Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1911-02-24
CRANBERRIES,
written for the Recorder.)


their acrid flavor. But they are
less familiar with the route by
which the berry comes from the
vine to the store where it is pur-
chased.
Quite a number of years ago a
teachers agency sent the writer
forth to that out-of- the-way corner
of the world known as the Cape
Cod peninsula. There he spent a
session teaching an Indian school.
For a reason that will be mentiond
later, the schools are not open
there during the fall months. The
second day of December he rode
about 10 miles from the railroad
station to the inland village where
the remnant of an Indian tribe still
live.
The land in that section lies we'll, =,
but is poor, and only two per cent.
of it is in cultivation, oaks and
pines covering the rest of the sur
face. Yet here is the greatest cram
berry country in the Union. Like
rice, the cranberry, although cous-
in to the huckleberry, must have
water. So to grow the berries on a
commercial scale low level spot is
chosen. The jungle of vegetation
is cleared away and the roots grub
bed out. Then the surface is level
ed and covered with coating of
sand. BY means of bitches, banks
and food-gates, water may be turn
ed on or let off as desired.
The plants are set out in rows
much after the manner of straw
berry plants, and like strawberries
they do not stand many inches
above the surface. The coating of
sand makes it the easier to keep
weeds under control, and it keeps
the black swamp earth from COM
ing in contact with the fruit. Wa
ter is kept on during much of the
growing season. both for the health
of the plant and to combat insect
enemies. In the winter the water
is allowed to stand to some depth
to keep the ground from freezing.
This makes a good skating surface.
although the skate runners may do
some harm to the stems held fast
in the ice.
But in the fall the water is off to
dry the ground for the plckers.
Nearly the whole population, grown
and ungrown, take part in the
picking. An expert hand will make
good wages at two cents a quart.
while green hand can hardly
make his board. A satisfactory
Weld is one barrel to the square
rod. 1t is said that a machine has
lately been invented to do the pick
ing.
A cranberry field is called a
"bog." 1t costs about $500 an
acre to prepare the ground and set
out the plants. On account of the
expense the larger bogs are often
owned by companies. There was
a bog of so acres only little way
from the writer's boarding house.
No general farming is now done
on Cape Cod. One sees nothing
more than kitchen gardens and
small corn patches. The top soil,
which is dark, is only one to three
inches deep and rests on thick
strata of sand. Consequently it
will not stand drouth we'll. The
winter season was not severe. De-
cember was bright and sunny and
without q flake of snow. In fact
snow does not lie long after it does
come. With northwest wind the
air is clear and cold, but a south
breeze brings warm, cloudy wealth
er from the nearby gulf stream, and
under its influence foot of snow
will disappear with great speed.
The Indians spoken OF have al
ways remained here since the white
people came. They constitute a
community, and call outside folks
foreigners" although they expect
white preachers and teachers. The
men are in demand as sailors and
the women as house help. The lat
ter are superior cooks. The former
have the reputation of being able
to sight a whale at Il greater dis
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