The record-union., 1891-09-22
FARM And ORCHARD.
The Fruit Business in California
All Right.
Pasture Has a Most Important Inf1u-
ence Upon the Quality of Butter and
Cheese-Chestnut Culture-General
Farm Notes.

There is a certain class of growers in
this State-those who have not received
satisfactory prices for their fruit this year
who are getting the blues and predict
ing disaster to the fruit industry of Cali
fornla. Such croakers are to be found in
every calling and branch of trade, and as
is usually the case their pessimistic views
In this matter are entirely unwarranted.
1t is true that prices of many staple fruits
have taken a tumble as compared with
last years values, but there is a reason
able cause for this in the very uncommon
conditions that have existed and now
prevail. To begin with, California has
the largest fruit crop she has ever pro-
duced, and at the same time the East has
crop that has not been equaled in many
years. To more seriously complicate
matters, California fruits were late. and
the Eastern early, so that the markets of
the East were called upon to handle these
two great crops simultaneously. There
could be but one result where perishable
goods are involved, and that was disap-
pointing returns to the producers and
shippers of the East and the Pacific
Coast.
This, however, does not indicate that
the California fruit business is going to
the demnition bow-wows, nor is it
headed that way. 1t has simply met with
one of those off years which comes to
every industry, no matter how great or
prosperous it may generally be. Still
the depression is not a serious one.
Growers and shippers of some kinds of
fruit have met with annoying losses in
shipping to Eastern markets, but the
shipper who pays 81 for forty-two pounds
OF Bartlett pears, boxes them and pays
transportation cannot reasonably expect
to gain much by the transaction. There
is gilt-edged profit to the producer in
such prices, but it is just such invest
ments as this that causes the reports that
California fruits are being grown and ship
ped at loss this season. The same may
be said of our peaches that have collided
with the surplus Eastern product, but at
the same time the leading varieties have
realized fairly satisfactory prices. When
orange clings are being bought by the
Gamers at two and a half cents, as they
were on the first of the present month, 1t
cannot be truthfully said that the bottom
has dropped out of the fruit market.
The fact of the matter is that growers
are face to face with the unpleasant fact
that their returns of last season were no
criterion of those for the average year
and that they will have to be content in
the future with small margins of profit,
branches of agriculture. At the same
time we see no reason to fear that fruit
growing in California is being oVerdone.
1t is true that vast acreage of orchard is
coming into bearing during the succeed
ing five years, but the market for our
fruit products is being very rapidly ex-
tended in all directions, and we believe
there viii be plenty of demand for Cali
Iornla fruits at fair prices when the bust
ness shall have been properly adjusted
California Fruit Exporter and Farmer.
QUALITY IN THE PASTURE.
The breed of cattle used for producing
the milk from which choice butter is made
are but the agents for converting the dit
ferent foods into the commodity desired,
and the skill and labor applied render the
products of better finish in appearance,
but the quality is also influenced by the
food, and especially by the pasturage.
Pastures differ greatly, some varieties of
grasses being better adapted TO certain To-
cations than others, and, as no animals
also differ individually, the mos uniform
product Is that which is made :. ere there
Is the greatest uniformity U. pasture,
breeds and methods of manipulation.
Land being cheaper in America than in
England, our farmers rely principally
upon natural pastures, probably induced
by the better adaptability OF the grasses to
the soil and their greater hardness under
favorable conditions; but the European
farmer gives his attention TO the cultiVa-
ton of the pasture, using manures and
fertilizers, and selecting those varieties OF
grasses that assist in adding quality to the
product. There is a certain effect inn
parted to milk, butter, cheese and meat
by the sweet heritage of certain sections,
and the European pastures are more
varied, combining not only the most
nutritious grasses, but also those that
more or less flavor the product
as it is acknowledged by the
most experienced dairymen that
some foods will produce butter and
other products of a better quality than
will others, and this result is partially OBJ
tanned by cultivation, every noXious
weed being eradicated and the nutritiye
grasses and aromatic heritage being en-
couraged by seeding the less desirable
plants being crowded out or extermi-
mated whenever it is possible to do so.
Referring TO the quality of the products
Daniel Bachelor many years ago called
attention TO the fact that the Parmesan
and other Italian cheeses, which are
widely known, derive their excellent
quality from the grasses upon which the
an imals feed, and that the famous Cor
gonZola cheese is due to the sweet herb
age of the region in which it is manufact-
ured and the fact is cited TO show that the
flavor and SAVIOR of the food permeates the
flesh, the fat and the lacteals, affecting the
quality more than the skill and care
given. There are seasons, however,
when the pasture is useless, and when
The severe winters demand other methods
of feeding. but even in such cases the ami
mails may be largely influenced by vari-
ETY. Of food and the quality of the hay.
Whether these advantages favor our
our farmers or not, they certainly have a
wide field for experiment in the produc-
tion of choice articles. - Philadelphia
Record.
CHESTNUTS.
In bulletin recently published by the
Pennsylvania Experiment Station DO
Gated at State College Postoffice, Center
County,, Professor William A. Buckhout
giVeS some valuable information relative
10 the culture of the chestnut.
The chestnut cannot be grown success
fully on heavy clays, wet soils or lime
stone land. 1t prefers loose, sandy soils,
or such as has been derived from the de-
composition of states or shales. In OHIO
it is found native on the sand ridges
which border on the lake shore and on
the shaly hillside of some ofthe hill coun-
ties in the southern portion of the State,
but never on the limestones which cover
the western and southwestern portions of
the State. nor can it be cultivated in this
region with any prospect of success.
The chestnut grows readily from the
seed. but great care must be exercised not
10 permit the nuts TO become dry. To ac-
Complish this they must be planted as
soon as gathered, or else must be kept IN
moist sand until ready to plant. If pos
sible the nuts should be planted where
the tree is TO stand, as the chestnut has q
long tap-root which renders transplantlng
difficult.
Our native chestnut is practically of
but one variety, but the European chest
nut Is not only much larger and liner
tffan tho American, but has produced,
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