Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-02-14
A CRANBERRY BOG.
Valuable Part of n Farm-How Pre-
pared and Planted

Valuable Part of n Farm-How Pre-
pared and Planted.
. The ignorance or Indifference which
has permitted thousands of acres of
valuable swamps to lie idle throughout
the country is now being replaced by
general recognition of their worth and
an earnest desire for information on
their reclamation. This is because
many of these swamps when properly
prepared become Ey far the most valu-
able part of the farm. No swamps,
however, will produce cranberries at a
profit unless properly prepared, and
some will not produce the fruit at all.
Every profitable bog must possess three
things, the right kind of bottom, fairly
good drainage and good sand conven-
iently near. Taking them in their or
der, we commence with the bottom.
Any swamp that grows maple, laurel,
CEDAR huckleberries or wild cranber-
ries is suitable, whether of peat or allu-
vial bottom, but any swamp that con-
tains alkali, oil or lime is worthless.
Next comes drainage. This must be
regulated so that the surface of the
bog will be kept dry during the bud
ding, Towering and harvesting season.
Last comes sand. This must be abso-
lutely free from lime, alkali or loan
and of loose, gravelly nature, writes
a Massachusetts grower to Rural New
Yorker, in which he gives some other
practical information.
The winter season is the best time to
begin work on cranberry bog. The
surface is then frozen, and the wood
can be easily cut and carted off. Brush
and small trees should be cut close to
the ground, but the larger trees it is
better to cut them so as to leave about
four feet standing. Having cleared
the surface, there is nothing more to
be done until the frost comes out. Then
a ditch must be dug all around the
swamp close 10 the upland, and cross
bitches must be dug so as to divide the
bog into sections of not more tnan
three-fourths of an acre. These bitches
should be deep enough to drain the
swamp so it is sufficiently dry to
work on. The surface is then cut in
to squares two feet each way with a
broad headed ak and the squares turn
ed bottom up to dry. The hummocks
are leyeled and the hollows filed and
all surplus turf carried off to the up
land. The stumps and roots are now
carefully removed. The large stumps
standing four feet tall are quite easily
taken out by digging around them
and pulling them over with block and
tackle. Having got rid of these, the
swamp is ready for grading. 1t is i'm
portant that the work should be care
fully done. The whole surface should
be as level as a house floor There
are two reasons for this-first, to en-
able the builder to put the sand on
evenly, and, second, to make the har-
vesting easy. There is generally wa
ter enough in the bitches to get the
level right, and it should be set as high
as possible, so as to keep all the good
material on the swamp. There is much
more danger of getting the swamp too
low than too high. A swamp that is
low enough to be wet in summer will
grow nothing but weeds.
Having carried out the above direc-
lions, we are now ready to put on the
sand. Spread it evenly, about three
inches deep, and throw out all stones
as large as hens egg. In fact, it is
better to screen the sand if possible,
for then you know just what you are
putting on. The best time to set the
vines is during the month of April and
if there is rain so much the better. The
vines are set in hills Is inches apart
each way, with about five pieces of
vine in each hill. One end of the vines
is showed through the sand into the
peat, leaving the other end to stick out
an inch or two above the surface
There are many varieties that are good
yielders, but if your swamp is located
where frost comes early and stays late
the Early Black is the best berry to
grow. If your section is free from
frost as late as October. try the Howe
There are number of others that are
good. The average price for vines is
from So to $4 barrel. 1t takes three
barrels to set out an acre of swamp.
many powders anu llquldS are adyer-
tised to kill insects on the vines. Poi
son will not injure the fruit unless put
ON when vines are in flower and each
grower can safely use any that be pre-
fers. The cost of making bog in the
manner described is about SIPS per
square rod. The bitches should be kept
cleaned out so as to let the water flow
freely and the surface of the bog kept
free from weeds. A little guano spread
around each hill soon after setting is
great help. 1t takes four years to get g
full crop, but the vines will bear some
fruit the second and third years. A bog
properly made should at the end of
four years produce on an average 100
barrels per acre.