Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-09
FRUIT AND FARM.
A NEW FOOD PLANT FOR TRIAL IN
CALIFORNIA.
It's Description and Uses-ereater Yields
of Wheat in Less Area-some
Ground Notes

- lOOu plaHL, new " SaliAOlAAo, 10 S'AASN
to notice by Professor E. W. Hilgard, OF
the State University, he having secured
sack of fresh seed of the plant for expert
mental planting. 1t is the "quinoa
pronounced kinnoh-a) plant of Chile.
Professor Hilgard, in Bulletin No. 3 from
the Agricultural Experiment Station of the
University, says:
The guinea plant (ChenopodiHm Quinodl
belongs to the natural family which, amoeg
impoItan culture plants, such as the beet
and spinach, contains = large proportion OF
the most common weeds, viz: The various
kinds of goosefoot, the "lamb's quarter,
and others. The guinea plant is very
similar to kind of I" lambs quarter that
grows abundant!y on the Sacramento
river, and is esteemed as a good feed
for sheep and fowls. But the seeds OF the
guinea are larger, being about the size OF
mustard seed. This seed, which is
borne in great abundance, and, when
cleaned of it's dark -colored husk, is white,
is a common article of food in the high
plateau and mountain districts of Chile
| and Peru it is made into cakes, or eat n
/ DUliSO as pOllAdSSs va ia 40
| is somewhat peculiar" besny but it is
very nutritious. As it will grow in any
climate adapted to the potato, it has been
cultivated to some extent in France and
Germany. but for its leaves (which are used
as a pot.herb like spinach, and fer forage
rather than for the seed, the latter being
there chiefly used as food for fowls. These
would probably also be its main uses in
| q ! I'D
congenial climates in the coast regions, and
in the high valleys of the Sierras. high
summer temperature is not favorable to 1t.
| According to the statement of letter ad-
dressed to Dickson de Wolf 4 Co., of San
| Francisco, by the sender of the present in
voice of seed, the latter is sown in spring,
| broadcast, on light soils, then lightly
brushed in, and irrigated gently SO as not
1 to form crust. The seed comes up quick
ly, and according to European practice, is
| then thinned out, first to four, and later to
twelve inches apart. 1t is also sometimes
sown in seed beds and then transplanted
into drills. The development of the plant
is rapid, like that of spring grain. When
the seed is ripe the plant is cut and
thrashed like grain the separation of the
husk Is usually separate operation, as IN
the case of rice or barley, but the seed
now received is huless and white. When
| irrigated, after cutting the stem for use as a
pot-herb or for forage, the plant continues
to put out fresh leaves during the season
until frost. The guinea willreadily bear rich
and freshly MANFRED soils, but does well on
land only moderately rich. Now thata sup.
ply of good seed has been secured, its mer
It's for cultivation in California should be
thoroughly tested. The seed of the plant
will be mailed to applicants in packages of
one-half pound or one pound, as may be
desired, upon remittance of the CORES pond
ing expense-I0 GEMS or 20 cents. Larger
Quantities may be forwarded to few who
NAV wish to make the trial on a larger
scale, Upwards of $50 applications for
plants heretofore offered for distribution
have been received, and notice is given
that the SUPPLY of all but the following is
exhausted Catalpa, New Zealand flax,
ramie, insect. powder plant, and Angola
Panic evergreen millet),
Under the suggestive heading of " Fewer
Acres and More Wheat, the Milling World
has an article upon the profitable result OF
cultivating wheat, which is OF interest, as
showing what may be done on a small area
of ground, as compared with the present
Weld under ordinary methods. It says :
! 1t has often been asserted by advanced
aericulturists that if wheat, either spring
! or winter, is sown in drills far enough
apart to admit of using horseshoe between
the rows. both to keep down weeds and
! loosen and aerate the soil, the yield might
! be increased to marvellous extent more
! than it now is in this country. In proof of
| this, recent observing and intelligent
travelerin Belgium gives the mode of cult
] ure there and the yield, which sometimes,
with very favorable weather for harvest,
reaches as high as $50 bushels per acre.
This is one of the most fertile, prosperous,
and most populous countries in the world,
supporting 4Sl.7l persons to the square
mile, against I3 % in the United States
and PIG 62 in Germany. Winter wheat
is staple crop there on their high
priced small farms of only an acre or
two. The land is highly MANFRED in au-
| tumn, we'll narrowed several times, and
got into the best possible condition. The
| grain is sown 10 the fall in seed beds, very
| thickly on the highest and best location,
where it is not likely to be winter killed,
or injured by any casualty, such as over
| flowing or drowning out; or smothering
/
| fields are again dressed up and marked
out in drills the proper distance. When
the wheat has grown sufficiently TO be
moved, it is thinned out by being taken
up. separated from the thick stools, and
planted in the drills with tool called the
dibble, which makes hole the proper
depth, into which the wheat roots are in
serted. pressing the earth tight against
] ~. - -. liz,
intrusted to hall. grown Boys and girls, a
man sorting out the wheat plants in order
that those of the same size may be placed
together, that the field may grow even and
regular When the plants have commenced
growing, the soil is thoroughly and con-
stantly stirred either by means of hand or
horse power. Every weed and all foreign
plants are destroyed, and nothing but what
| is wanted, the article itself, is allowed to
! grow. There are very seldom any exten.
sive failures of crops thus carefully and
scientifically grown. The yield is guam
/ titv never imagined or heard of in this
country, and the crop always and surely
paws the cultivator. 1t is asserted that
such pains would not pay to apply to crops
/ in this country But we do not go to the
opposite extreme. Has II ever been tried
here? 1t certainly would pay satisfactory
| if applied to choice varieties in small guam
/ titles. about to be used for seed. IL is GER
tainly better to till one acre and get crop
now raised on four acres, than to try toe
/ four and only raise half a crop, which is
now so often the case here.
a gentleman writing to the RECORD.
/ UNION from Stony creek, a few days
since, says " -FOUR correspondent from
! Colusa, on the Doth ultimo, made a very
grave error regarding the crop outlook in
this vicinity. In my direction, within
/ five miles from the Olimpo school-house,
on Stony creek, there has not been time
! this season when the crops did not look
well enough. The farmers allow their
| hogs and cattle to Craze on the wheat and
/ barley, which ought to be sufficient evil
deuce that they are not suffering from
drought And to affirm what I say, l will
inclose 4 sample of summer-fallow-sown
/ wheat and volunteer barley. The wheat
was pulled on the 5th of January, and
measured nearly two feet; the barley
measures twenty-five inches, after hanging
/ month in the house. The description
{ given of Tehama county crops, in the same
issue, would have been much more applics-
/ bic as far south as the Butte Ranch,
which is about six miles south OF Stony
creek. Summer-fallowing is the order of
the day here with large farmers, and small
0