Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-26
FARM AND FRUIT.
FAILURE OF CO. FARM.
ING IN ENGLAND.
The Huasco Grape-Treatment foI
Phylloxera-Notes About the
Farm and Orchard.

Ills iudN OS dli eS'SSA VI
the fact that those who were conducting
| the experiments are proven failures as to
their methods or adaptability to the work
in hand, or it may be the establishment OF
a truth that cooperative farming cannot
be made success. The latter conclusion
is not accepted in England by those who
have watched the past efforts, but, on the
contrary, the observers of the recent fail
ures have organized a new society, and
will enter upon another experiment, en-
deavoring to eliminate unfavorable feat
ures of former plans and strengthen with
newer thought and methods.
OF the past experiments in England, a
Mr. Gurdon established cooperative
farm at Assington in 1929, and a second
one in 1858. These were both fairly sue
cessful until about FIVE years ago. when
heavy Indebtedness, caused by recurring
bad seasons, perhaps mostly, resulted in
closing operations upon both farms. The
fact that the new society Just organized for
another effort includes most of the mem
bers of the old society, shows that those
previously engaged in the associated work
have not become willing to vote 1t fail
ure. The farm comprises 223 acres, and
$4,000 is the amount fixed upon for a
capital; half of this sum has been sub
scribed, and the other half will be raised
in shares of So each. More capital, lower
rent, and proper precautions against
game" in the opinion of the London Spec
tator, will insure success to the new enter
prise on the points where the old one failed.
The founders declare that Assington con-
tains a population much better clothed,
fed, housed and of more favorable APP
pearance than the people in the surround
ing sections. These results are claimed as
the result of the cooperative system, and
the new society expects to secure still
larger practical results in the direction of
improved dwellings and greater domestic
comfort for the persons Interested.
At a meeting of the vine-growers at St.
Helena held recently, says the Vallejo
Reeiew President Krug recommended that
when phvllOxera was discovered in a GER
tain spot in a vineyard an injection of BIZ
sulphide of carbon be used to kill the in
sects in and around the vine, and then the
vine should be taken up and new one of
resistant stock planted. If twenty vines
were found to be infected said he, take out
a hundred Immediately around them and
renew with resistant stock. In this way a
whole vineyard could be gradually re-
newed with only the loss of few vines
each year. Warrell asked if these vines
had proven to be resistant. Mr.. Krug
thought yes. Professor Hussman, for in
stance, had twenty-six years experience
with them, and his opinion was certainly
of weight in the matter. Cashier said he
thought that shallow soil was the phyl-
loxera's paradise. and warned all
against setting out vines on soil
with only eighteen inches depth
above bedrock his views were
Endorsed by those present, and the general
rule was laid down that vines should not
be planted on soil having a depth of less
than three feet.
Considerable is being said Just now about
the Huasco grape, and Of which the Press
and Agicultwist says: The HuascO grape
is grown in Chile in about 800 south lati-
tude and at an elevation of about $500
feet above sea level The punches are
from medium to large and the fruit is
large and oval-shaped and evidently very
light colored The grapes are not seed
less as reported, but the berries at the
lower end of the bunch are free from seeds.
The fruit is rich and sugary and devoid of
the Muscat flavor. The raisins cost %
cents per pound in Chile, and the freight
and tariff and expense of getting them to
this country make them worth 90 cents per
pound in San Francisco. The vine is said
to be native of Chile and has been kept
for distribution by a tribe of Indians who
claim to be descendants of the lncas. The
report that the Huasco raisin was similar
to the Sultana is incorrect; it more nearly
resembles the Muscat, but in fact, it is en-
tirely distinct from other variety.
The VisaIia Delta wants to know why
Tulare county cannot produce raisins rs
good As those of Riversdale 1t can. The
climate is similar, and as both sections de-
pend entirely on irrigation, there is no
good reason why the quality of the raisins
should not be equal. Neither county can
hope to rival S0lano or Yolo in the pro-
duction of raisins Here the conditions are
very different Irrigation is entirely I'M
necessary, and the experience and obserya-
ton of the best viticulturists of California
confirm the opinion that grapes produced
on irrigated ground are not so good for any
purpose as those produced on land where
the rainfall is sufficient to mature a crop.
The absence of fogs, frosts and a humid at
mosphere, together with the absolute GER
tainty of an abundant rainfall, are advan-
tages peculiar to the two counties we have
named. and place them at once in the van
of grape-growing Counties Dixon Trib-
une.
An Eastern exchange says: 1t is a
certainty that raising poultry for egg pro-
duction pays the farmer. As a general
thing the fowls that the farmer keeps in
his BARNARD, and on which he expends but
little. pays best of all his live stock, but
when attention is specially paid to fowls,
properly fed, housed and attended, after
deducting the cost of keeping, care, interest
per cent from the amount for which their
eggs sell, there is in nine cases out of ten
q larger balance on the credit side of the
ledger than is found in connection with
any single department of farm industry"
If this is true at the East, it certainly is in
California where feed is cheap, and eggs
and poultry almost always bring very high
prices.
The planting of trees along the public
roads could nowhere produce more graft
fying effects than in this State, and es-
pecially since our forests are being so
much destroyed as to produce marked
effect perhaps upon our annual rainfall.
At present the total length of public roads
in France is 1880 miles, of which 1880
are bordered with trees, while 1890 miles
are already being planted or will shortly
be planted On the remaining 1000 miles
the nature of the soil does not admit of
plantations. The number of trees already
planted amounts to 2,67S,603, consisting
principally of elm, poplar, acacia, plane,
ash, sycamore and lime trees.
Iron sulphate is good manure for GER
tain kinds of crops A plot of land to
which the sulphate had been applied
by A. B. Gritfiths, of the Chemical
Society, London, yielded fifty-six bush
| els of beans. A plot similar in other re-