62 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
is a heavy and essential pruning, and divests the vine 
of much green wood a-nd leaves, and is considered im¬ 
portant to the development and ripening of the fruit. 
I would, however, particularly caution the operator 
against at any time removing the leaves of the vine, 
except such as are attached to the laterals and short¬ 
enings, and come away with them. The leaves are 
vitally important to the ripening of the fruit, which is 
always the best in the deepest shade. Such fruit as 
by accident becomes exposed to the sun, is sure to be 
very inferior and sour. 
About the 8th of June, while the vine is in flower, 
and throwing its peculiar and delicious perfume all 
around, its great enemy, the rose-bug , makes its ap¬ 
pearance, and feeds with voracity on the sweet and 
delicate blossom. In a few days after their first ap¬ 
pearance, thousands are seen, carrying destruction 
throughout the vineyard. The best remedy I could 
ever devise, is to go among the vines early in the 
morning, before the sun has warmed them into activi¬ 
ty, and they are then easily made to fall into the hand 
or on the ground, and may be crushed and destroyed. 
A few mornings spent in this way will clear the vine¬ 
yard, as they are a short-lived enemy. 
In the latter part of July, the blight or rot takes 
place where the Isabella vines are cultivated in fields, 
but it is seldom seen among those cultivated in cities. 
Great quantities of fruit will become brown, and 
sometimes black, and fall off. It is not easy to ac¬ 
count for this destruction, which is seen as much on 
the high as on the low vines, and no less on fruit ex¬ 
posed to the sun, than on that in the shade. As an 
experiment, I discharged with a syringe, lime-water, 
sulphur-water, and soap-suds upon them, and also 
sifted dry sulphur on the fruit, but without any sensi¬ 
ble effect. I feared I should lose all my grapes, but, 
to my surprise, I had a great crop, notwithstanding 
the rot. I have since supposed it might arise from 
the exuberance of the vine, which, like the peach and 
apple tree, may perhaps thus disburden itself of a por¬ 
tion of its fruit; but even on this principle it is diffi¬ 
cult to account for its non-appearance in cities, where 
the quantities of pure fruit are quite astonishing. 
I have observed in the cities, that spiders and cater¬ 
pillars are in some degree destructive to the green 
fruit. Spiders will get to the centre of the cluster, 
and cause the fruit to fall in single grapes, but the 
caterpillar attacks the stem, and the whole green clus¬ 
ter falls to the ground. 
I have in a few instances trained the vines upon 
large apple trees, and the grapes were abundant 
among the apples ; but I do not think this mode is to 
be recommended where other supports can be had. 
The fruit was inferior. 
In the city of Brooklyn, and among high buildings, 
my vines have not failed to produce abundantly every 
season, during the last fourteen year. This is an in¬ 
teresting fact to all who cultivate the grape. At my 
vineyard in the country, they have declined very much, 
which I attribute to the neglect and ignorance of the 
tenants on the place. Even in the country they are 
much better around the buildings than in the open 
fields. There are from three to five clusters on eve¬ 
ry fruit-bearing branch. I have in a few instances 
seen six. The extremities of the vine generally pro¬ 
duce the best fruit, and there is often much difference 
in the quality of the fruit on the same vine. They 
may be trained a great distance over large arbors, 
and on the roofs and around the upper windows of 
our high houses. New branches will sometimes grow 
from twenty to thirty feet in one season. 
The vine is sometimes propagated by layers, which 
consists in bending down the branch into a channel 
dug in the earth, and burying it at a proper depth, in 
a curving line, with the end above the earth. Roots 
will start plentifully from the part in the earth, and 
when it is well rooted may be cut from the parent 
vine and transplanted. If proper care is taken, the 
cuttings as well as roots may be sent a great distance. 
I sent a quantity of cuttings, packed in moist sods in 
a box, via New-Orleans to Arkansas, and had the sa¬ 
tisfaction to learn that they were all alive on their ar¬ 
rival, and had been successfully planted out. 
In March, 1832, I sold ten thousand cuttings to 
William Underhill, of Teller’s Point, near Sing-Sing, 
N. Y. I have never visited his vineyard, but under¬ 
stand he is a successful cultivator. 
Nothing is lost in a vineyard, as the green trim¬ 
mings in summer are good food for cattle, and winter 
trimmings, when not required for propagation, make 
good fuel. 
OF WINE. 
Although I was successful in making some good 
wine, yet a portion was spoiled, and I do not flatter 
myself that I know much about it. An excellent lit¬ 
tle book, published by Mr. Adlum, of Georgetown, 
who was a great cultivator of grapes and manufactu¬ 
rer of wine, was my best guide in wine-making. I 
would respectfully advise such as wish information on 
this subject, to obtain it, and follow the rules there 
laid down. My experience, however, may be of some 
service, and I cheerfully give it. 
