AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 271 



Chairman — The preservation of grain contemplated by tlie 

 Warren method — showering it so as to pass air freely through it, 

 leads me to remark on the singular invention of New England 

 long ago. That of putting a stout stone in the heart of a barrel 

 of meal. This w^as found to keep the meal sweet for a long time. 

 What is the rationale of this ? 



Mr. Giles of Moulton, Vermont — The fact is so. 



Prof. Mapes — The rationale probably is the attraction of mois- 

 ture by the stone and of heat also. It probably causes an equali- 

 zation of the heat and moisture. 



Paul Stillman — That is, I suppose, the theory of it. 



Solon Kobinson — A better equalizer has been tried. Nail 

 three strips of boards two inches wide together, and bore the tube 

 thus formed full of small holes and set it up in the centre of your 

 barrel. This conveys air to the center, and that is the spot where 

 all mustiness or moldiness commences. 



The subject of the day was now taken up. 



Prof. Mapes — I have twelve acres of vines, eight feet between 

 vines and twelve feet between rows, cultivating the land be- 

 tween. I dug the holes four feet deep and four feet wide, and do 

 not return the earth to the holes, but fill them with good soil. 

 This gives large room for the roots. I set the vine against one 

 side of the hole. I put bones and leather-chips on the bottom of 

 the hole. Neither of these decay soon. I cut the vine back to 

 two buds the first year. Don't let the vine bear too many at first. 

 Break off the vine beyond the branch at the third joint, but do 

 not trim off leaves near the branches. Continue to nip off the 

 new shoot twice as it forms anew, and then let the last sprout 

 grow. The bugs will feed on that branch before they will touch 

 the fruit. You may water with weak guano water and very weak 

 solutions of potash. Ashes are good. I trim in November and 

 cut back to two eyes. It is better to have a lai-ge number of 

 roots than a long vine. I prefer if I can to turn one good branch 

 each way on a vine, and from those train upright branches, 

 which may be cut back alternately to one eye every year, so that 

 you have one branch growing while the next one is bearing. 



Prof. Mapes related an anecdote of a vine at Astoria that grew 

 more grapes than any other he ever knew; and this came from 

 cutting up and burying a dead horse near the vine. The best 

 Isabella grapes are those that are most round in form. I use 

 phosphates upon my vines, and am always successful wherever 

 I have taken sufficient pains in preparing the land at first. That 



