VOL. LIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APRIL 8, 1899.
NO. 14
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Give us tht Story of Your Grape ViaesT
What Buildings May They Climb?
How do You Grow Them on
Buildings?
1st Premium.—The home that is not blessed with
atleaBt a dozen grape vines is   very unfortunate.
The home that has not room for that many is more
unfortunate   still, for    it   mnst be    small   and
cramped indeed- The length   of the   back yard
feoce should give room for that many at leasti
Not that I would  allow them to run on the fence,
but it might be made to Bet ve for part of the trellis.
I believe there is no fruit so easily grown, so sure
to bear, ind so entirely wholesome and perfectly
harmless,    consumed    in   unlimited    quantities.
Don't let the   "grape seed appendicitis" stories
scare you.   Your physician, if he be posted and
honest will tell you, no trace of grape seed waa
ever found in a diseased "appendix."   But to the
11 story of my grape vines.'    I have two rows t»cross
the garden with nine vines in each row, and then
two on the stable, making twenty in all.   The one
on east and west ends of the stable    I attach to tSe
weather boarding by leather strips nailed around
the vines at intervals.   The vines in the two rows
are 15 feet apart in the row, making the rows 120
feet long,    I secured good, strong two year old
vines at the nursery six yearB ago this Bpring.   I
dug a hole for each two feet long and one foot deep
and filled it nearly full of  good rich dirt-no manure—and spread the roots of the young vine out
well over the partly filled hole, after dipping the
roots into a bucket of water, and finished filling the
hole with dirt, tramping  it in   well.   Set a strong
stake by each vine and as they grow tie thelvine
up to it with a soft string or rag, not letting the
vine grow more than three or four feet longtheflrst
year to give the root and body a vigorous growth
without exhausting itself in vine  to be cut away.
After the third year prepare a trellis.   Use red
cedar posts firmly set at the ends of ths rows and
connect with No 14 galvanized,-smooth wire, four
feet from the ground and 18 inches apart.   Tighten
with ratchets and support where needtd.   As soon
as the vine has grown  seven  feet high the third
year, clip off the ends and allow three laterals on
each side to grow.   One for each wire in   each direction from  the vine.   After each lateral is a foot
or two long, clip it off during the summer.   In the
course of years each literal may be allowed to
grow V,; feet in length,  never longer as it will
meet the lateral from the next vine.   Tie the vine
and laterals to the wires with soft, heavytwine or
twist the vine about the wire as it grows and it
will support itself.   During the summor keep all
sub-laterals clipped off after they are a foot or
two long.   A half hour a week will keep 25 vines
properly trimmed, and it is worth the effort, as
the strong vines will show in the fall.   After the
leaves have fallen by frost, cut the tendrils and
supporting strings,  trim all sub-laterals back to
two buds, and lay your vines down and cover with
fodder, leaves, hay, brush or "any old thing" that
will catch and hold the winter snow and keep
them from   thawing out every  warm day.    In
March put the vines back in place again and an
abundant crop of flne fruit is assured, if they are
not killed when in bloom, by the frost    When the
grapes are beginning to turn ripe in the Bummer-
get three pound paper sacks at 5 cents a hundred,
and a paper of pins, put a sack over each flne'
large bunch, fold the month of the sack   close
around the stem of the bunch, so the rain will not
get in and pin it there and leave until you wish to
eat the bunch—even if it be so late as the middle
of November,and you will flnd.on opening the sack,
the most delicious fruit you ever tasted, tf it be a
bunch ot Concord, Brighton cr  Worden.   More
than halt of the vines should be Concord, I would
•ay.   My trellis admits air and sunlight all around
it, is easily constructed, cheap and convenient for
handling vines and will last a lifetime.   Its cost
was:
8 red cedar posts, Sx3© 25c  * lc0
« No. HwireB, 180 feet long ® Be a pound        40
6 wire racheta ,        **
Staples, braces, etc 	
Total »"5
Is that cheap enongh for a trellis for » grape
vines and only two or three hours work to put it
np? Grape vines can be grown on any bnilding
if kept properly trimmed and fastened up A grape
vine properly trimmed wilt not produce much
shade nor dampness For variety and long seasons
I p'anted Moore's Early, Ive's Seedling, Worden.
