San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-18
The Daily Eight.
FRIDAY, JANUARY. 10. 1889.
TREE PLANTING.
Condition OF Cattle and Sheep
Grass In Three Weeks
ETC., Etc.


Etc., Etc.
A LIGHT reporter met DIR. G. B.
Johnston, the well known horticultur-
list, forester and breeder yesterday,
and held conversation with him. DR..
Johnston, as is well known, has made
lifetime study of plant life as we'll
as the crops Of this country, and is
prepared to give the average amateur
gardener or practical farmer or cattle
man. many points they did not know
before.
The reporter hazarded the question:
"How are the cattle standing the
weather in Texas this winter"
The doctor replied: "Well, in Texas
the greatest of my observation has
been in these parts. Here our
FINE CATTLE
are holding their own finely. There
is large demand for Texas raised
fine cattle, and common Texas cattle
are all right, though they are shrink
ing some i'm flesh, but not much. We
have had no storms to weaken them
and the grass has not rotted badly. If
we had had frost to follow our excess
sive rains it would have been ruined.
But in three weeks from now we will
have new grass and then everything
is safe.
"And sheep?n
DIR. Johnston-"Sheep is wooling
fine this winter and no serious losses
are reported. For sheep to stock up
ranches with there is quite a demand
opening up. The sheep business in
Texas is
ON THE ASCENDANT.
isn't it about time to begin plant
ing treesH"
no time to delay, and If you would
grow trees the coming season you
must begin setting out at once. You
have before published my mode of
planting trees. Dig the holes two feet
square and two feet deep, discarding
the sub-soil; throw it away. Only the
top soil is used. Fill the hole two
thirds full of this top soil, and set the
tree in, about two inches lower than it
stood in its own soil in the nursery.
Spread the roots out well, fill in with
FINE SOIL
and then shake the tree gently, cover
the roots and press the soil down with
the foot, then fill the hole and pour in
bucket of water. If it is very valu-
able tree put a stake on each
side to prevent the wind from
shaking it. This applies to all
shrubs, as we'll as trees. Keep the
ground we'll mulched with plant food
of some good, rich kind. In trans
planting evergreens, this point is
necessary: Never allow the roots to
become dry in transportation. The
turpentine in the roots BECOMES dry,
hardens into resin, and the roots and
then the tree die"
"How would you set out grapes,
and what kind?"
"Grapes? get the cuttings from a
nursery if you have no vines of your
own.
GET CUTTINGS,
with at least three joints or buds,
and put two of these under the ground
and only allow the third to show
itself above ground. Three varieties
will flourish in Texas, the Black Ham
burg, the Black Spanish and the Nir-
gina Seedling.'
at is also now the time to set out
roses or anything else that you want
to grow,n continued the doctor.
"ROses should be well cut back"
The reporter was about to leave,
when the doctor said "Our people
ought to
PREPARE TO sow
great amount of Alfalfa this year.
1t is one of the greatest of foods for
our climate, and will take the place
of Johnson grass, which is both a
blessing and curse. Twenty
pounds of seed to the acre should be
sown; you must SOW it thick. 1t
is our southern substitute for red
clover, and should be put in every
extra lot or piece Of ground in the
country"