Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-09-17

cheaper. and II care Is exercised it is as
good as the spade. Th2 great secret of sue
cess lies in the act of filling the hole.
from the bottom. If a space is
left at the bottom, not filled with earth,
then the cutting at that point will mildew.
Dry rot will follow, and it is almost a GER
tainty that all of it will die Nor is it diff
cult to fill the hole with the crowbar 1t
only requires a little careful practice in a
soil that easily pulyerizes, so that the earth
Will clasp the cutting in every part under
ground. In adobe or stiff clay it becomes
a very different process. l have. however,
learned . way by which it may be done
very easily and effectually. Make your
hole as usual with the crowbar and insert
the cutting. Then take sand dry enough
to run easily and fill your hole with it.
This can be done quickly and almost every
cutting viii grow
When rooted vines are to be planted,
trim the roots short enough so that the
plant so trimmed will with ease go in the
hole made by the crowbar. Long roots are
40 advantage, for where they have been
once formed the callous and the short root
surface will throw out new roots with the
greatest ease.
Cultiyating is one OF the necessities for
the growing of abundant crops, ana if
properly performed, all the moisture in a
soil will be retained for the use OF the crop
to be grown Cultivation acts, benefcially
too, in other directions, for by ioosening
the soil it allows the air and warmth to
penetrate more readily to the roots
Rain as it falls is taken up by the soil
and is gradually carried down by the power
Of grayitation. This continual movement
of the water is more or less active, in pro-
portion TO the quantity held by the soil,
for there is a saturating point, varying in
different soils, when the water moves with
reluctance.
There is however, another power, the
very opposite to gravitation, the tendency
to go down, namely capillary attraction
the power for liquids to raise themselves III
hair-likc spaces or tubes. You can see
this power by taking cube of sugar and
dipping the tip Off in your coffee, when
the liquid will rise to every part of the
sugar until filled to its saturating point,
when there will be no further movement.
Again, the same thing occurs when you
J take the wick of q lamp and as soon as one
end touches the Oil, the oil at once rises in
the wick, filling all the tubes or spaces, and
to thaC extent diminishes the oil in the
lamp: but when saturated to the capacity
of the wick, all movement ceases Light,
however the end of the wick, when oil
will be consumed to feed the fame and q
movement of the oil in the wick Will begin,
which VIII continue as long az the light
! burns, until all the oil in the lamp is eX-
| hausted
| This is the way water is removed from
/ the soil The sun is the lamp; hard sur
| face soil with unbFoken tubes or spaces, or
growing plants are the wiCks, and the soil
to a number of feet in depth is the reser-
vOir As long as these wickS (the crust Of
the soil and plants remain, evaporation
will continue, until the soil is exhausted
of its water to several feet in depth. Thus
water being removed from the soil near
the surface, the soil below yields up part
Of its moisture to make both equal.
This being fact it becomes a study how
to stop this evaporation; and we find we
can do very much in that direction, for
there are certain conditions which almost
cut off evaporation entirely, as you can
easily test for yourself. We find that
capillary attraction goes on very easily
through hard but porous substances like
brick, loaf sugar hard or compact earth,
etc, but with difficulty in loose substances
where spaces are wide apart or broken up.
For instance: Take dry brick, place it
on a wet sponge and it will draw the
moisture out of the sponge; and If placed
in the sun, the sponge will protect the
Thus il is, that by blowing we break up
the hard crust Ga favorable condition for
capillary attraction) with its tubes and
small continuous spaces, changing 1t to a
loose earth without continuous spaces for
the water to climb in) which acts like the
sponge and forms q mulch to protect the
moisture from the sun and stops evapOra-
ton, for there is no water to evapOrate-
the wick is cut off. That lands cultivated,
but not planted 10 any crops, retain their
moisture all summer, many Of you have
observed. The conditions, however, are
quickly changed when such ground is
growing weeds, or is planted in some crop.
The reason for this is very simple-mois-
ture and sunshine or warmth, are ncceS-
sity for the growth of all plants.
It would be an interesting study to look
into the processes Of plant life. observe
how they grow, and the different roles
that water plays in the growth of plants :;
but paper Of this kind will not permit of
| this, and for our purpose it is sufficient to
state that water is taken from the soil by
! the roots of plants, and is carried to every
part of the plant where 1t is exposed 10 the
sun. and most actively eVapOrated by the
leaves and this movement continues as in
the lamp until the soil is exhausted Of its
water, when growth ceases.
This teaches Us that we should keep
| our grounds clean from weeds, for TO allow
| them to grow robs the soil Of the water
necessary for their crop. AS ! said before,
all growth is at the expense Of water from
The soil grown in, and the adage holds
! here rs in everything else, s. You cant eat
your cake and still have it," Il follows,
| therefore, that the larger the plants, trees
or vines are the more leaves there will be-
and consequently more cooperating surface
for the sun TO act on, and the more water
will he required and cyaporated. You viii
readily see that if you raise weeds YOU will
only have additional wicks to draw water
from your soil, and rob the crop which you
wish to raise. Therefore, blowing and cul-
tivating the soil Gcc9mplishes both pur-
/ poses by keeping your soil loose and in a
favorable condition t. prevent capillary &c
/ ton ON the surface where the sun can get
at it, and by destroying the not wanted
vegetation with their connecting wicks of
stems and roots in the soil TO pump 1t up.
Cultivation should be IS often ~ 8 hard
| surface or crust forms. This may be sooner
or later, for different kinds Of soil differ in
/ this respect Rain and irrigation will form
/ il ~ soon as the surface dries, and for this
reason light cultivation should follow every
rain or irrigation, when possible, as soon
as the soil will work kindly; and it Will be
( found that such rain or irrigation. when
/ followed by stirring the top soil, will do
| twice the good. and the ground viii remain
| moist "a long as when it IS neglected. Even
/ when there has been no rain or irrigation,
/ and the top soil is 80 dry that weeds DO not
/ sprout any more, yet if there is q crust on
( The ground, il should he broken up to form
a thin coat Of loose soil, and your vines or
| crops viii show the benefit in no doubtful
manner by renewed growth and vigor.
what to plant becomes very seri-
Gus question, and | regret that there
/ is so little information (which is
! known TO be facts. Most vineyGrdists
and wine-makcrs are agreed about a few
I varieties not to plaut-as the Mission,
/ black &alyoisie and the Muscat of Alex
andria-ior wine ! would say that for the
present we have enough Zinfandel The
reason for my saying So is because we are
| finding among the new varieties that arc
now being introduced grapes that make Il
much better red wine. And to find q
grape that is uniformly productive, that
! will make a GOOD rod wine Of dark coIpr