Brighten, Concord and the White Niagara and
Voore'B Diamond, all of which are good bearers
and fine fruit. C. V.. Newlix.
Irvington.
2d   l'remtum—We   selected  early medium   and
later varieties of those  we liked most.   In setting
them out we dug the holes much wider and deeper
than was  necessary simply to contain the  roots
Woods dirt, well rotted manuro and bones were
worked into the soil.   The vines in the garden are
cultivated, those  set by buildings are not.    Kach
year's growth for the first two or three years is cut
back one-half to two-thirds.   We trim our  vines ln
February, cutting  away all  of last year's growth,
except one or two   buds,  and   whe-r more than  a
branch for each foot in length has been thi own outr
all of the last year'a growth   is cut  away.   We begin spraying before the buds swell, and keen it up
every two weeks, until grapes arc almost full size.
We  use  Bordeaux mixture and  a  Lewis spray
pump—the best I  ever b»w.   We spray the under
side of  the vines,  thus  reaching  every   bunch of
fruit.   When the grapes  begin  to form we pinch
back the vines, leaving but one or two buncher.
If the vine is a strong thrifty   grower it iH pinched
back a second time.   We keep some of   the grapes
on the vines lonjr after freezing weather has commenced, by slipping paper Racks over the bunches
and tying loosely at the stern    The sacks protect
from   rot  and rain,  and   retard  ripeninir severs,1
weeks.   Grapes grown in  buildings  rot very little
without spraying.   For this reason we utilize the
barn, wo-d house  and other out buildings.   Any
trellis that will keep   the vines off  theground and
will permit cultivation, is good    Buy thoBe varieties vou like best   Plant, cultivate and prune intelligently, especially summer pruning.   Do not neglect the spraying.   G'apesdonot rot when grown
under the eaves of a  building,   nagging some of
the grapes will make the season longer by several
weeks. JI. F. McMAirAX,
Fayette Co.
8d Premium.—We have three Concord grape
v.nes at least twenty yeara old, growing on the
north side of a long, low building that have never
missed bearing quantities of grapes every year in
all that length of time Kvery spring—in early
March, they arecut away until a tyro in the business would think they could not possibly live; but
soon young Bhoots start out and grow rapidly, and
by the last of August the old familiar purple clusters hang within reach of all who pass by, with
never a rotten grape to spoil the least. Near by is
a two Btory frame building. On its south and west
sides are planted Concords. These aleo are severely pruned, but as the vines have more room to grow,
the clusters are somewhat smaller, but do not rot.
From the house to the stable stre'ehes a long arbor
made a« usual with posts and barbed wire. Along
this arbor are planted a variety of grapes. Concords
Wordens, Lindleys, Perkins, several varieties of
white grapes an! even Cataubas. TlreBe furnish
material for a display at the fair, though for this
occasion these Concords are passed by and someone is sent up to the pig pen to get bunches there.
Theground around the pig pen is rich and the
vices are cu* low, so the clusters are always fine.
The sonth side of the stable, two stories high, is
covered with vines carefu ly trimmed, spread out
and tied with hemp strings to nails here and there.
These grapes are the last to bl gathered in the fall,
for by this time everyone is tired gathering grapes
and looks with despa r on the hucdreds of bunches
that have to be reached with ladders. The corn
crib bears its burden of vine*, whose ambition
must be cut short before they can run over the roof
We have a vineyard of rows and rows of vines
trained on wires stretched between pos'n. These
bear wel' every year, if severely pruned,but if allowed to grow up and become lop heavy the grapes
rot Xo grapevine will condecend to grow unless
tied up; its mission is to climb, and when flrst set
out must be straightened up and the young shoots
tied seperately. This is a true story of grapevine
culture for twenty-live years or more, and it will
readily be seen that buildirgs and trellises don't
count-it is all in the pruning. No man withaten-
der heart and sltek pruning shears need try to
raise grapes for profit Inordinary good Boil the
grapevine will grow in any sit sation, high or low,
but as wheat must suffer, be cut and (hreshed a-d
corn must be shorn of all its covering before it becomes fit for use, so only through Ihe discipline of
vigorous pruning will the vine yield its increase.