The grapes were gathered and thrown into tubs, 
without breaking the clusters, or separating the ripe 
from the unripe. They were broken by a common 
pounder, and merely cracking the skin is sufficient, 
and care should be taken that the seeds be not broken. 
The murk or pomace is thrown into a vat, which is 
covered with one or more blankets, to confine the 
heat and hasten fermentation. A portion is some¬ 
times warmed and added to the mass, to give it a 
start. The pomace rises on the top, and the whole 
will continue to rise and ferment upwards for four or 
five days. When it begins to sink, the fine liquor, as 
clear as oil, may be drawn by a tap from near the 
bottom off the vat, as long as it will run clear. This 
makes the best wine. The pomace is then pressed in 
any convenient mode, and all the juice extracted. 
The liquor is then called must, and in this state it is 
when any addition may be made, such as sugar or 
brandy. Nothing will incorporate well unless added 
before fermentation. I added in different casks from 
one to three pounds of sugar per gallon ; but I would 
advise the adding of three pounds per gallon in ail ca¬ 
ses, and I am not certain that a less quantity will pre¬ 
serve the wine from running into the acetous fermen¬ 
tation. If properly made the wine does not require 
brandy, nor any other spirit, and is much better with¬ 
out it. 
After the sugar is added in due proportion to the 
must, it is put into casks in a moderately cool place, 
and just filled to the open bung, and allowed while 
fermenting to overflow. It will work briskly for a 
month or more, and when it sinks in the cask, must 
be filled up, so as to continue the overflow. It is best 
to stop the fermentation before it quite subsides, in or¬ 
der to preserve the fine aroma of the wine ; and this 
is done by repeated rackings, or drawing off into casks 
previously smoked with sulphur, by burning in them 
rags dipped in melted brimstone. If any particular 
flavor is desired to be communicated artificially , it must 
be done while the must is in the early stages of fer¬ 
mentation. It will probably continue to ferment after 
this first sulphuring and racking; and it may then be 
fined, or clarified. Many substances may be employ¬ 
ed in this. Whites of eggs—milk and sand—fish- 
glue, sometimes called isinglass, may be stirred into 
the wine, which may be racked off in a week or ten 
days afterwards. At every racking a quantity of se¬ 
diment is removed from the bottoms of the casks, and 
these rackings and finings must be continued until 
the wine is perfectly pure. I commenced my wine¬ 
making in October, and considered it fit for bottling 
in the March following, when it was put into bottles, 
demijohns, and tight casks. 
Even when new, the wine is exceedingly good and 
palatable? and diffuses an inward glow, grateful, cheer¬ 
ing and healthful. The taste and aroma are different 
from any wine I have ever known, and I cannot com¬ 
pare it with any. 
I ascertained that a measured bushel of grapes, as 
they came from the vines in clusters, weighed thirty- 
eight pounds. I also weighed 100 pounds of grapes 
and crushed them, and obtained a little more than 
nine gallons of juice; it thus requires eleven or twelve 
pounds of grapes for each gallon of wine. 
The location of my vineyard being considered un¬ 
healthy, I have given it no personal attention since 
1832 ; but many persons in and about Brooklyn have 
made good wine from the Isabella grape since that 
time; and I do not doubt that others will follow their 
example, until the Isabella wine shall become a favo¬ 
rite at the tables of our best connoisseurs. 
There is much to be learned concerning the culti¬ 
vation of the vine, and I look to the correspondents of 
your excellent agricultural journal, for information on 
this as well as other branches of these interesting 
pursuits. In this town last season the Isabella grapes 
did not come to perfection, and were sour and worth¬ 
less ; yet I had excellent grapes from the fine vine¬ 
yard of my friend, Josiah Dow, Esq. of Brooklyn, 
which is twenty miles west of this place. I should 
like to know whether manuring is desirable? what 
kinds, and to what extent 1 what protection is best ? 
and whether my mode of trimming is, or is not, well 
adapted to perpetuate the vine 1 
In conclusion, I would remark, that the Isabella 
grapes are eatable, and often in the market long before 
they are ripe; and consequently many people are 
ignorant of their excellence when in perfection. I 
give it the preference to any grape I have ever tasted, 
and the vine is the greatest bearer I have ever known. 
1 am, sir, very respectfully, your friend, 
ALDEN SPOONER. 
Hempstead, Long-Island, Feb. 15, 1838. 
Sir, —Will some of your valuable correspondents 
please to give your readers information respecting 
those sprouts from the roots of fruit trees, commonly 
called suckers l Should they in all cases be removed ? 
