MANITOBA FRUIT NOTES. 359 



The Houghton gooseberry does fairly well. From some forty or fifty 

 seedlings of the present year, I am, however, looking- for something 

 better. All kinds of red currants bore a good crop, but Stewart's 

 Seedling takes the lead. Knudson's Black Danish bears fruit larger> 

 better flavored and more abundant than Lee's or Champion or any 

 other kind on trial. Some seedlings of English Black of this year 

 may give something desirable. The Bederwood strawberry bears 

 the best, and the Gardner's first year's crop in qualitj'', if not in 

 quantity, was a good second. Wm. Belt and the seedling "1000" may 

 outstrip them both next year. Turner holds the fort in red rasp- 

 berries, and two or three blackcaps (without protection) gave en- 

 couraging results. 



For fear such a "wind" from Manitoba may never again get leave 

 to blow, I must, however, stop, but trust that my paper may prove 

 to be good cheer to my very kind Minnesota fellow members. 



WILL BEES DESTROY GRAPES? 



PROF. J. TROOP, INDIANA. 



There is a great difference of opinion among well informed fruit 

 growers as to whether the honey bee actually destroys ripe grapes 

 without any assistance. In order to secure reliable data on this 

 question, some careful observations were made during the past 

 season. A Worden grapevine was selected, and when the fruit was 

 ripe all defective berries and surplus leaves were removed, so as to 

 allow the bees free movement and give them every facility for work. 

 A colony of Italian bees were then placed close to the vine, and both 

 vine and hive enclosed with mosquito netting, giving the bees about 

 300 cubic feet of space in which to work. At first they did not take 

 kindly to the confinement, but after the first few daj^s did not seem 

 to mind it. They were kept confined with the grapes just three 

 weeks, and during this time they were not allowed to get any other 

 food except what they already had in the hive. At the end of three 

 weeks they were removed and the grapes carefully examined, but it 

 could not be discovered that a single grape had been injured. The 

 natural inference is, that if the bees could not be induced to eat the 

 grapes when kept in close confinement with them, they are not lia- 

 ble to do them much injury when at liberty to seek the food they 

 like best. 



It is well know that certain wasps will cut the skin of grapes, and 

 I have always held to the opinion that the wasp was the culprit 

 which opens the door for the bees to enter. This opinion has been 

 confirmed the past season, when two species of the genus Polistes, 

 or social wasps, were seen to light on the grapes and with their 

 sharp jaws tear open the skin and suck the juice. After which 

 honey bees would usually finish the work. In fact, it would be a 

 very stupid bee that would not avail itself of such an opprtunity.— 

 O, J. Farmer. 



