The morning call., 1890-11-17
INTERIOR TOWNS.
Notes From Niles, IrYington and
Mission San Jose.

The steady snip, snip of the busy pruning
shear is heard on every side, the leaves
begin to fall and neighbors' houses appear
quite Unexpectedly through the barren
vistas of purple or silver tinted swayin g
branches; the graceful olive, the groups of
ornamental trees about the home spots aud
the fringe of vineyards along the foothills,
russell, golden and ever changing add new
beauty to the landscape.
Almost every orchardist has particular
and best method to prune. The olive, wal
nut and almond need no pruning, except
perhaps enough to shape them while young :;
but the apricot, peach, plum and its sister,
the prune, must receive careful and con-
slant attention from the day it appears
above ground, almost, until it dies, to
insure good crops. The cherry, apple ana
pear need less attention, but still require
care. The first thing TO do is to shape the
tree while young, first to brace it, as it
were, against the prevailing winds and
next to trim in such way as to
get a good body, from two to five
feet high, and train from that Juncture a
few (half-dozen or less strong. healthy
limbs, which must sustain all the balance of
the branches upon which the fruit grows.
Now it is necessary TO study the habits OF a
tree to determine the best mrthods for TRIM
ming, as upon the pruning, in great meas
fruit. Fruit grows upon the new wood and
upon fruit spurs short stems, sent out from
the old wood, and it is the orchardlst's aim
10 trim so the fruit shall be well scattered
over the tree, taking off portion of the new
growth usually each year and clipping out
limbs which are too thick inside tie trees.
=. Some orchardists believe fruit grown inside
TO be the best and some that grown on the
very outside, and they trim accordingly.
The subject is very interesting one, and as
farmers in the same section differ mater J.
ally, so do people from different sections of
the State also as to different methods Of
handling their trees.
There has been so little wind the past
week or so that wind mills have been at a
standstill, and it has been necessary TO ap-
ply hand-power, much to the farmers dis
gust. to keep tanks from falling down, and
also to supply water enough for household
uses and Tor the stock, no small task where
there are several head Of cattle. Monday
night, as if to atone for the long quiet, the
wind howled with pent-up fury, and shrieked
and whistied around the houses and through
the orchards, whipping the leaves from the
trees, sweeping do or-yards clean and piling
the tumble werds" in fantastic piles in
every fence corner. Truly. winter will soon
be here.
An article in Saturdays CALL Of Novem-
Der 8th upon Preservative Fruits" con-
tanned paragraph upon "Sulphuring of
Dried Fruits" by Professor Hilgard 1t is
a subject that should receive more attention
from the public and the consumer, both East
and West. The gentleman states that in a
pound of apric0ts sulphured after they are
dried (all fruit in this section is sulphured
previous to drying, 2.32 per cent of the sui
phuric acid was found, equivalent to twenty
hive grains of oil of vitriol. Aside from the
danger possible to arise, the taste Of the fruit
is materially changed. The farmer himself
prefers his fruits and nuts unbleached. The
color, it is true, is much darker, and varies
according 10 the weather. In the San Joa-
'quin Valley, where dews do not fall, and the
days and nights even are hot, fruit Will dry
in two OF three days and retain its color to a
greater degree than in the Coast counties.
Apricots and caches should be rich golden
brown, not the clear golden yellow
which the sulphured fruit has A dirty,
over ripe or under-ripe peach or apricot
may be sulpbured and dried and sold for
fitst-class fruit: but sun-dried fruit must be
In good condition when cut TO retain its
color evenly when dried. And the flavor !.
No one knows better than the farmer how
much sweeteT ana richer the sun-dTied fruit
is than the sulphured sun-dried fruit The
same holds good as regards nuts, especially
sOft-shelled almonds. 1t may possibly be-
come necessary. as In certain European
countries, to prevent sulphuring altogether.
because it is impossible to limit the degree
OF color required, and many driers already
bleach their fruit until j. is pallid yellow,
many tlIltS IeHeWluR Tie ouipitlIius pIO-
cess after drying. AS the manner of sulphur
ing may not be known, it will not ainiss to
describe it. The fruit when cut is spread
upon trays These trays are placed in house
or box which they just fit on cleats, one
over the other, and on the ground below a
pan of sulphur is placed and lighted, this
house being perfectly tight and the door
closed. the fruit is allowed to remain in the
fumes from half an hour to one hour, some
times longer, when it is taken out and
placed in the sun to dry, which takes from
three to twelve days, according to the
weather. When the fruit is still quite moist
it is piled an inch or so thick and stirred
often for two or three more days, then,
when not quite dry enough to rattle. it is
piled in heaps in room and allowed to
sweat being stirred each day, until it is all
equally soft and pliable, but not moist,
when 1t IS ready to sack and ship. 1t is
process that requires care, constant atten-
ton and experience
Several society events are in the near fu-
ture-a eotilion club dance, bazaar and
musical drama.
The Spare-minute Circle met last Satur-
day evening with Miss Florence Mortimer.
Alter the usual business meeting the fifty
or more young and old people present, in
Guiding many guests, drew closer to listen