The morning call., 1890-12-08
INTERIOR TOWNS.
A Collection of Items of Interest
From Various Points.
The Spraying of Fruit Trees-Pruning the
Vines-Effsct OF the Glorious
Rain-Plowing.

Editor Morning Call: The very welcome
rain has come. Tuesday last the wind be-
gan TO blow in the forenoon, rising to quite
gale by midnight, when the rain fell in
torrents, and up to Friday morning more
than two inches had fallen-Quite an un-
usual amount for the first storm of the sea-
son. The dusty roads and the dry and dus-
tier orchards are things of the past Farm
ers are busy pruning and soon will be ready
to pillow and put in bit of garden truck"
So much has been said and written lately
about the subject OF spraying that your cor
respondent concluded TO look up the matter
and find out just what the farmers of this
section had done and were going to do The
orchardists of this neighborhood are pro-
gressive sort of people, and believe in expert
menting until they find out just what they
consider the best plan, and then to go ahead,
regardless of advice from theoretical
writer's. While the writer Of this article is
practical fruit-grower. the facts presented
are not intended as advice, but as sum-
ming up of results obtained by the different
growers In the vicinity by the different
methods used. The scale was evidently
brought into this section by an infected lot
of orange trees, which were brought from
Los Angeles some eight or nine years ago,
and IL has only been within the past three
or four years that the orchards generally be-
came infected, so the manner Of Kidding the
orchards of this pest is a new one to the
farmer in this section. The same spray
that is used upon the orange trees in the
southern part of the State does not seem to
answer for other trees. The apricot and
peach were the first to be attacked, but this
year they are found on the plum and prune
as well, while sometimes few may be seen
upon stray cherry or nut or even a fig, and
1t will be only matter of another season
when all trees will be equally covered.
VI twenty-five orchards personally in
spected, with the aid of a good microscope,
but one. young ten-acre peach orchard ON
sandy bottom land, was clean, il had never
been SPRAYED; one other, mixed eight-acre
young orchard, was also almost clean, one
or two only being found, ii had been sprayed
in January with the soda and potash wash,
half pound of each to three gallons of
water; one large mixed orchard, old and
young trees, had never been sprayed and
was literally covered; Of the Others nine
had been sprayed late, in the last of Janu-
airy or first of February, with soda and pot
ash, hall pound OF each to four or five gal
Ions of water, and were even worse than
last season; three had been sprayed in De-
cember and January with insecticide, one
pound to four or five gallons of water, and
were i'll good condition, comparatively clean;
the others were hard 10 classify, sometimes
the peaches were clean and apricots bad and
sometimes vice versa. AS the scale has only
Matched out within the past three or four
weeks. many were sure they HAD none, the
old ones were dead, but close inspection
usually brought them to view.
The general opinion seemed to be that
either wash would do the work if carefully
applied. 1t must be in calm weather,
neither too hot nor damp; must be applied
either in December or January for the first
time, and ought to be u pound of canstic
soda and " pound of caustic potash, 9S per
Of the ipsecticide to 4 gallons of water.
Neither wash can be applied later than the
middle OF February, as it viii burn the ten
der twigs when sap is in them. The cost Of
these washes is about the same, from to 10
cents tree. which is a heavy expense, aside
from the pumps and labor necessary. Sew
eral farmers are intending to experiment
with different washes this season and the
results will be watched with the greatest
Interest. One gentleman intends to try
wash made from decoction of tobacco, an
other wash made from gum-tree leaves
and another with a preparation which is
said to work well in other districts but has
never been tried here. A cheap and effect
i've wash is to be desired and one that does
not burn the worker at his labors.
There are twenty or more orchards in the
immediate neighb0rhood which were not
examined, and it is only fair to state that
they are probably ali OF them affected,
though possibly not as badly as they are
across the creek-are younger and are on
newer land. The result of this seasons
spraying will be watched carefully. Farm
ers are busily pruning, ana one or two have
hnishea and have already sprayed with
perfect success. The sooner the work is
done the more successful will be the results.
A most interesting entertainment was
given in the Town Hall last Friday night by
the Spare Minute Circle-a genuine i'm
ported minstrel troupe, the meubers of
which We're gentlemen who have attained
regulations in entirely different lines of bust
ness. There were one or two good selections
of Instrumental music. song or so, recita-
t0ns and Settlers Lay of the Bell" given
as set OF dramatic or acting tableaux,
which was very fine. Those especially de-
serving OF mention are Miss Edith Turnor.
who sang ''The Maiden's Song in one OF
the tabeaux; Miss Edith Miner of Oakland,