The Placer herald., 1874-05-09
HOU SE AND FA RIM.

ThoIIS.- he IollOWnS lnioImdtloH ie
garding the most popular and profitable fruits,
telling which are best, and where certain va
rieties grow best, we find in Kelsey's De-
scrptive Catalogue, published at Oakland,
Cal. 1t will be seen that while the climate
of California generally is admirably adapted
for the cultivation of fruits, that of the foot
hills is best.
Apples s-"Of all fruits natural to TEN
perate climates, the apple has ever had pref
erence," The tree seems to adapt itself to
ali varieties of soils and climates in Califor-
MIA, and may be found thriving, from the
miners mountain home, amid the snowy
peaks of the Serras, across the hot valleys,
to the slopes along the sea. Its fruit, how
ever, is greatly changed by the effect of eli
mate
The mountains produce the finest grained
sprightliest favored, and the best keeping
apples; therefore, late keeping varieties are
the most profitable for general culture there.
Pears.-Of all the world, California pears
are the best. The trees are luxurious and
healthy, and bear young and abundantly in
al! localities. The fruit is handsome, large,
inely-havored, juicy and super-excellent.
The consumption Of this fruit is very great,
and the market good. For eating, baking,
preserving, picking, drying, what is super
ior to the pear?
Quinces.-At present this fruit pays as
well as any other crop grown for the market.
1t bears transportation, while its firm flesh
and aromatic, agreeable flavor, must contin-
lie it amcng the most popular of baking and
preserving fruits A very snowy product,
it finds ready sale in the market.
The early varieties that we recommend for
general culture, are the two well known and
esteemed varieties, the orange and apple
ounce.
Cherries. The cherry will succeed on
sny deeply and thoroughly cultivated soil
throughout the State, and its ruddy, tender
and melting fruit coming to us so early in
the summer, makes it very desirable. The
symmetrical appearance of the tree consti-
tutes it an ornament to the grounds or to
the streets.
With us it is but little subject to the exu-
dation of gum and the drying of one side of
the bark. This is best prevented by shad-
ing the trunk, and may soon be cured by
cutting away the dead bark and binding
with strip of cloth handful of fresh turf
or earth over the wound. Avoid breaking
or cutting away of large limbs, as the whole
tree is frequently ruined in consequence.
The cherry is two or three weeks earlier in
the hot interior valleys than on the coast.
Pums.-Free from the diseases and
pests that ruin the tree and destroy the fruit
East, the plum is in its glory on this coost,
and Its cultivation is source of profit ev-
erywhcre. The most delicate sweet trune,
the delicious golden plum, and the hardest
damson thrive and produce with equal
abundance. Both fresh and dried, the fruit
ever finds a ready market and is neces-
sary luxury. 1t will grow anywhere, but
delights in a rich, deep SOIL Shorten in the
leading shoots every season, so as to pre-
serve the form of the tree.
Apricots. Early, beautiful, delicious, and
indispensable, the apricot succeeds admirably
everywhere in California Rpening before
the peach, it fuds ready market 1t is as
valuable for cooking and preserving, as for
the desert.
Peaches-This luscious fruit seems pc
cullary adapted to the warm climate, and
rich hill and alluvial soils of California The
interior valleys, and foothills, produce the
earliest and finest peaches, with the excep-
ton of low wet bottom lands, where peaches
are larger, bat generally inspd, sour and
watery. Even well up among the Sierras,
they do remarkably well Along the coast,
where damp fresh winds prevail, they ripen
later, but are quite worthy of cultivation.
Nectarnes. closely related to the
appropriately called by some prisons "the
smooth-skinned peach. Hardly equal to
the peach for eating, it is still much superior
for drying and preserving, and deserves to
be extensively cultivated for that purpose.
Treatment, same as for the peach.
Almonds. The almond is receiving much
attention throughout the State. The tree
grows magnfcently everywhere, but as it
blooms very early, the blossom is quite ten
der, it succeeds best in fruiting only where
there are no spring frosts to injure it, or
when it is sheltered from frosts and blight
ing winds.
Figs.-The fig receives less attention than
one would naturally suppose in a country
where it thrives so wonderfully, and yields
such az abundance of fine fruit. Whether
green or dried, it is a very profitable market
fruit. 1t likes a deep rich soil, and thor
ough cultivation.
PERMANENT WH1TEwAsH. The season of
the year has returned when the inquiries for
good whitewash are raised. We give the
following as excellent: Take A half bushel
of excellent burnt lime; slack it with boiling
water; cover it during the process, to keep
in the steam. Strain the liquid through a
fine sieve and add to it seven pounds of salt
previously well dissolved in warm water,
three pounds of ground rice boiled to thin
paste and stirred in boiling hot, one half
pound Of powdered Spanish whiing, and
pound of clean glue, which has previously
dissolved by soaking it well, and then hang