Mauv,
is made by pruniog. Mr. Tracy leaves two slips at
the ground for next year's fruit. Why not trim off
this year's new growth back to two buds for next
year's fruit? Mr. Tracy is also too confident that
trimming will prevent rot. I would rather put my
trribt in spraying. Mr, Jones thinks grapes rot bo-
cause on buildings. "Ma^y" says they do not rot
on buildings but do rot on trellises. The faet no
doubt is that the rot is caused by a fungus that may
attack any fruit That dampness and exposure to
cold drafts and peculiar food conditions may promote rot. Mr. Jones had them rot on trellises over
the old house site, but not in the garden.
Did not Mr. Tracy's vines do what they did the
second year in site of the brickbats and bones that
most killed them the first'.' Pray why cid "Mary"
use barbed wire? Is itnot true ' Mary" that more
of us fail In grape growing from laziness than trom
"tencer heartcdiieih?'' I have had troub.o in getting a vine to grow over buildings on account of
some hard hearted bug eating oiT Ihe bud. I do not
think it is the bud molh of apple trees. It eats only
the terminal bud. Let me emphasrze the need
mentioned of keeping grapevines up from the
ground even the first year. Also bagging. Do not
bag too soon; wait till the bloom is well fertilized
and the fiuit gets as large as small peas.
BIVIBW.
Can't you pretty near taste those grapes? The
writers say they are the easiest fruit grown. Work
for nothing and board round. Curious thatthe
grape seems to learn obedience by the things itsuf-
fers. Don't yon think that severe trimming Is a
little overdone? I know a vino 100 feet long, that
creeps along under the eaves and has little trimming, that bears wonderfully. Fri'nd Newlin
trims back to give root growth. It no doubt does
produce larger fruit, but I question the larger root
growth. Any plant makes a larger growtn by using the greatest volume of leaves.   A stockier atem
otitic <tjctus.
No. 1G2, April 15.—Let uatalk fences again.
What kind are you building and coet? Kind
of pott**, steeples and cost? Do you like ratchet*! or wire fence*)?.
No. 1G3, April 22.—Give criticisms on
thin department. Also etate how writers may
improve and shorten  copy.
No. 164, April 29. How do you treat cows
from drying off to calving? How avoid milk
/over? 	
Premiums of $1 75 cents and 50 cents will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d best articles each week
Let copy be as practicable as possible and forwarded 10 days before publication to
Oarmel. E. H. Collins
POSTAL CARD CORRESPONDENCE.
f ,800 teachers met in annual convention at Ft.
Wayne, I ant week, undor the title of Northern Indiana Teachers' Association.
John Abbott, a farmer, living tn Chester township, Wabath county, settled there when tt waB a
wilderness. He is 95 years old and still quite strong
and active.
A mouse became entangled in the private wires
of the Are alarm system of Human A Co's wholesale house at Terre Haute and called out the Ure
department.
Through the aid of an X-ray, Klmer Itrodbelt, of
Kosciusko county, has discovered that his heart is
too far to the right, while his liver is on the left
side.   The spleen is alio oat of position.
Jefferson Ktepro, »s years, and the oldest resident
of Harr son county iH critically ill of pneumonia.
Fearing that his end win near, and desiring; to have
the rites of baptism performed, he sent for the He».
W. B, Frost and was baptized at midnight on Han-
day
Farmers all over Montgomery county are reporting the appearance of a strange disease that is rapidly decimating their flocks of sheep. It proves fatal in every case, and is of Bhort duration. No name
has yet been given to the disease, and no remedy
haa been found.
Dr A. G. Miller, the most extensive fruit-raiser
in St. Joieph county, tested twigs from cherry,
plum, pear, apple and peach trees, to ascertain if
the buda were killed, but all bloomed except the
peaches. He regards proBpccti excellent, except
for the last-named fruit
Fred I..uhring, of.Snnman, who is given to walking in his eleep, while in Cincinnati, railed the window of his room at the hotel and stepped out, falling to tho pavement below. He was removed to
the Betts-street hospital, where it was found that
he had received internal hurts, aB well as broken
bones.
DKARinRN' Co.—Wheat looks awful sick.   J. XX.
Oran-'veCo., April l.—Late sown nheat looks
bad; weather fair; the ground is bo wet that no oata
have been sown for about three weeks. XX. B.
