210 STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I 

 than half the grapes were destroyed in this way. For the three years I have 

 had these grapes this is the first time I have known bees to attack them. 

 I may also add the other kinds, such as tlie large and small blue sorts, in fact 

 all the other varieties were left untouched. I do not believe there is any 

 remedy for their destruction. But as to all appearances the bees have had 

 their first taste of grapes in this part of the country, next year they will per- 

 haps come m swarms, so that the people here will have very few grapes to pick 

 after the bees shall have taken all that may be good, to make honey for other 

 people. 



An Ohio man in commenting on the above says : 



Now it so happens that the honey bee could not well make a "puncture " 

 except with its sting, and I am sure that if this observer had really seen a bee 

 puncturing grapes with its sting he would have noted that f^ct and given it 

 some prominence. There are many people who, having seen bees at work upon 

 their grapes, have naturally inferred that they were the sole cause of all the 

 mischief done, -and a few, therefore, considering them a pest, have under- 

 taken to poison them, a proceeding of doubtful justification even if it could 

 be clearly shown that they do sometimes attack and destroy sound grapes. 



The past season bees worked upon my grapes when I took occasion to exam- 

 ine their work very closely to see if they made use of their mandibles to gnaw 

 into the sound grapes, but no such use of them was detected. Their tongues 

 were, however, used freely in licking up the juices of the ruptured fruit. They 

 would run over and about the clusters as if in search of some opening, nor 

 would they relax their activity until an unsound grape was found, when immedi- 

 ately the tongue was presented for use. I doubt very much if they ever make 

 use of their mandibles in the act of gathering any kind of sweets. It is well 

 known that the cat bird, blue jay and brown thrush are very destructive 

 to grapes, and since they often live several years, — unlike the honey bee whose 

 life is only for a few months at best, — they may profit from previous experi- 

 ence. It might be well, therefore, for persons complaining of their grapes 

 being "punctured " to keep a sharp lookout for birds. 



The rupturing of my grapes the past season may be readily and truly, as I 

 believe, attributed to the continued very warm weather, frequent rains, 

 and very damp atmosphere while the grapes were ripening and afterwards. 

 These were conditions favorable to a rapid growth of vegetation and to an 

 active absorbtion of fluids both from tlie earth and air. Too rapid a growth 

 of the grapes or a superabundance of their juices occurring before or after 

 ripening, was the direct cause of their rupturing. I had also an early apple 

 tree that was loaded with small but mild-flavored apples. They ripened about 

 the middle of August, and the weather being as above described for several 

 weeks they nearly all cracked open, when the tree became full of bees and 

 wasps every day as long as the apples lasted. It is therefore apparent that 

 bees will work upon unsound grapes and apples, but the very interesting ques- 

 tion whether they ever injure or destroy sound, ripe fruit of any kind does not 

 as yet appear to be established by any decisive evidence. 



GBAZING OECHARDS. 



Mr. G. Cowing, of Muncie, Indiana, believes in pasturing orchards to 

 diminish the progeny of the codling moth. He gives the following illustration : 



