Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-09

should have been, whatever worms that
have been able to avoid the protection
would have been very small, not much
more than one-fourth of an inch in length,
and so near the surface of the bark that,
by scraping with knife, his lodging place
could have readily been discovered and the
worm destroyed; but if the work of ex-
has been delayed until the last
of October, the worm will have increased
very much in size and have eaten
his way down from four to six inches
from where the egg was Matched;
ss the worm proceeds downward he will
penetrate the bark nearer to the wood, so
by the lst of November he may be found
between the inner bark and the wood of
the tree. A worm that had advanced to
this stage has caused a permanent injury
to the tree by making defect which fur
nishes one of the best places for depositing
the eggs for another generation. The
miller rarely ever deposits an egg on a
smooth surface, but almost invariably
selects some detection, and if mound, so
much the better in such places the eggs
are protected before they hatch, and the
little worms when Matched find moist
place to start life in this is important, for
if they should hatch out on hard, smooth
surface they would find it very difficult
to eat their first breakfast, especially if
they should chance to commence life during
dry weather. One of the secrets of keep
ing borers from an orchard is to keep the
trunk of the tree protected during May,
June, July and August up to a point
where the tree is smooth, but no Jrotec.
ton should be fully relied on +; the trees
should be carefully examined twice a year
first in May, when the protection should
be placed around the tree, and in the
autumn, when the protection is removed.
A correspondent of the Country Gentle
man says Some of our most successful
gardeners have adopted a new mulch for
strawberries, and find it to be the best they
have tried. 1t consists of coarse gravel
sand from underground PITS applied even
ly about three inches thick. There are no
weed seeds in sand, and if the ground is
rolled. to level all Irregularities, and sand
carefully applied, no weeds will see the
lioht. 1t is thought that the sand makes
the berries earlier and sweeter, as it is
much warmer in spring than other mulches.
Sand is a wonderful improvement to our
clay soils. a home strawberry bed is very
often desired to be permanent, and it can
only be made so by keeping runners cut.
This can be done very rapidly by fixing
common rolling cutter to pair of handles
and running it close to the rows. If two
cutters can be had they may be rugged to
cut both sides of row at once.
1t is well known that lands which pro-
duce pine, whortleberry, sorrel, etc, are
acid, and will not produce sweet grasses
and valuable field crops and fruits until the
acidity is destroyed by lime or ashes, or
something that will neutralize or destroy
the acidIty. Professor c. NJ. Reed, of
Hudson, Ohio, lately gave to the Ohio
State Agricultural Convention an account
of field where the soil was go acid that
nothing but sorrel would grow. But
chemistry" says ne, suggested the ap-
plication OF lime and ashes, and one belt
across the field was treated with lime and
another with ashes. The fell was again
seeded. a heavy crop of grass came on
the two belts, while the rest remained
sorrel. The remainder was covered with
lime, and all the sorrel disappeared. This
was over twenty years ago, and the field
has remained very productive ever since. ="
or without the wool, and to prepare sheep
skins and cattle hides for market If the
skins are green, lay the skin tlesh up, and
spread equal parts of salt, ssltpeter and
alum, pulverized finely; roll the SKINS
closely and let them lie for few days.
Then wash thoroughly and scrape off any
flesh that may remain on the skin. Then
soak the skins for twenty.four hours in a
weak solution of sal soda, borax and soap.
Then wash in soap suds and soak again in
weak solution of alum and salt, equal
parts. Then wash in warm water and dry.
Then work the skin to soften by rolling
and rubbing. The raw skins of sheep and
cattle need only sailing and drying for
MARKET Scientific Press.
Among the fine specimens of foothill
fruit recently observed are some oranges of
the Navel variety from the orange grove of
Peter Norburg, near Penryn. The largest
one measured IA 8 inches in circumfer-
ence the larges' way, by IA inches meas
ured over the stem and blossom ends. The
tree was but four years old upon which the
specimens referred to grew, and yet clus-
tiers of three matured at the points of small
branches. 1t evidently remains with the
people themselves whether or not in the
near future many of the fruit belts in this
section OF the State shall be strong COM
petitors in the Eastern markets with the
orange groves of southern California.
A writer in the Scientific Ameeican says:
90 We clean our premises of rats by making
whitewash yellow with copperas and COW
ering the stones and rafters in the cellar
with it. In every crevice in which a rat
may go we put the crystals of the copperas
and scatter in the corners of the floor. The
result was perfect stampede of rats and
mice. Since that time not football of
either rats or mice has been around the
house. Every spring coat of the yellow
wash is given to the cellar as a purifier and
rat exterminator.
The Wisconsin State Agricultural Socie-
~ has held the present week at Madison
Farmers State Convention, lasting five
days. The session began at a, NJ and
forenoon, afternoon and evening meetings
were held, at which were discussed all in
dustries carried on upon the farm The
various subjects were opened by able
speakers, previously selected, and then a
free exchange OF views by any present fol-
lowed. Such gatherings of the leading
producers and comparison of views cannot
fail of good results.
Professor A. Nantier has been trying the
effect of various manures upon potatoes,
beets and maize, Superphosphate and
precipitsted phosphate were most etfica-
cious in increasing the yield of potatoes,
Precipitated phosphate proved in every re.
spect more beneficial than the superphos-
phate with beets. The best crops of maize
were raised from land treated with the
manure of the farm yard.
Professor William Trelease advises, in
neighborhOods where phlox mildew pre-.
walls, picking and burning any leaves as
soon as they are affected with the cobwebby
blotches, which commonly appear on the
upper surface, and burning the whole
plant, together with the fallen foliage, st
the end of the blooming season.
Carcasses of cows and sheep which have
died of contagious disease in France are
dissolved in sui phuric acid, and the result
ing solution is then treated chemically for
the recovery of salts, which can be used as
manure. Actual trial has shown that there
is a profit of four francs on every dead
sheep
The rorthernmost place in the world
where rye and oats mature is at kengis, in
the Swedish province of Norrbottem, 40
miles to the north of the polar circle,
whereas the northernmost spot where corn
is grown is at Muoniovara, 9S miles to the
north of the circle.