Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-02
FARM AND FRUIT.

| AZore Islands.
The California dairy interest, says the
Breeder and Sportsman. possesses a capital
of SIS, 900. 900, and produces annual rev.
enue to the State of 50, 000, 600. This in
dustry employs 5000 laborers.
At the sale of Jersey cattle in New York
on the 9sh instant, the prices ranged from
500 tor three-months-o calf to 5000
for a one-year-old bull, the King of Asian
tee. The proceeds OF the sale amounted to
$50, 4l0.
H. II Riegle, of Pasadena, raises the
Monarch of the West strawberries, and the
Rural Californian says of them The ber-
ries are exceedingly fine in flavor. clean and
large, weighing twenty to the pound ;eight
choice ones weighing exactly one-half
pound.
Wheat can only be raised to advantage
in India by irrigation, hence the English
Government continues its OUTLAWS in that
direction. Upwards of 1000, 600 acres in
Punjab district were taken up last year for
wheat in advance of the opening of irri-
eating canals.
Henry Willard, President of the North
ern Pacific Railroad, says there is but 225
miles of the road to complete and trains
will be run through in September 1t is
reported that the grain crop will exceed
$780, 600 tons surplus in Eastern Oregon
and Washington Territory.
1t is told that 8" prominent Iowa pig
breeder keeps his hogs, except when fat
tening, on artichokes He says on good
land this crop will produce more hog feed
per acre than any other crop. Iowa is one
of the largest corn and hog producing
States in the Union, and it sounds rather
strangely to hear of anything cheaper than
corn at the West"
The value of wood ashes as a fertilizer is
but little appreciated. They contain in
varying proportions the valuable mineral
properties needed by plants. They are
especially valuable for orchards ia bearing,
having an as yet unexplained effect in per-
fecting the fruit. It is better to give a
light dressing of any potash manure every
year than TO give large doses at any one
time.
A bottle of carbolic acid should be kept
in every farmhouse, not merely as disin.
fectant, but as a wash for wounds and
sores. For any purpose it should be di.
luted with water. Its power to destroy
fungus growths makes carbolic acid invalu.
able in pruning orchards of pear, plum or
peach where blight or other disease is sus-
pected. The pruning shears should be fire..
quently dipped in carbolic acid water.
Judge Eaton, of Hermosa, called at this
office this morning and exhibited the very
finest and largest orange we have ever
seen. 1t measured l5l inches in circum-
ference and weighs % ounces 1t is a
Washington Navel, and is smooth, firm and
solid In February, 1882, Judge Eaton
budded a seven-year-old orange. The bud
grew out about four inches and bloomed,
and this tremendous specimen was the re-
suit Rural Californian.
Buyers of potatoes, says an Eastern ex-
change, very properly reject, as poisonous,
the great tubers. 1t is, however, a mis-
take to attribute "the green color to the
poison used in destroying the potato beetle.
The tuber is made green by exposure TO
the sun, and is poisonous, just as potato
tops are when green. In this condition
potatoes are unfit for food, but are better
for seed than those grown deeper in the
SOIL 1t is good plan to place potatoes
intended for seed in as light place as
possible, two or three weeks before plant
ing"
1t is bad policy for farmer to cultivate
only one crop. If that fails he has lost
his years work but if he cultiyates sew
eral crops some of them are always sure to
succeed, and some will command remu-
nerative price. A farmer about to COM
mence, looks over the fields, and finding
that butter always commands good price,
buys few cows, and then to prevent the
Stops from the dairy being wasted he buys
some hogs. Poultry pays, and one hun
dred hens and cocks are bought. When
he buys his horses he sees that it is better
Gnstead of geldings thai are deteriorating
as they grow older to invest in fine large
mares, that will produce him foal worth,
say, as a yearling. 500 every year, in ad-
dition to doing the work of the farm. If
the mares are large they will easily do this.
There is always demand for large horses
and mules for draft purposes, and they sell
readily. Every farmer should try TO make
everything pay proft-make ''every edge
cut. y Rural Californian.
CALIFORNIA VINEYARDS.
Z. B. Blowers, of Yolo, whose fine
vineyard and fruit ranch, located about
three fourths of mile from Woodland,
has acquired such reputation, was inter-
viewed few days since in reference to
grape interests of the State, and in answer
TO many questions gave full information
upon the subject, viewing the question
from the standpoint of his long expert
ence.
Mr.. Blowers has seventy acres in fruit,
fifty acres being in raisin grapes. He has
been engaged in this pursuit at the same
place since 1854. His oldest vineyard is,
however, only fifteen years old, and much
of it is younger. His experience is that
vines five or six year old have reached full
bearing, and from these he has made as
many as $50 boxes of raisins to the acre,
and the average wholesale price per box
for the past five years has been 81 to 81 80,
making the income from raisins alone about
$500 per acre The yield of shipping
grapes is from ten to fourteen tons per
acre-the Emperors will yield fourteen
tons, and sells as high as $40 per ton.
Table grapes are worth about $40 per ton,
and wine grapes $50 to $50
The cost of preparing the ground for
planting a vineyard, said Mr.. Blowers, is
out trifing-probably S. per acre. unless
you mean preparing for irrigation. But
simply blowing and replowing to depth
of sixth or eight inches, the cost is about
S. per acre. | estimate the first cost OF
planting vineyard all the way from $50
to $40 per acre, including the first years
cultivation, irrigation and rooted vines
about $50 per acre until you get them into
bearing, which takes two or three years.
This includes irrigation, cultivation, etc.
If the vineyard is handled with judgment
and skill, the third year ought to pay well
| for that year and also the second years ex.
penses. For instance, have small patch
of seedless Sultsnas three years old. l
got five tons for the third year, ten tons for
the fourth year, twelve tons for the fifth
/ year, and seventeen tons for the sixth year.
The quality OF soil is an important consid-
GRAFTON in selecting for vineyard This
must not be overlooked.
As to the question whether grape-grow-
ing in this ate for the purpose of making
raisins for the table, and for wine-D1sking,
as having passed the experimental stage,
think it has, entirely so. You can raise as
good grapes in Shasta as in San Bernardino.
People viii eat raisins and will drink wine.