Are they proper for transplanting, and future grafting l 
Many years ago one of my young peach trees was 
injured by mice at the surface of the ground, and was 
sawed off; but the roots sent up a very thick bushy 
tree, which was allowed to grow, and has always been 
the best tree on the place. 
Will quince trees bear best as single standards, or 
in a bushy form 1 S. 
Hempstead, L. I. Feb. 15, 1838. 
Remarks of the Conductor .—The sprouts of fruit trees 
should he carefully extirpated, except one is wanted, as 
in the case of the peach above noted, to supply the 
place of a diseased or decayed parent,—or except, from 
necessity, they are wanted for stocks, to be worked ; 
yet seedlings are decidedly preferable to sprouts for 
stocks, though the graft and bud will readily take upon 
the latter. We may make another exception. Choice 
plums, and sometimes other fruits, grow on their own 
stocks, i. e.have neither been budded nor grafted. We 
have the green and yellow gages, St. Catharines, and 
other plums growing in this way. The sprouts of these 
are worth preserving, as they produce fruit like the pa¬ 
rent. Such trees are produced artificially by layers from 
worked trees, and also by grafting in the ground, and 
when the graft has produced its own roots, separating it, 
with its roots, from the old stock, and replanting it. 
Every succor takes from the nourishment of the parent. 
Heading down the peach, at two years old, is recom¬ 
mended as a means of ensuring long life to the tree, and 
of protecting it from the worm. The quince bears best 
as a standard. 
Bees and Bee House. 
Dear Sir, —If you think the following experiments, 
“the why and wherefore,” would give any informa¬ 
tion on the management of bees, as a disinterested 
endeavor to benefit those who are inclined to embark 
in that branch of rural economy, you are at liberty to 
publish them. 
In the spring of 1834 I had erected on a rock that 
lay near the surface in my garden, a brick house, six 
feet square on the base, and six and a half feet high, 
covered with a conical roof; a hollow column stands 
perpendicular from the chamber and roof, of a conical 
form, fifteen feet in length, and fourteen inches at the 
base, which is not only ornamental, but serves as a 
good ventilator for the colony ; a door and entrance 
on the south side, eighteen by twenty-four inches, se¬ 
cured by a lock. After being ceiled on the sides and 
above with matched boards, shelves were made on 
three sides, and a good hive of bees set thereon. 
When the door was closed, their egress in and out 
was through a space made by the omission of seven 
or eight bricks, on the east and south sides. This 
stock had filled the hive with comb, but did not work 
on the outside and shelves as I expected; but in the 
course of the summer sent out two new swarms. As 
this contrivance did not correspond with their views, 
they soon made safe their retreat to the woods. 
Being a little chagrined, hut not willing “ to give up 
the ship,” so long as there was a prospect of gaining 
any good, I placed the hive, the following spring, on 
the outside of the apiary ; another swarm came forth 
in June; no time was lost in putting within the 
house the new swarm and bush on which they had 
collected. They made choice of the north-east cor¬ 
ner ; from the ceiling worked layers of comb down to 
the first shelves. I soon discovered that these shelves 
were on the same plan of the bottom board of com¬ 
mon hives, securing the bee-moth a good retreat. I 
therefore had occasion to take down these shelves, 
and for a substitute put in cross sticks to bear up the 
comb, which left no chance for an attack by the moth ; 
since then no appearances of their larvae and web has 
been discovered. 
In the course of the two preceding winters they 
have spared to me more than fifty pounds of honey in 
the comb, as white and delicious as any I ever saw, 
without apparently crossing them in the least. 
The advantage gained by this mode of raising ho¬ 
ney over the usual practice is, that a large swarm 
does better than a small one ; they gather more honey, 
and eat less in the winter in proportion to their num¬ 
bers. Instead of clustering on the outside of the hive 
in warm weather, they have plenty of room, fresh air, 
and a cool place to labor. No inconvenience is rea¬ 
lized by comb melting down. They can also raise a 
more powerful defence against their enemies, and are 
not liable to winter kill, as in common hives. The 
perspiration of the bees, which congeals on the sides 
in moderate weather, with the addition of their heat, 
the ice will melt, and run to the bottom of the hive, 
and the bees thereby suffocate. Many a valuable 
swarm is destroyed in this manner. A hive that is 
exposed to snow, the door is oft times filled, which 
prevents the admittance of fresh air sufficient to pre¬ 
serve the life of the swarm. 
The bee-moth does not often attack a large swarm ; 
and if any, when disengaged from the comb, they drop 
to the floor and perish. Mice are secluded. Cattle 
cannot upset them. And finally, as they do not emi¬ 
grate, no anxiety attends that disagreeable task of 
hiving them. 
