1874. 
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
113 
OUR PRIMARY DEPARTMENT, 
Or First Principles in Bee-Keeping. 
[Designed especially lor the veriest novices, and 
those who know nothing ofhecs whatever. Conduct- 
ed hy a fellow Novice of several years experience 
replete with blunders, ns well as with occasional 
su ccesses.] 
"A'Vfif E promised to tell how to “swarm grape 
yfti f vines artificially.” Very well; your 
one vine is supposed to have become strong 
and vigorous, and to have not only covered 
the trellis completely, but to have seemingly 
become impatient of being restrained by the 
continual pinching back necessary to keep it 
within such narrow limits. It in fact has per- 
haps manifested this by blossoming and at- 
tempting to bear grapes out of season near the 
top bar of the trellis. It is precisely like a 
colony having too many bees for the size of 
the hive. Very likely each one of the ten up- 
right canes has produced three or four tine 
clusters of extra large nice berries, but still 
the vigor of the vine, (if our directions have 
been carefully complied with) is equal to some- 
thing more, and accordingly we encourage one 
of the outside canes by allowing it to send a 
new shoot up above the rest of the trellis. 
When this is well started, the whole cane is 
bent over so as to go strait down to the ground 
and then curved outward so as to lie in a trench 
a few inches deep, that it may be covered with 
soil enough to protect it from injury. 
A new trellis is now to be constructed, if it 
has not been done before, just 3 feet from the 
old one ; that is, the two trellises are to have 
a walk of just 3 feet in width between them. 
The new shoot grows very rapidly and can 
soon be tied up to the first post of the new 
trellis and across the lower bar. Now select 
a side shoot for each wire, and almost before 
you are aware of it, you have another complete 
grape vine. 
The accompanying engraving will make it 
all plain. 
furnish shoots for not only a new one at the 
right and left, but also for the whole six that 
are to surround the original one, even in a sin- 
gle season if need be. As the new vines take 
root almost as soon as laid down, the old vine 
suffers but little loss, and new ones that were 
started in this manner the 4th of July last 
season, are now pretty well loaded with fine 
grapes; their connection with the old vine en- 
abling them to become bearing vines in one 
year only. Although their remaining attached 
to the old vine does not seetn to impair its 
productiveness, the aid they receive from it is 
quite important. This matter we tested this 
season by chopping one of the new vines oil' 
where it left the old one, as we were hoeing 
about them. It had been growing with great 
vigor, and had considerable fruit on it, but the 
next day the sun hung its foliage like wilted 
cabbage leaves. By heavy mulching, and buck- 
ets of water, we induced it to look up again, 
but it is far behind its comrades and we have 
decided it best not to sever “parental tics” in 
future at all, and if we are careful in tieing 
them close to the posts in laying them down, 
they are never in the way. One strong Con- 
cord vine, wc think could in this manner be 
easily increased to 100 in three years, and they 
would all bear a crop in the year following tlu* 
one in which they were started. So far as 
quality and size is concerned, of fruit from 
vines trained in this manner we would only- 
say that we have never before seen it equaled. 
Our vines are now loaded with delicious fruit, 
and Blue Eye’s eloquent praises of “Papa’s 
whole lot o’ dapes,” coupled with the appear- 
ance of the great purple bunches (which we 
would willingly share with our readers if we 
could) is enough to give one a mania for “grape 
growing,” almost equal in virulence to the bee 
fever. Long may these two innocent and fas- 
cinating Industrial pursuits, thrive in harmo- 
ny-. The idea, that the culture of either in any- 
way interferes with the other is a joke entirely- 
outside of our experience. Where grapes are 
The view is taken from the south side, and 
the hives are just visible through the foliage 
ni their proper places. One strong vine will 
trained thus, fowls if allowed will make sad 
havoc among them ; the bees of course then 
work on the bruised ones but never otherwise. 
