The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1901-11-22

How Cranberrtes Are Raised and Pre-.
pared for Maract
Turkey and cranberry sauce. By force
OF long association and the eternal fitness
OF things. the two go naturally together
What is one without the other, or
Thanksgiving day without bothi Aud so
10 make the 100000 turkeys required
! for the national feast more palatable
10000 barrels OF cranberries are raised
on the marshes Of Cape Cod and New
Jersey. To be sure NOT all OF these are
eaten on Thanksgiving day. but q fairly
large proportion OF them are, and IL Is
the almost universal use OF the tart little
berry on Thanksgiving that has led to the
present wonderful extension OF the bust
ness. The business OF raising crnnberries
| II Z peculiar one Ia al! its aspects Ii re-
| quir~s 4 special kind OF ground. consid-
cradle capital and 4 vast deal OF labor,
and IL is a special trade, more or less ir-
regular In Its returns like all OF Its kind
IL IL the chief industry OF two sections OF
this country. where nearly all the cram
berries used In America aud Europe are
raised. and which II has transformed
from waste bog lands into rich farming
communities.
The land on which cranberries will
flourish is seldom fit for anything else.
In the state In which Ii is usually found
IL REQUIRES about $500 per acre to make
II hf- SO that the transformation u a
swamp into productive cranberry bog
makes II very valuable piece OF prop
erfy- The FIRST requirement ID q peat bot
tom This Is dressed by spreading over
II coating OF seashore sand into which
the slips are stuck and left TO grow al
their ows sweet will. In connection with
the bog there should be an irrigafing
ditch or reservoir. from which Il eau be |
Hooded at any time. II requires several /
years to determine the worth Of marsh
for producing cranberries. aud the siow-
ness of returns. together with the amount
Of capital required. has brought all the
largest marshes into the control OF stock
companies.
II requires hand labor throughout 10
raise eranberries. The chief expense. once
the crop IL started. Is In the picking.
which Is largely performed by women
and rhi,dren. who receive from one 10 one
and half cents per quart for the work,
and are able to earn from IS cents 20 81
per day through the sea son.
A fssf as the berries are gathered By
the pickers they are measured out by the
boss" and unless they are to go at once
to market are packed away In boxes for
storage. This packing is done In what
IL called chat" the moss and leaves
picked up In the field. In boxes with slat-
ted sides 10 allow a free circulation OF
the air. In this way the berry .sweats"
without decaying. and viii keep for
long time When the berries are 10 he
they are screened. The screen
Is like an old-fashioned tanning mill and
serves the dcub.c purpose OF removing
The chan and sorting the berries.
England takes thousands Of barrels OF
American cranberries every year, and the
West has become great market for
hem on account Of the scarcity OF other
small fruits. At preseR more cranber-
'ies are sold In Chicago than In New
Fork or any other Eastern city. Gran
'erries are not injured by freezing. and
70 II IL an easy matter to ship them In
old weather. They are often sent As
ar A. Manitoba In ordinary open box
ara.