed the sup
ply that the cost of the sauce will
be more than doubled.
A well known dealer yesterday said
Cape Cod has produced but half q
crop. Jersey less than two-thirds of
crop, and the crop in Wisconsin has
been a complete failure. Prices are
pretty nearly double what they were
year ago, and, in fact, range SO high
for all grades Of cranberrics that the
trade is not taking them. Last year all
previous records were broken, the
crop harvested being the largest ever
grown In the United States. \ dis
astrous attempt was made to dispose
OF fraction OF the crop in England,
where it was hoped good prices would
be obtained. As a result it cost $500
to sell the 1,40O barrels sent there"
Another we'll known dealer said;
| quite IA revolution in the system Of
harvesting cranberries was inaugura-
| ted this season on the Cape Cod bogs,
where machines We're used to gather
the crop. A machine operated by one
man will gather as many cranberries
In one day as were ever picked by
twenty-five good pickers using both
hands. Growers assert that the ma
chimes damage the bushes to about
the same extent that the 100 or 15C
persons will who are usually employed
in the bogs at harvest time. In one
bog where 800 persons are usually EN-.
ployed every day during the picking
season 1t was found that twenty-five
men using the machines could easily
keep up with the work"
The Crop Is Small.
A dealer, who Is also a grower, sale
that cranberries usually appear In the
market about the middle or latter par
Of August, and after the first week II
September the supply is generally
large, but this year only few berrie!
appeared on the market until October
The first berries come from Cape Cod
and as a rule, Jersey growers hold bacl
the main part of their crop until th'
Cape stock Is marketed, though moder
ate shipments are also made early IL
the season from New Jersey. The lat,
frosts last spring injured the Cape Coz
crop to such an extent that there wa
| ltrht tyiaI nIoh
than half crop. The crop in New Jer
sey was also seriously affected, Will
that in Wisconsin was an entire failure
These are the only localities In tn
United States where cranberries ar
grown for the markets, and the limi
ted supply has already advanced tn
price to about double that of last year
The market opened last year at 81 t
Sc per barrel, and $1.75 to 50 per crate.
Although the New Jersey bogs fur
nish the larger quantities of cranber
ries, the finest are grown at Cape Cod
, The finest Of these berries are never pu
on the market until about Nov. II
Growers have been engaged in cultivat
ing cranberries on the Cape Cod mead
, ows for the past fifty years, until the
, have produced berries the larger siz
of which are as big as pigeon eggs
, These berries are usually picked abou
Sept. 22, while they are still almos
white. This early pickina is done t
escape the frosts to which the Cap
Cod bogs are peculiarly subject.
For several weeks before picking tim
man is stationed at every bog, with
thermometer in the most exposed pc
,, sition, who lifts the gates and food
the swamps the moment the mercur
falls below the danger line. After tn
berries are all picked they are put in
fruit house and sweated until the
,, change to a pale pink and then to
bright cherry color. The small one
are separated from the large ones b
rolling them over sieve. They ar
then packed in barrels holding II
quarts each.