75o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 1 
separating the segments they appeared to be unable 
to penetrate the outer skin, so it was removed from 
many grapes of different kinds, taking care not to 
rupture the film surrounding the pulp. When these 
were exposed to the bees they continued to lap and 
suck the juices from the outer film until it was dry 
and smooth, as was the film between broken and un¬ 
broken segments. They showed no disposition to use 
their jaws or claws, and the outer film as well as the 
film between broken segments remained whole until 
the pulp decayed and dried up. 
After continuing this test for 30 days, using such 
varieties of fruit as could be obtained, 20 varieties of 
grapes were secured from President Lyon, of the 
Michigan Horticultural Society, and the grapes ar¬ 
rived in excellent condition. Another colony of Ital¬ 
ian bees was then placed in the house with those al¬ 
ready confined, for 40 days, and the 20 varieties of 
grapes were exposed upon plates and suspended from 
the rafters as before. The conditions naturally pre¬ 
valent during a severe and protracted drought were 
again produced, and the test again continued 25 days. 
The result was simply a repetition of the former test. 
The bees showed no more capacity or disposition to 
offer violence to one variety of grapes than another. 
No more attention was given the thin-skinned va¬ 
rieties than the thick-skinned. As long as the skin 
remained whole they did not harm the grapes. When 
the skins were broken by violence, such as by cutting 
or squeezing, the juices exposed were appropriated. 
In order to determine the size of the opening neces¬ 
sary to be made in order that the bees might injure 
the grapes, the skin of the grapes in several bunches 
was punctured with cambric needles of various sizes. 
The puncture made with the point of medium-sized 
needles produced no effect. Neither did the puncture 
made by the sting of insects when ovipositing, until 
the blister appeared and decay had progressed, with 
the development of the insect larvae, it was found 
that a medium-sized needle might be passed through 
the grape from side to side, and the bees might obtain 
no juice except that oozing from the puncture. Many 
erroneously suppose that bees sting the grapes. But 
they never sting except in self-defense, or in defense 
of their homes. At times when bees could gather 
nothing in the fields, clusters of grapes were satur¬ 
ated with honey and suspended in front of hives in 
the apiary, and from the branches of trees and grape¬ 
vines nearby. Other clusters dipped in honey and 
syrup were hung in the house. The bees thronged 
upon the grapes until the clusters looked like little 
swarms hanging to the vines and limbs. They lapped 
the grapes until the skins were polished perfectly 
smooth and shining, and no taste of sweet could be 
detected by touching the tongue to the grape. The 
skins of the grapes were left intact. 
Taking advantage of the propensity of bees to 
steal combs containing honey were placed in an un 
occupied hive, and the bees in the apiary were per¬ 
mitted to steal the honey and such portions of the 
combs as they could appropriate. Then clusters of 
grapes dipped in honey were suspended instead of the 
despoiled combs. The bees attacked these with des¬ 
perate earnestness, apparently determined literally 
to go through those grapes. The clusters were left 
hanging for a day or two, until the bees had entirely 
deserted the hive, and an examination showed the 
clusters to be as sound as when placed there, and the 
skin polished smooth and clean as before. After pass¬ 
ing a darning needle through some of the grapes in 
several clusters of different varieties, these clusters 
were suspended from the top of comb frames by us¬ 
ing fine wire, and were then placed in the center of 
strong colonies of both hybrids and Italians. The 
juice was extracted from the punctured segments as 
before, and the perfect grapes hung undisturned for 
15 days. They appeared to have kept better hanging 
in the hive than they would have kept on the vines. 
The above experiments were made in 1885, and the 
next year were repeated with two colonies of Italian 
bees, two of hybrids, one of Caucasians and two of 
Syrians. Grapes were again obtained from Michigan, 
and some of the bunches were dipped in syrup and 
hung in the hives between the combs. The bees 
lappjed and sucked all the syrup from the skins, leav¬ 
ing the berries smooth, and not breaking the skins. 
