The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-18
CAPE COD CRANBERRIES.


New York Mail and Express.
Massachusetts, will be glad to know that
the cranberry has been recognized officially
by the United States government, but the
weak attempt of the government to show
that a cranberry fit to eat will grow any
where except on Cape Cod will amount 10
an almost deadly insult to Massachusetts
pride.
More serious still is the statement made
in the governments cranberry book, just
issued, that while Cape Cod cranberry bogs
yield III bushels of cranberries to the acre,
away out in Oregon so large yield as
119 bushels may be achieved. The census
Office got hold of that information In the
census of 1909, and the Department of Asri-
culture prints ii over again, just to rub
it in.
However, Oregon has only few acres of
cranberry boys, and Cape Cod has thou.
the figures show that Massachusetts can
produce more cranberries than any other
State Connecticut, for instance, can get
only measly twenty-five bushels to the
acre, Wisconsin grows only nineteen and
New York ninety-six TO the acre. New
York has only 11S acres OF cranberry boys,
while Massachusetts has more than five
thousand acres.
The cranberry book does not tell where
cranberries came from nor does it relate
who found out that they make such appe-
tizing sauce for turkey. Previous to the
year 1900 they grew wild on Cape Cod, and
along about that year, or. anyway, before
1913. some with the imagination of a
Z.
eat. made UP his mind that ii was time the
world knew more about the cranberry. The
mans name was lost in the shuttle and
element of those early days, but he made
himself cranberry bog on Cape Cod,
grew cranberries and sold them TO his
neighbors. The neighbors liked them
properly stewed, of course-and pretty soon
demands came from Boston. Other Cape
Coolers went into the business and it grew
rapidly.
1t is the one Massachusetts delicacy that
= s4. - Al.
body associates the cranberry with Cape
Cod. Boston has not stolen that glory, and
Boston is fearful thief in .filching epi-
bean from Beverly, and unbiushingly called
IL the Boston baked bean. There is no such
thing. Beans are baked in Boston. and
well BAKED at that, but no Bostonian in
years and years before slow Boston ever
heard of a bean that was baked the right
way-in stone jars, with bit of pork on
baked beans from Beverly for twenty
years and then filched the patent
1t is so with Boston brown bread. There's
no such thing. Salem invented that before
the witchcraft days, and there's more
brown bread eaten per capita in Salem on
Sunday mornings than in any other place
on the face of the earth. Goldfish balls too
food fit for the gods when taken with
brown bread and beans-were invented In
Marblehead, although Boston claims the
glory.
Cape Cod berry is the only one in the world
that is good. They have a little imitation
berry in Europe, but it is a puny thing
To grow cranberries successfully is an
art. and sometime i'm the distant future
when the highest Massachusetts, civilization
spreads out in the West, there will be cram
berry boys in all of the Northern States
and they will be made to pay well. Gran
berries fetch high prices, as they ought. In
April. 1897 however, here was a panic in
the cranberry market, and the wicked
bears rushed the price down to the ruin
Gus and criminal figures of $3.50 barrel
That is the lowest price ever known The
cranberry growers got SIC barrel i'm April
1874 which is the highest price on record
Just now the price ranges from 81 to $40
a barrel which is considered a fair price
and gives a good profit to the grower.
Cranberry picking time on Cape Cod is
what hop picking time used to be in New
York State, before it was ruined by foreign
labor. 1t is time of fun, money making
love making, dancing. singing and general
rejoicing. Cape Cod poets have all written
poems about cranberry picking time.