The record-union., 1891-04-24

TuIHtcSS upSelllHS OF all our precOUcelNeu
ideas, the reversal of what has been
taught in our schools for ages. 1t is true
that, if we examine into the theory of
plant growth as set down by botanical
and biological authorities, we find that
they disagree among each other to an as
tonishing degree. They all, however,
join in declaring that trees and plants de-
rive sap from their roots and breathe in
gases by their leaves. How the sap rises,
whether by capillary attraction, endos-
NOSE, root pressure, suction, OF evapora-
ton, or combination of all described
by Professor Huxley as pulling, pushing
and dumping), the greatest biologists, in
Guiding Herbert Spencer, Sachs, Huxley,
Darwin and others, have by no means
less, indorse the theory Of rising sap, and
agree, moreover, that it rises in spring
and deScendS in summer. Now, if all
this theoriZing is proved to be wrong, we
shall not only have to alter our school
teaching, but largely modify our agri-
cultural practice. Clearly, if the roots
suck up, absorb, or otherwise collect
moisture and the organic and inorganic
constituents of sap from the soil, then the
soil will quickly become exhausted and
require constant feeding, while the leafy
parts of the plants must be cut and
pruned down. This is the present prac-
tice. And it is certainly worthy of re-
lIldl N llittt our DeSt ctlllN MISUNDERSTANDING
to the theories Of the day-Orchards and
gardens are those that suffer most readily
from blight and disease generally. One
new botanical revolutioniSt, }. A. Reeves,
with his book on Sap" tries to prove
that we are altogether on the wrong road;
that sap does not descend, but ascends in
all trees and other plants. To the un-
preludiced physicist and mechanician this
theory of Mr.. Reeves seems by far the
most credible and intel jblp
A BLUE-BLooDED sHoRTHoRN.
Robert Ashburner, of San Mateo, writes
as follows to the Rural Press: "H. S.
Malthy, of Placer County, has been pay
ing a visit to Baden, and took home with
him the fine Shorthorn bull calf, Faws-
ley Duke Twenty first. This calf was
never allowed to suck cow, but fed his
milk from a bucket from the day he was
born, and after the time he was three
months old he was fed skim milk, mixed
with little Oilcake cruel and no new
milk. His weight in San Francisco,
when 10 months and 10 days old, was $50
pounds. He and some others had been
out OF doors night and day since the be-
ginning OF January, with the exception of
some five or six wet and stormy nights,
there being feed trough in the field but
no shade and not much shelter. Faws-
ley Duke Twenty-first is descended from
imported Fawsley Garland Fourth, of
Sir c. Knightley's Ruby tribe, that be-
came and long continued famous in his
hands for its dairy properties. Mr.. NAL
thy's Intention is to start a dairy on his
farm in Placer County, and he could not
have made better selection of a bull,
with growing and milking qualities COM
blned, the one he bought being of the
same family, and almost exactly of the
same blood and breeding as the cow
Baden Ruby Fifth, exhibited by me at
the last California State Fair for the pre-
MUM offered by the American Short
horn Breeders Association for the best
milking ShOrthorn COW. Baden Ruby
Fifth gave an average of over forty
pounds of milk day for seven consecu-
tive days at Sacramento, two months
after she had her calf, which certainly is
fairly good record, all things being con-
sldered-twenty-seve hours in railway
car, change from a cool to hot climate,
as well as strange surroundings, all in
the season Of dry feed. / had one other
COW, White Maid, entered for the same
premium; she had calved over three
months and gave an average of over thirty
pounds day at Sacramento"
THIN YOUR FRUIT TREES.
We hope that our fruit-growers will
thin well by artificial means and not de-
pend upon nature and spring-storms to
thin their fruit for them. A Statement is
SOlllS ln0 IOuIUS ludl the
last week did a world of good, from the
fact that it accomplished the work which
1t would otherwise have required many
hundreds OF hands to peform in thinning
out the fruit from overloaded trees. There
Is no doubt but what in some localities
the wind and rain did knock off a few
buds and good many blossoms, but this
method Of thinning your crop cannot be
relied upon. This season of all others
growers should distinctly bear in mind
that heavy, thorough thinning must be
done in order that the fruit they expect
to harvest shall be of good, merchanta-
bic size and quality. With large fruit
crop throughout the whole country, only
the largest, finest fruit will sell to adj
vantage. This class of fruit can be Sc
cured this season only from orchards that
have been heavily thinned.-C California
Fruit -G1'OlCeT.
A LASTING wHITEwASH.
Take one-half bushel of unslacked lime:
slack it with boiling water; cover it dur
ing the process TO keep in the steam
Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or
strainer, and add to it peck of salt, pre-
viously dissolved in warm water, three
pounds OF ground rice, boiled to a thin
paste, one-half pound of powdered Span
ish whiting and one pound of clean glue
Prepare the glue by soaking it well to
dissolve it, and then hang it over slow
fire in small kettle within larger one
filled with water. Add five gallons of
hot water to the mixture, stir it well and
let it stand for few DAYS covered from
dust. 1t should be put on hot, and for
this purpose it can be kept in kettle on
portable furnace. Colors may be mixed
with the liquid, except that green should
never be used, because it makes the
whitewash crack and peel, and lime also
destroys the color. The whitewash re-
tains its brilliancy for many years, and
it will do for inside and outside walls. A
square yard Of the outside of house will
be covered by pint of the mixture.
GROWING GREEN FOOD.
AS the keeping of garden may COM
pei many to contine their hens in yards,
it becomes a difficult matter to allow
them to secure green food. One of the
best methods for SO doing, however. is
TO have changeable yards; that is, the
yard should be divided. While the hens
occupy one side, the other side NAV be
spaded up and sown to mustard, millet,
or any kind of crop of which the seed is
not expensive. Such crops need not ma
ture, hence the hens can be turned in
when the plants are three or four inches
high. Wheat, oats, sorghum, corn. tur-
nips or anything that will provide green
food Will answer.
The side occupied by the hens before
SAA"'ii isAiiS tiiShl W VIC green p1dJ may now
be spaded up and treated in the same
manner. There are many advantages in
the plan; among them, the providing of
green food, the cleaning of the yards by
turning under the filth, the manuring of
the yards by the hens, the saving of grain,
the promotion of the health of the fowls
and the procurement of greater number
of eggs. The only outlay is partition
fence. There Is no extra cost for labor, as
the yards need not be cleaned up except
when ground is spaded, which turns un-
der all tilth.-FdrDt and FfreSide.
SUGAR BEETS.