Clay Co , Mch 28.—Wheat is looting very well
here, worth 70c; horses rising in value gradually;
cattle in good condition considering the cold winter, milk cows scarce and h'gh. L. K.
Hamilton Co , March 2S.—The ground is covered
several inches with snow, and still snowing. Roads
almost impassable; no plowing done; early sown
wheat looking well; clover badly damaged by
freeiing; stock looking well. H. It.
Latobtk *~o , March 81.—Plenty of snow since
the I2d,27 incheB in all, so you see we have had
plenty of scow this month; no sleighing though as
it soon melted oiT each time; wheat nearly all covered good. Mkm B. A. Davis.
.Tastkh Co., March 25.—Wheat looks bad; on low
land about all killed; young meadows look well;
stock is coming out of wioter in good shape; roads
almost impassable; will be some time before any
oats are sown. We had about 8 inches of nnow on
12 inches of mud. It has Men a very poor month
for farmers to do any spring work. K. A.
MonrjAN Co , April l.—Cold, freezing weither;
farmers sadly behind with their wrrk; no oats
sown nor potatoes pl.inted; aome clover seed sown
but farmeri are afraid to sow on account of the
freezing weather; early sown wheat looks well,but
late sown wheat looks badly; stock looking well,
but feed is getting scarce. A. H.
Fayettk Co., April I.—We hare been favored by
providence in that the wheat was cohered with
snow during almost every cold spell, and now is
generally in very good condition. If several other
counties report as favorable then the Chicago speculators will at once put down the price of wheat'
for they have been doing that for every trifling
cauee. Clover has wintered better than for ten
yearB past, J. s.
OnRK.SK Co , April l.—A large per cent ofthe
peach trees are killed beyond a doubt; other fruit
trees are safe, but it is a little early to count on the
fruit; early sowed wheat i« all right, late sowed is
not in it: those having peach trcs should watch
them close, and when the time comes to leaf out, if
the? fail to show signs of leafing they should be
cat down close to the ground, but wait to the last
hour before cutting down. H. B.
(6znzxnX _,zxo&.
A well-dressed young woman in Buffalo recently
entered the police station, having in charge a
drunken Indian, whom she had found on the street,
and whoae hands she had secured with her belt.
Queen Victoria has seen every throne in the
world vacated at least once, and some of them several times.
The shovel fish is so called because it uses its
nose to turn over the mud at the bottom of the sea,
in quest of the worms and Bmall shellfish on which
it feeds.
A mouse nest was discovered the other day in
the Springfie'd railroad Btation made up of over
11,033 worth of railroad tickets and a |2 bill.
M. Germain, a Frenchman, is said to have invented an attachment to the telephone that will
enable the sounds from the instrument to be heard
many yards away.
The flying frog of Borneo has long toes, which
are webbed at the tips. Its feet thus act as little
psrachutes and enable the frog to leap from lofty
trees and descend graaually.
Miss Florence Nightingale is now close upon
eighty. She has suffered much from ill-health in
her declining years, aa the resnlt of overwork and
of fever brought on by her Belf-saeriflcirg labors
during the Crimean war.
An ostrich can not kick backward. When the
time has rome for the bird to be despoiled of its
feathers, its head is inserted in a bag and the
plucker stands behind his victim. A blow from
it* foot haa vigor enough to kill a man,
Mr. Borkedal, of Norway, announces that the sun
is burning out more rapidly than is usually believed
and that unless something interferes onr grandchildren will see it* extinction. Mr. Mohn.also of
Norway, haa checked Mr Ilorkedal's calculation
and finds them correct.
When one receives an invitation to a wedding in
Cairo, Egypt, it is an important event, because instead of being asked for a ten-minutes' church ceremony, or a brief evening reception,theinvitation
reads for three days. There Is feasting during all
this time, and the houBe and street are liberally
decorated with flags and lanterns.
Miss Clara Bakton, preeident ofthe American National Red Crow, has ssnt to the press
a circular letter telling the needs of the work
In Cuba, and asking editor, to call the attention of their readera to the matter. Much suffering etill exists there, and the Red Grose U
doing all in ita power for the relief of the
poor and the eick. AH who are willing to
help thia good cause in any way, should write
Miss Barton, 900 F. St. N. W„ Washington,
D, 0., for particulars.