Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-21
THE RANCHES.
Typical Facts About Semi
Tropic Farms.
Il. s. Van Dyke Discovers a
New Hedge Plant.
The Advantage of Thinning Out
Peaches.
Plenty of Cacti-Money in Figs-An Ex-
pert on Potatoes-Notes of Interest
About Farms and Farmers.

IS. Van Dyke, who is doubtless more
familiar with the native plants of this
section than most writer's, says that for
hedges it is difficult to see how anything
could be much more pretty or rare than
the native lilac. 1t is an evergreen,
and though generally found in the
mountains, it grows in the lowlands
enough to show that it sprefers the
mountains only on account of the great
er rainfall, and not because cold weather
in winter is essential to its well
fare. Smooth and shining of limb,
and of light pea-green in every
leaf and branch, color that seldom
fades in the longest spell of driest
weather or under the most adverse
conditions, it is found in several varie-
ties, some of them with bright blush or
lavender flowers in snowy racemes, or in
thyrsus of pure white, some of them
armed with thorns and others without,
but all of them dense of limb and stiff
and unyielding enough for perfect
hedges, while all of them pour out upon
the air soft and penetrating fragrance
that few flowers can excel. There is
every reason to believe that the lilac can
be trimmed and trained into almost any
shape desired, and it is certain that with
water and cultivation it will swiftly out
run the most rapid growth it makes in
its native soil.-[San Diego Sun.
PLENTY OF cACTI.
Of the known 1900 varieties of cacti
there are about thirty indigenous to
California. G. R. Orcutt says he has
handled at least 900 varieties in his col
lections from the deserts and other
sandy regions of this coast and Mexico.
He is just in receipt of an order from a
firm in Germany which has for fifty
years been the worlds largest dealer in
cacti. They want 5000 of these plants,
naming the varieties, and which are tic
wary In sruuiber, each from 70 to 26e'
Mr.. Orcutt expects to have to draw
from Utah, Texas, New Mexico, Color
ado and Mexico for those not to BIZ
found i'm this state. On his trip to the
Colorado desert he secured, for the first
time, species of the fsh-hook OF
strawberry cactus, which bears both
fruit and flower. The latter is small
rose-pink blossom, while the club-shap-
ed, red fruit, is free from spines, and 8
delicious morsel.-San Diego Union.
THIN OUT YOUR PEACHES.
Mention has been made recently oi
the Importance of thinning out peaches
and other fruit trees which are likely to
overbear. I am afraid growers gener.
ally do not fully comprehend the i'm.
portance of this, and are disposed to
sacrifice quality to quantity. In great
majority of orchards, fruits, especially
peaches, will not grow to their full size
nearer together than six inches on an
average. This often necessitates the
plucking off of twice or three times as
much as is left upon the tree, and il
requires no small amount of moral
courage to do it, and yet il
must be done if large and fine
fruit is desired. A tree that is uniform
ly full all over should be mercilessly
thinned down to five or six inches apart
at least; but in trees bearing less, or on
which the fruit is not evenly distributed
the fruit might be allowed to grow lit
tie nearer. A glance at the whole tree
will show at once what should be done
| Even with a thorough knowledge o.
what tree should bear, the most ex
perienced grower will leave too much or
the tree. This is proven by the fac
| that they often thin out second anC
even third time, as the fruit increases il
| size.-A. P. Hull in Placer Republican
AN EXPERT ON POTATOES.
EDITOR HERALD: One of your ex
changes states that the potatoes dug OF
the Vosburg- Macneil ranch turned ou
poorly on account of early planting anC
the mode of cultivation, etc.
Taking the advice of old potato raiser
of this valley, we planted twenty acre
of centennial and magma bonum pota
| toes, from which were dug two carloads
Also planted twenty acres of pink-eyes
variety which the same old potato
raisers condemned as ''no good" bu
from which were dug eight carloads
These potatoes were planted at the sam,
| time and received the same attention a.
| the others.
The whole crop was shipped to Chi
cago and brought good price. HI.
Azusa, June 18th.
MONEY IN FIGS.
New York is great fig market, ant
last year received some $4,000 pounds
from California. But they do not NEE
a ready sale, because their looks arr
against them, and they have not beer
properly cured. They are dry and hav,
tough skins. For about five years nov
they have been coming in from Califor
MIA, and dealers say the quality has
been slowly improving, although mucl
is left to be desired. They sell in tn,
market from six to eight cents a pound
whereas the boxed imported figs cost thu
dealer from eleven to fifteen cents 4
pound, according to grade. Nov
here is good opportunity
for California to improve it
methods, especially while the McKinle.
bill gives an extra protection Of hal
cent per pound The American peopl
eat ST 100000 worth of figs yearly, ano
the market is worth trying for, Th
crystallized figs from California hav,
done better, and they serve to show wha
may be achieved in other ways, if tn
proper pains are taken. They com
loosely packed in one and two-poun,
boxes, and bring the highest price in tn
market retailing for forty to sixty cent
4 IL l. u =.