The experiments showed that honey-bees are not only 
unable to penetrate the skin of the grape, but they 
also appear to be unable even when impelled by the 
direst necessity to penetrate the film surrounding the 
berry, even after the skin is removed. Grapes so pre¬ 
pared, without exception, laid before the hives until 
dried up. Clusters of sound grapes which were hung 
between the comb frames in hives occupied by strong 
colonies were unbroken and sound after 15 days’ ex¬ 
posure in the hives; the skins were polished smooth 
but none were broken. Again the entrance to several 
hives containing good-sized colonies, both in the 
apiary and in the wire-covered house, was closed by 
pushing sound grapes into the opening so close to¬ 
gether that the bees could not pass through. By this 
means the bees were confined to the hives for days in 
succession, not being able to break down and remove 
the grapes, and although the skins of the grapes next 
the inside of the hive were polished smooth, none were 
broken or injured. If anyone can suggest any more 
exhaustive experiments than those detailed above 
doubtless the Agricultural Department at Washington 
would be glad to make further tests. 
M. V. SLLNGERLANI). 
WHAT POWER FOR THE FARM? 
GAS ENGINES.—Probably the best farm power is 
the gasoline engine. But circumstances alter cases, 
and there are so many circumstances to be considered 
in the employment of mechanical power upon the 
farm that there is no single type of power that is best 
under all circumstances. The gasoline engine is eco¬ 
nomical of fuel, is ready to start up at a few mo¬ 
ments’ notice, makes no fire risk, takes up little space, 
and its simplicity of construction makes it less liable 
to get out of order than most makes of steam engines. 
But its price is too high for a farmer with a small 
business. Besides, on the dairy farm it is inferior to 
the steam engine from the fact that it has no boiler 
to furnish steam for washing, scalding and Pasteuriz¬ 
ing purposes. On the farm where there is plenty of 
wood for fuel the gasoline engine is unable to util¬ 
ize it. 
STEAM POWER.—Turning to the steam engine, we 
find that the first cost is considerably less, that it 
can utilize home-grown fuel if desired, and will fur¬ 
nish steam. It takes longer to get up steam than to 
start a gasoline engine, but the objection is not really 
serious. The fire risk connected with it is a serious 
DELAWARE PLUM. Fig. 286. See Ritualisms, Page 754. 
objection, although the spark arrester upon the smoke 
stack is claimed to reduce it to a minimum. Annual 
inspection fees and repair bills are expensive for the 
farmer of small operations. On the farm the steam 
engine often deteriorates rapidly during periods of 
idleness, and from lack of that careful attention 
which the professional engineer gives to his ma¬ 
chine. A farmer doing a yearly business of $2,000 or 
$3,000 or less can hardly afford either class of engine 
unless he has surplus capital to have fun with. To 
the larger farmer with plenty of use for the machine 
either one, well chosen, will be a good investment. 
It is a great temptation to a Yankee farmer, whether 
West or East, to load himself up with an interest- 
bearing burden of machinery above the real needs of 
his business. A fascination for machinery is in the 
blood. It was Yankee machinery and Yankee ma¬ 
chinists whom Cervera found floating about the 
mouth of Santiago Harbor on the morning of July 3. 
HORSE WORK.—This fascination for machinery 
often tempts the American farmer of small business 
to invest in more expensive tools than his business 
warrants. A horse power is not so interesting as an 
engine; but it is very effective at much less cost. The 
first cost of a sweep power Is about half the cost of 
tread power, but it will develop only half the power 
with the same animals, and requires an extra hand to 
attend to the team. The sweep power must stand out 
of doors or take large shed room. Out of doors, ex¬ 
posed to the weather, is no place for a machine of any 
kind, and as much of its work is to be done stormy 
days the exposure of the team is also to be consid¬ 
ered. The tread power takes up small space under 
cover, is easily moved from place to" place. With 
proper care it is a long-lived machine, and the diffi¬ 
culty of teaching animals to work in it is not very 
serious, whether they be bulls or horses. Much Win¬ 
ter work, such as cutting dry fodder or bedding and 
sawing wood can be done by otherwise Idle horses or 
bulls overcome with ennui. If one uses horses only 
in a tread power the regular smooth tread is better 
as the horse is less liable to stumble and the bottom 
of the foot is at its natural angle to the line of the 
body. But if bulls or other barefoot animals are used 
the level-tread style is better, as there is less liabil¬ 
ity to slip. In fact, it is almost impossible for a 
smooth-shod horse or a barefoot bull to stand up in 
a regular tread machine. A barefoot horse will go 
very well in a regular tread machine, as his bare hoof 
holds better than a smooth shoe, and as he will not 
wet and grease the iags like a bull. A sharp horse 
will catch his calks and stumble. A good mud calk 
makes the best footing. The sharp calk and the new 
mud calk wear out the lags, however. In regard to 
the power developed by a two-horse tread power it 
is safe to say that it will be sufficient to run a five- 
ton-per-hour silage cutter. But a two-horse sweep 
power would not do it. 
