1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



37 



OM" PKOTECTING NATIVE GBAPSS IN 

 WINTER. 



BY rUATIQUER. 



It is our duty to profit by experience. The re- 

 sults of the past year have taught a lesson to be 

 improved by vincyardists, as a matter of ])leasure 

 as -well as profit. Amon;^ those who laid down 

 their ,£:;;rape-vines in the fall of 1860, are now, at 

 the fruit-ripening season, to be seen many cheer- 

 ful countenances, the owners pointing Mith glow- 

 ing satisfaction to Avell-loaded vines, bearing ripe, 

 delicious grapes, produced, as they firmly believe, 

 by their discretion in protecting the vines a year 

 ago, some of whom, I am hajjpy to say, have real- 

 ized a money value for their products which ena- 

 les them to say that grape culture is profitable, as 

 well as pleasurable. . The protection of vines in 

 this Nortliern climate is a necessity ; they may es- 

 cape five years out of six, and yet, if the crop is 

 lost once in that time, the grower not only loses 

 his crop, but very often loses his confidence, so 

 that he neglects to prune, cultivate, and train, and 

 perhaps, through carelessness and neglect, loses 

 his crop of future years, and ultimately the cost of 

 liis vineyard. When one sees a neglected vine- 

 yard, and inquires the reason why it is not cared 

 for, he is often told, "It won't pay." Why not ? 

 '•Because it is so much trouble to cover the vines 

 in winter." Let us look at this, and see if it is so. 

 The writer, who is an enthusiast on gi-ape culture, 

 dcsii'ous to try experiments, lost many of his vines 

 by a neglect to cover them, by leaving them tied 

 to the stakes and trellis, to see what Avould happen 

 to them, wliile the other portion, covered Avith 

 earth, or laid on the ground and covered with 

 leaves and snow, were not only in good order in 

 the spring, but have borne abundantly of good ripe 

 fruit, and have already ripened wood for another 

 season, ripening both fruit and wood many days 

 earlier for their protection. A neighbor, with a 

 large vineyard, producing annually many tons of 

 grapes, covered a part of his vines, Aviiich have 

 yielded bountiful crops this season ; lie has lost, 

 by his estimate, from two to three thousand dollars 

 on those left exposed, the expense of covering 

 which would have amoimted to a trifie less than 

 two hundred dollars. Omitting tliis small expen- 

 diture, liis unprotected vines have barely paid the 

 expense of cultivating the past summer ; indeed, a 

 part of liis vineyard has not even been plowed this 

 season, shoAving that he was discouraged. I could 

 cite many more instances, if necessary, but a Avord 

 to the wise is sufficient. It must be remarked, 

 that the v,inter of 1S60-G1 was the severest upon 

 many fruits that has lieeii experienced during tJie 

 ]>rcsent century, either on this continent or in Eu- 

 rope. The cold was intense for perhaps twenty- 

 four hours at a time, and was preceded and fol- 

 lowed by moderate weather, with a clear winter 

 sun. There is good reason to believe that native 

 grapes would bear the severest cold if they were 

 not suddenly ex])osed to a bright sunshine, after 

 being congealed into solid ice ; it may not, there- 

 fore, be necessary to bury them in the ground, but 

 it is undoubtedly the most economical mode of 

 protecting them, is found to be effectual in every 

 instance heard of, and is doubtless attended with 

 less trouble than any other method of covering and 

 protecting known. It can be done rapidly ; with 

 an hour's practice, a man becomes very expert. 



First, let the vines be pruned and trimmed ready 

 for t}'ing in the spring ; then run a plow two or 

 three times between the roMS, near the middle, say 

 about three or feet from the stakes or trellis, and 

 so for from the vines as to lay no roots bare ; then 

 let two men work together, one of v.hom gathers 

 the canes, and holding them together, lays them 

 on the ground lengthwise of the rows, while the 

 other throws two or three shovelfuls of earth to 

 anchor them, and continues to tlii'ow on more 

 earth, where needed, until the first is ready with 

 more canes from the next vine. They proceed thus 

 through the roAV. Returning, they each use the 

 shovel to complete the covering. It may all be 

 done in less time than the two men Avould dig a 

 row of potatoes. This is much easier and less ex- 

 pensive than covering with straw : besides, straw 

 beds l)ecome harboring-places for mice, Avhieli ofcen 

 damage the canes Avhen short of food. Another 

 method is to construct hurdles to lay over the 

 vines, but it is both troublesome and costly, except 

 on a small scale. Vines are sometimes well pro- 

 tected by laying on the ground, Avith stones upon 

 them, to prevent SAvaying alDout in the Avind. There 

 are some hardy varieties Avliich have Avithstood the 

 vicissitudes of our climate, and Avhich may be said 

 not to need any protection ; but they may live in 

 one location, and be Avinter-killed in another ; or, 

 under varying circumstances, the Avood of one may 

 be more perfectly ripened, and thus be able to 

 stand scA'erer tests. It is better to cover than all ; 

 they are then sure to come out all right, and Avill 

 bear their fruit three to five days earlier for it, 

 which is an item of great importance, adding more 

 value to the crop than all the labor and expense 

 of protection. In the spring, the canes may be 

 lifted Avith a garden fork, and alloAved to lie on the 

 ground until the proper time for tying to the stake 

 or trelhs. 



Remarks. — For several years we have practiced 

 the mode of protecting grape vines in the Avinter 

 described above, and have invariably found them 

 to come out in the spring appearing more fresh 

 and vigorous than those left upon the trellises or 

 stakes. The labor of laying them is not much, 

 and, compared Avith the advantages gained, is un- 

 doubtedly a profitable labor. When covered, the 

 cultivator should not be in haste to take them up 

 in the spring, as the bark, by being kept moist 

 through the Avinter, is tender, and is in danger 

 of being injured by a night or tAVO that is colder 

 than is usual in the spring, if foUoAved by- hot suns 

 during the succeeding clays. We have sometimes 

 let them remain Avith advantage until the middle 

 of May. 



The Bees at War. — A gi-eat battle of bees 

 recently occurred at Conneaut, Oliio. Ezra ] )ip- 

 ple had seventy SAvarms, about equally divided on 

 the east and Avest sides of his house. On the 17 th 

 they Avent to Avar, those on the Avest side of the 

 house being arrayed in battle against those on the 

 other side. They filled the air, covering a space 

 of more than one acre of ground, and fought des- 

 perately for tln-ee hours— not for "spoils," but for 

 conquest ; and Avliile at Avar, no living thing could 

 exist in the vicinity. They stung a large fiock of 



