Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-17

free from these pests, because OF the heavy
damages liable to accrue to planters from
infected vines being sold to them.
PROFITS IN FIG CULTURE.
J. H. Clapp, of the firm of Dudley,
Clapp d Doe, extensive fruit dealers in New
York, who is visiting Riverside, thinks the
fruit-raisers of southern California make
great mistake in not engaging in the cult
ure of the fig more extensively. New York
dealers are paying fifty cents per pound for
choice Smyrna figs at wholesale, price
that California fruit could command if
proper skill and care were used in the Sc
lection of the right variety and in grading
and packing for the market. The principal
fig grown in California is the black variety,
which is unstable on account of its color.
If the white Smyrna fig should take its
place, and be handled rightly, it could COM
mand as high a price as the imported
article. Californians seem to think that
the fruit is good enough as tits, and use no
care in grading and packing, but put in all
kinds promiscuously, while the foreign fig
raisers Shake a selection of the very best
fruit securing a high price for which they
can afford to sell other grades at a low
price. The best fruit if carelessly packed,
will not command the price the same fruit
would if put up in neat shape to catch
the eye of the buyer Press and Horti-
culturist.
BREEDING OF PoLLED CATTLE.
A writer in the Canadian Breeder gives
the following interesting item regarding
polled CATTLE In order TO be successful in
breeding polled grades, observe the follow
ing rule: Select thoroughbred bull, with
high-pointed poll, well sunken where the
horns should be. Never select a high
horned COW, as they as a rule, only breed
one-third polled-a low, short, crooked or
crumpled horn will breed the most polled
calves and nearly as many as a low polled,
high grade polled COW. Jerseys breed more
polled calves than any other breed of
horned cattle, if crossed with the above
described bull. A Galloway bull will breed
more blacks than the Angus. in crossing
with other breeds. The Angus breed to
many browns and brindles.
HINT ON PRUNING.
Josiah Hopes is authority for the fol-
lowing: Fruit trees of varieties that have
tendency TO spread should be headed in
to form a compact head, whilst those with
dense top must be thinned out. In the
former always cut to an inside bud, so as
to give the new branches a tendency to-
ward the center, and in the latter select an
outside one TO encourage a wider spread.
Limbs on young tree are deceiying
They may appear sufficiently distant at
that age, but at maturity they may crowd
each other. Give them ample room at the
start. The practice of opening out the
heads of old trees is all wrong, and surely
Injuries them.
GENERAL NOTES.
The following makes good grating wax,
and has long been tried: Four tounces or
pounds rosin, two (ounces or pounds)
beeswax, one (ounce or pound) beef tallow
Melt and mix well, being carefult not to
scorch. Pour out portions of the mixture,
when ready, into cold water and when
just cool enough pull like taffy until il be-
comes light-colored. In using this wax for
grating on a cold day it will be necessary
to keep 1t lying in warm water, to have it
work soft enough, and on warm day cold
water may be necessary. In pulling it the
hands must be kept slightly creased to pre-
vent sticking.
E. w. Cornell, in the New York Tribune,
says he is convinced by observation and
experience that stimulating manures and
cultivation in strong soil will surely pro-
duee blight by inducing late growth, and
the consequent formation of unripened
wood. He has. IN the last, two years kept
his large ounce orchard in clover, allow
ing the late growth to remain as mulch,
bSiCIhitiE ltpAIl LitIldle OI potash ana Sd IL
TO maintain healthy growth, thus avoid
ing blight.
Every one who has had much experience
in milking knows that COWS, when i'll
treated by mixers, never give as much
milk as when they are treated kindly, says
the New England Farmer. This is due to
the fact that the secreting glands of the
body perform their functions rapidly or
slowly according to the condition of the
mind of the animal. 1t therefore paws to
be kind and gentle when handling dairy
COWS.
Warning is being given against permit
ting horses to eat alfilaria. While il is
generally regarded as most choice variety
OF food for stock in general. and cattle and
sheep do excellently well upon it, several
horses are reported in the Rural Californian
to have died from eating it. The woody
tibers get balled together in passing through
the comparatively small stomach of the
horse, and cause death if fed too freely.
The following is given by the Boston
journal Of Commerce as an excellent cement
for leather betting: Common clue and
lslnglass equal parts, soaked for ten hours
in just enough water to cover them. Bring
gradually to a boiling heat and add pure
tannin until the whole becomes ropy, or
appears like the whites of eggs. Buff off
the surfaces to be joined. apply this cement
warm, and clamp firmly
Farmers who adopt the partial draining
system, putting in tiles only in the wettest
places, are sometimes surprised to find
these dry enough 10 plow several days be-
fore the naturally dryer hillsides are lit for
teams to walk over The fact is that hills,
and especially the sides of hills, are often
full of springs, which require drains to re-
move surplus water as much as do lower
levels.
W. A. Henry, Professor of Agriculture at
University of Wisconsin, writes to the
RECORD UNION that the Citrus Fair has in
terested him in this section, and ne will
visit here this summer,
When a plum tree gets badly covered
with black knots, the infected limbs should
all be cut off close to the trunk of the tree,
that an entire new top may be formed
A cheap paint for barns, it is said, may
be composed of twelve pounds melted
pitch, one quart of linseed oil and two
pounds yellow ochre, mixed thoroughly.