THE WINDMILL.—But there is more or less ex¬ 
pense about any power and cutting machinery, and 
if a man has a silo of much less than 100 tons capac¬ 
ity, and has no other use for power it will not pay 
him to own his rig for filling. If he cannot hire this 
work to good advantage he would better put his corn 
in full length. It is no great trouble to take out the 
long silage if he will cut it into six-inch or foot 
lengths with a hay knife or broad-ax. I speak from 
experience with both long corn and machine-cut 
silage. But we have omitted to speak of the wind¬ 
mill. Theoretically the power windmill is the cheap¬ 
est and best all-around power for the farmer. The 
single theoretical objection is that it cannot be moved 
from one barn or job to another, but must have all 
its work brought to it. But it is supposed to harness 
one of those powers of Nature which has generally 
escaped doing much mechanical service on land and 
has plenty of surplus energy. Practice has proven 
that it will develop splendid power when the wind 
blows. But wind fails for power purposes on land 
just where it fails in moving ships at sea. Notwith¬ 
standing its economy, commerce could not afford to 
wait for the sailing ship, and the farmer filling silo 
with a gang of men and teams doesn’t take kindly 
to a general armistice and bivouac on the field when 
the wind stops blowing, but the wages go on, and 
frost approaches. As a pumping machine for filling 
water tanks probably nothing is better than a wind¬ 
mill. For cutting fodder, sawing wood or grinding 
feed in Winter when one can afford to wait and take 
advantage of windy days, the windmill can, no doubt, 
be made to serve a good purpose at small expense. 
Connecticut. _ e. c. birge. 
A "MULE PLOW" FOR NEW ENGLAND. 
About four years since I wrote you for advice on 
how best to subdue a stump lot, and to get it early 
into pasture, and received various answers from your 
correspondents, one advised blowing out the stumps 
with dynamite; this I tried by placing the explosive 
under the stump, making a hole with a bar. Good 
results followed when the stump was solid, but where 
a cluster of stumps surrounded a rotten center it was 
a failure. The surface was so filled with fine roots 
about three inches deep that a furrow turned by an 
ordinary plow would come back in spite of the efforts 
of the plowman; then, after spoiling two or three 
spring-tooth harrows I sent to South Carolina for a 
mule plow I had heard commended for such work. 
On its arrival one horse was attached to it, and with 
one man would tear up that tough turf of about one 
acre per day, cross-plowing the acre the next day. 
This left it nicely torn, so that we could furrow to 
plant potatoes, judging that a hoed crop would soon¬ 
est subdue it. The lot contained about 20 acres. It has 
nearly all been planted with potatoes and seeded; on 
five acres the second time it was planted last Spring, 
but the crop this year was a failure on account of 
the blight, the growth ceasing when half grown. The 
potatoes were dug early and the land seeded, the soil 
being in fine tilth, lvly object in writing of this mat¬ 
ter is to recommend the plow that was so useful in 
accomplishing the results sought. I liked it so well 
that I sent for a second one. They are very cheap 
considering about a dozen different points come with 
them, and far more effective for the worl: named 
than any tool I know made in New England. 
Massachusetts. chas. e. barker. 
Killing the Scale.—A word of caution concerning 
spraying with kerosene and water to kill San Jos£ scale; 
10-per-cent mixture from Leggett’s “Dewey” is by no 
means sure death, and even a treatment of pure oil with 
foliage on has shown living scale afterwards. By this 
I mean it will not do to spray and take anything for 
granted, but observe closely with a magnifying glass. 
Perhaps crude oil (petroleum) would show more effective 
result. The spray as above is very fine, and it is difficult 
to touch every portion of the surface in one or two ap¬ 
plications, this even with oil alone unmixed. A small 
tree given copious dose of oil with brush a year ago upon 
a bright, dry, Fall day shows no harmful result from the 
oil and no scale has been seen this year J. w. b. 
Massachusetts. 
