Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-05
FARM AND ORCHARD.
IMPORTANCE OF THE PROPER HAND.
LING OF PEACHES.
Stacking Hay and Grain-Profit in Plant
ing for Double Crops-General
Farm Notes.

L
the State, p. w. Butler, gives the follow
ing directions for packing peaches for
shipment, as practiced in his own orchard
at.Penryn. He states that by handling his
peaches in this way last year he secured
for them from ten to fifteen cents per box
more than shippers who packed in the or
binary way. The extra expense is estl-
mated to be one to one and half cents a
box. 'sIf the picker drops a peach into a
box or basket, and the fall is only few
inches, it is thereby injured, although the
injury may not be perceived by the most
careful packer. 1t will, however, prema-
turely begin to decay at the very point
struck when dropped. To avoid this and
all rough handling between the orchard
and packing house, the fruit may be
packed under the trees when it is desired
to have very particular work done. A
light hand-cart, with ? frame under the
axle arranged to take five or six peach
boxes and platform above on which to
wrap and pack the peaches, is needed for
this work. The cart can be taken from
tree to tree, each peach picked and
wrapped before leaving the hand and
placed in the box.
"All over-ripe and imperfect fruit must
be rejected. Even if it cost double as
much to pack peaches by this method as
in the usual. way, it would be economy
when they are to be sent to distant mar
kets. Another plan is to line the boxes
in which the fruit is to be placed from the
tree with cotton batting, and cover this
with old burlap or other cheap material;
then insist that the picker carefully lay
each peach in the box, and never be al
lowed to drop them even an inch from the
hand The peaches should never be
dumped from the box, but taken to the
packing-house on wagon, on which is
placed frame that will carry two or more
tiers, that the boxes may never be placed
one upon the other. The peaches should
then be taken directly from this carrier,
wrapped, and placed in the box for ship
ment. In hauling fruit from the field,
or to the depot, spring wagons should be
used, and care should be taken to have
the roads as smooth as possible. An in
jury TO single peach is liable to cause
premature decay, and thereby render
worthless a box of otherwise good fruit
when a market is reached"
STACKING HAY AND GRAIN.
1t will be best as far as possible to store
all the hay possible under shelter. If any
must be stacked outside for want of room
it should be the timothy and red-top.
&c. the clover and millet under shelter if
there is room to store, and as much of the
other as the room will admit. If clover
or millet is to be stacked outside, as a rule
it will be best to top off the stacks or ricks
with timothy or red-top, as either of these
will shed water better than clover. Slough
hay is the best material if it can be had
Editor Prairie Farmer.
1t is always best to put up what is nee
essary to stack out in large ricks rather
than in small stacks, as there is more or
less loss with all hay stored outside, and
in small round stacks the loss is much
more in proportion to the bulk than if put
up in large ricks 1t is important in
stacking hay to spread and tramp evenly,
so that when it settles it will turn water
readily. Care to stack hay or grain prop
erly will in many cases save considerable
loss. When to be fed in the straw without
thrashing, oats should, if possible, be
stored under shelter If cut in good sea-
son, properly cured and stored away, and
then run through a cutting-box before
feeding, oats in the straw make one of
the best rations that can be supplied to
the stock horses, mich COWS and sheep
But to be of the best quality they should
be stored under shelter.
Oats and wheat that are to be thrashed
must be stacked outside. A place should
be selected where the straw will be con-
venient for feeding out because if the
grain, either oats or wheat, is cut in good
season, and the straw is carefully stacked
SO that it will keep IN good condition,
straw makes a good feed to use in connec-
tion with hay and grain, and especially so
if both the hay and straw can be run
through cutting-box, and the grain be
ground and little bran be added.
One of the principal items in stacking is
to keep the middle full, so that when the
stack settles the outside bundles will be at
an angle TO carry the water to the outside.
A good foundation should be made, and the
stack properly started. The best shape for
stack is that of an egg set with the large
end down.
There is no economy in running a stack
particularly high; in fact, it is an increase
in the work that does not usually pay Built
so as to turn water surely is the principal
item with all grain or hay stacked out
side.
Hay and oats must be dry and we'll
cured when stacked Wheat will keep
with more moisture in the straw than any
other crop, but it should be well cured
before stacking.-Prairie Farmer.
DOUBLE CROPS.
Where practicable, observes Rural NeC
Yorker writer, double crop gives the
largest profit, A mixture of one-half
bushel of barley and one and half BUSH
els of oats will increase the number and
weight of the bushels yielded as well as
their feeding value. If to this mixture be
added few quarts of the small, yellow
Canada pea, the yield and value will be
still greater, but the peas should be omit
ted on land where the vines viii be so
rank as to pull down the grain and make
bad work for the machine. Quick, dry,
grayelly land, where straw and vines do
not grow too large, is best suited for this
thickly for fodder, put in some oats.
will keep them from lodging and
tney VIII pe the pest part vi lue IooueI'
Corn planted broadcast, or too thickly in
drills, is mass of water with Just tissue
enough to hold it together. To be at their
best corn needs plenty of sun, and potatoes
partial shade. One field was planted with
both with satisfactory results, the rows
were two feet apart each way. Every other
row was corn, so that each hin had an
area sixteen square feet With so much
light and heat the ears we're large and per-
feet, and the yield above the average in
this vicinity. For the best yield in corn
ever grown there were four feet between
the rows one way. The corn can be cut
and drawn to the silo and not be in the
way Of digging the potatoes. The latter
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