A new berry which Mr. Makepeace showed me appears to combine more merits than any berry which I have ever seen. Some twelve years ago he observed the original plants in a neighbor's bog, occupying a space about six feet square, and he procured a few cuttings. The small bog which he now has of it is well worth a journey to see. The berries are unusually large, cherry-shaped, a little later than Early Black, and a bright rose-purple. It is probably the largest early berry. It is shown natural size in Fig. 7. I take pleasure in calling it the Makepeace.

It is an arduous labor to subdue a wild bog. The bushes and trees must be removed, roots and all, and it is usually necessary to remove the upper foot or so of the surface in order to get rid of the roots, bushes and undecayed accumulations. This process is termed "turfing." The turf is commonly cut into small squares and hauled off. It is necessary to leave the surface level and even, in order that all the plants may have an equal chance and thereby make an even and continuous bed, and to avoid inequalities in flooding. Although the cranberry thrives in swamps and endures flooding at certain seasons, it nevertheless demands comparative dryness during the growing and fruiting season. The swamp must therefore be drained. Open ditches are cut at intervals of four or five rods, about two feet deep and these lead into the main or flooding ditch. It is also often necessary to run a ditch around the outside of the bog to catch the wash from the banks. The areas enclosed within the intersections of the ditches are called sections, and each section is planted to a single variety. The main ditch is usually a straightened creek, or it carries the overflow from a reservoir which may be built for the purpose of affording water to flood the bog.

Growers always divert a creek through the bog if possible. In the Cape Cod districts these creeks are often clear trout brooks. The main ditch is strongly dammed to allow of flooding.

Before planting is done, the bog is sanded. This operation consists in covering the whole surface with about four inches of clean and coarse sand, free from roots and weeds. The chief object of sanding is to prevent too rapid growth and consequent unproductiveness of vines. In wild bogs, the cranberry rarely roots deeply in the muck, but subsists rather in the loose sphagnum moss. Vines that grow in pure muck rarely produce well.

The sand also serves as a mulch to the muck, mitigating extremes of drouth and moisture. It also prevents the heaving of the vines in winter, and it aids in subduing weeds. Every four or five years after the bog begins to bear it is necessary to resand it, in order to maintain productiveness. These subsequent applications are light, however, seldom more than a half inch in depth. The Cape Cod bogs are fortunate in their proximity to the sand.

It was once the practice to plant cranberry vines in "sods," or clumps, just as they are dug from the swamps. There are several vital objections to this operation, and it is now given up. It is expensive, the vines are apt to be old and stunted, an even "stand" can rarely be secured, and many pernicious weeds and bushes are introduced. Cuttings are now used exclusively. These are made from vigorous runners and are six or eight inches in length. They are thrust obliquely through the sand, about an inch and a half or two inches of the tip being allowed to project They are set in early spring, about 14 inches apart each way. In two or three weeks they begin to grow, and in three or four years a full crop is obtained. The subsequent cultivation consists in keeping the bog clean. A small force is employed during the summer months in pulling weeds. Under ordinary conditions it costs from $300 to $500 per acre to fit and plant a bog.

Opinions vary as to the best times and frequency of flooding. There are those who contend that flooding is not necessary, and it is a fact that there are some "dry bogs " which are successful. It is no doubt true that the value of flooding varies with conditions. It appears to be generally held that bogs are longer lived and more productive if judiciously flooded, and it is certainly true that flooding is often the very best remedy for insect attacks. The reasons for flooding, so far as I know, are five : (1) To protect the plants from heaving in the winter ; (2) to avoid late spring and early fall frosts; (3) to drown out insects ; (4) to protect from drouth; (5) to guard against fire, which sometimes works sad havoc in the muck. Mr. Makepeace prefers to flood but once a year, unless insects appear in serious numbers. He lets on the water in December and draws it off in April or early in May. Just enough water is used to completely cover the vines in all parts of the bog.

There are many hindrances to cranberry growing. The chief are spring and fall frosts, hail, numerous insects and some fungous diseases. During the summer season the bogs are not flooded, and insects must be kept in check by insecticides. Tobacco water is commonly nsed. Fig. 8 illustrates a tobacco tank about 10 feet long. The liquid is applied with hand pumps from the middle of May to late in June. It is supposed that it has some value as a fertilizer also.

Fifty barrels per acre is a good crop of cranberries, yet 200 barrels have been produced. The grower usually gets from $5 to $10 per barrel of 100 quarts. It does not appear to be known now long a well-handled bog will continue to be profitable, but Mr. Makepeace assures me that he knows a bog 30 years old which is still in good condition. L. H. Bailey.