Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-17
STIRPICULTURE.

Stirpiculture is not new word nor a
new culture. 1t simply means stock or
race breeding as applied to human be-
ings. have never read book or an
article on the subject. There may be
such books, but / have never heard of
them, nor have 1 ever heard OF any
writer upon the subject. If there are
any such works would take great pleas
ure in reading them. By this do not
mean to convey the idea that am the
"original Jacob" in this line--not by
any means. 1t is simply desire upon
my mind to bring few thoughts to-
gether in permanent form before they
utterly perish, and with the hope that
some one, better informed than myself,
may lead me into more light upon the
subject. Having now passed this ego
tistical but necessary apologetic and
explanatory introduction, let few facts
be considered.
First--What is culture? The literal
meaning of the word is of a beautiful
character. 1t comes into the English
from the Latin cultura. The latter is
derived from another Latin word, colo,
and that again from another word OF the
same language, cultus. They all mean
to till or prepare the soil for crops. 1t
is a rich, strong figure.
The tiller of the soil first removes the
brush, weeds and rocks. lie then plows
it deep in regular burrows. turning over
the rich, virgin loan to the sunlight.
The sunshine and the air penetrate the
loosened loan, aud chemical action
takes places by which certain elements
of the air and earth are united, and a
''hne edge" as it were, put upon the
soil. The seeds are then planted in diff
ferent ways, according to their
variety. Seed-food in the form of
water is applied, either naturally or ar.
tilicially. The sunlight PRESSES hard
upon the soil. Gently its warmth
enters the ground, and draws or
wakens the seeds to life, and they push
out, and grow and develop to maturity.
The same is true of all seeds, whether
they be wild or cultured, or OF cereals
or trees bat is truer to a degree of
greater intensity in the cultured rather
than in the wild cereals or trees. The
reason of this is that culture is mans
assistance given nature in the exercise
and development of all her powers for
the accomplishment of her designs. The
more we study nature and the more
strictly we observe her laws, the happier
we and our children will be.
FoI instance: Many long ages ago,
there grew on the borde rs of the Med
iterranean sea an insign ificant wild
grass. Year after year it dropped its
ripened seeds into the soil. What the
birds did not devour and was covered
by the shifting soil, sprang into
life, only to bear another harvest. Per-
haps some observing person saw that the
birds preferred this wild grain, and con-
cluded that man might enjoy it, too.
Anyway, some one was the pioneer cul-
tivator OF this wild grass. He prepared
the soil, and planted the seed. Never
before had it had such favorable condi-
tions. There were no other weeds to
divide and ensmall its food supply or
rob the soil of it's fertility. The soil had
been loosened and watered. The sun
shine coaxed it into increased llfe-vigor-
1t responded wonderfully to the care, at.
tention, time and labor given to it, and
developed into wheat. AS cultured
grass, 1T is more profitable every way
than as wild grass. Subsequent cul-
ture has developed all the splendid
modern varieties of wheat. L wish l
could elucidate this figure of soil-tiliing
further, for it will become so very torci-
BILE when applied to stirpiculture.
Then there was the peach, scrubby
little tree with a nasty, bitter. fruit,
which grew in the arid country of
Persia. Culture has worked wonders
with the peach. 1t is the queen OF de-
ciduous fruits. Culture gave 1T a good
soil, and let the air and light, natures
great agents OF life development, get
arc und It's leaves and fruit, trunk and
roots, and do their loving work.
The orange is the most familiar ex-
ample in South California. 1t is tree
that seems to partake of human charac
teristics. Every ybody knows what cul-
ture does for it. 1t is unnecessary to
dwell longer upon the vegetable king
dom, for it's cultured facts are so patent
to all. The animal kingdom is the one
one to be next considered.
Without stopping to note all the in
stances in animal culture, Of which