Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-06
Facts About South
ern California Farms.
The Value of Potatoes for Starch
Making Purposes.
Some Interesting Facts About the
CaprificatiOn of Figs.
How Figs Are Fertilized in Asia Minor.
Advantages of CaprificatiOn.
San BernardinO Lem
Ons, Etc.

|
ascertain their value for starch making
purposes, with most satisfactory re-
suit. As there is considerable anxiety
expressed in this section of late as to
the large surplus potato crop, and the
consequent low prices, the following
letter from this expert will be of inter
est, and seems to demonstrate that our
spuds could be proftably worked into
starch:
''The potatoes 1 received from you
were worked into starch, sample of
which enclose. The potatoes are of a
good quality for making starch, and in
making test as to their percentage 1
found them to contain about twenty
four per cent. of starch. They were not
fully ripened, and not in very good
condition, being considerably bruised,
and much of them had to be cut
away, making it mores sdifficultsto obtain
an exact result. But this much%I can
assure you, the potatoes are of excellent
quality for making starch, as 1 have
never before tested potatoes, not ripe,
which turned out such an. excellent
quality. After being harvested and
properly housed and taken care of, will
increase in per cent. of starch until
about December or the middle of Janu-
ary, from which time they begin to
| lose.
"The plant should be put up and
ready for work by the last of Septem-
Der, as the three or four months be-
fore February is the time that the
manufacture of starch is the most
profitable. If you have the soil and
climate to raise good potatoes in suffi
cient quantities to operate small
plant, you will find in few years that
| it is the very best kind of investment.
AS to the offal, it is quite factor that
amounts to considerable, as it answers
the purpose as we'll as corn cut green
and put into silo, ,and fed to cattle later
in the season, when other green feed is
hardly obtainable. 1t can also be fed
right from the factory, and in Germany,
| Austria and France, the best of beef
| steers come from such factories"
! FIG CAPRIFIcATIoN.
James Boyd, in the Riverside Phoenix,
writes an article on fig culture, from
which the following extract is taken;
1t was contended, with some
| truth doubtless, that the inhabitants of
the best fig growing sections in Asia
Minor were exceedingly exclusive in
their monopoly of a good variety, and
jealously guarded against any exporta-
tions, but money will obtain good va
riety of fruit however guarded it may be,
and private individuals have succeeded
in rare cases in obtaining the
true Smyrna fig The San Fran
cisco Bulletin also made an ex-
| tensive importation a few years ago
which have been pronounced the gen
uine Smyrna. But some of the varieties
| (for there are severaD in different loca-
tions are said to drop their fruit prema
turely, said to be because the fruit was
not properly fertilized. 1t is said that
the Smyrna fig rarely produces perfect
blossoms, and that unless they are fer
tilted by the capri, or wild fig, the figs
will drop or fail to mature a perfect
fruit. The blossoming process of the
fig is rather peculiar, as the young figs
push right out from the naked limb of
the tree without signs of blossom, and
as the blossoming process goes on entirely
in the interior of the fruit, if the flow
ers are not perfect fertilization cannot
| occur.
To insure perfect modification, in
SMYRNA the branches of the wild fig at
the blossoming period are hung in the
tops of the fruit bearing trees, and in the
meantime small fly, called the Blasto-
phaga psenes, which inhabits the capri
fig, in passing from its breeding place in
search of place to deposit its eggs, en-
ters the blossom end of the cultivated
fig carrying some of the pollen grains OF
the male bloom of the capri and deposit
ing it in the female bloom of the fig they
enter causing qualification to ensue. AS
the Blastophaga and the capri fig are
both in California we will not have long
to wait to determine whether we can
grow the Smyrna fig to perfection. Pos
sibly it is too late to tell for this sea-
son, but doubtless another season will
determine whether fertilization of the
fruit by the Blastophaga will stop drop
ping of the immature fruit. If it should
be success fig growing will immediate
ly assume a leading position among
fruits, for the reason that the fig tree is
easily propagated. has few or no
insect enemies and is prolific
bearer; and further we have a
large area of land adapted to the
| fig. Another advantage will be that the
| fig harvest will come in after apricots
and the general crop of peaches, and be-
fore grapes, and drying and packing will
give employment to our workers at a
time when no other is to be had. Alto
gether the outlook is favorable, and it
would seem that our mesas, such as
Alessandro and San Jacinto, that have
had water recently, will ultimately be
the home of the fig.
| SAN BERNARDINo LEMONS.
A good lemon is worth from $5 to So
per box. The trees bear at an earlier
age than the orange tree and are more
productive. 1t has been demonstrated
that San Bernardino county can produce
lemon equal if not superior to the inn
ported lemon. Mr.. Garcelon has made a
specially of the lemon and has succeeded
in curing lemons SO that they are found
after eight months to be in as fine con-
dition as when first plucked from the tree.
Mr.. Garcelon is about to publish PAM