The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-01-05

anu lcSS nay. Willie ioS INCREASING bltC
grain ration, with the above favorable re-
suit. The horse had good appetite and
only a small stomach. AS consequence,
he was uncomfortable, cross and indis-
posed while on the road. Now | am not
only saving money in grain, but IN hay,
and have in him better driYer.-Jour-
nal of Agriculture.
GRAPE-LEAF BEETLE.
The grape-leaf beetle (AdoruS UitiS,
Fabri, was found last spring to be quite
generally distributed in the grape-grow-
ing sections, and unless care is taken to
check its ravages the coming season, il
may become so firmly intrenched as TO
cause serious trouble. The beetles are
nearly one-Quarter Of an inch in length;
some specimens are black, other reddish
brown. The base OF the antennse and the
tibise are reddish. They attack the leaf,
cutting long, narrow, Sits. and where
very numerous will kill young vines,
unless they are checked III their depreda-
tons. As soon as they make their APP
pearance in the spring, the vines, if not
in bearing, should be thoroughly sprayed
with Paris green, one pound to one hum
dred gallons of water. Moisten the Paris
green with a little water, and when placed
in the tank keep il constantly stirred
while spraying. Use the old-style Cy-
clone nozzle. The bugs drop as soon as
they are disturbed, and III this way they
can be captured upon bearing vines by
spreading a sheet under them and shall-
ing them off, when they can be destroyed
by burning in aportable fire. This work
should be done in the morning, when
| they are sluggish. = California Fruit
Grower.
THE POTATO DISEASE.
As intelligent readers know, what is
called the potato disease is the action of a
minute fungus, says -Heehan's Mont.iy.
1t has only recently been discovered that
| the spores of this fungus do not penetrate
the interior Of the plant. They mature
on the leaves where the attack is first
made, and then are carried down the
stems by rains TO the tubers where they
terminate, and in that way cause the
potatoes to rot. Among the most valUa-
bic of recent discoveries is the fact that
these spores seldom penetrate over four
| inches in the ground, so that tubers
which are that distance from the surface
rarely become affected by the disease.
| This valuable discovery is turned TO prac-
teal account by earthing up the potatoes
as early as possible in the season, before
the little fungus has had a chance to per-
feet its spores. The potato tubers are
then too deep to be seriously affected.
FOOD FOR COWS SOON To CALVE.
To the cow that is soon to calve, no
cornmeal or other fattening food should
be allowed. Wheat bran is better and
safer, if not the only sort of ground food
that can be given with prudence. It's
action on the bowels is laxative and it's
! effects are cooling to the system-two con-
ditions essential to safety through that
critical period. If cow is inclined to
tatten up before calving, she should be
put on lower diet, and Of nature that
will insure free passage from the bowels.
Ii her food does not accomplish this, use
a mild purgatiye. a pound Of epson
salts, repeated in twentyfour hours, will
generally produce the effect. More losses
of valuable cows are caused by milk
fever than from all other ailments COM
! bined. but the dangers are greatly les
! Sened, if not entirely avoided, by proper
| preparatory attention to the cows gen
eral condition at the time. There are
| many protested cures tor milk fever, but
! all are exceedingly unreliable. 1t is
much better to adopt precautionary meth
| DDS and prevent it.-Practical Farmer.
FARM NOTES.
The result of the recent attempt to raise
tea in North Carolina indicates that the
soil and climate are favorable to such an
industry, but that, owing to the expense
of picking and curing, none but the high
| est grades could be produced protitably.
Time and again we hear of farmers who
| feed their hens all the corn they can eat,
and then wonder why they do not lay. A
grain that contains IS per cent. OF fat
growing elements is mighty poor egg
| food. Once a day is all corn should be
! fed, and then Just at night.
The experiment of burning old straw
| berry beds over, while the ground is
| frozen, has given good results to those
who have practiced it. The plants come
out thick and strong in the spring, and
some growers maintain that it is equiya-
lent to having new bed OF young
plants.
The Florida Dispatch says: every
farmer who is troubled with moles ought
to try a few castor oil bean plants. We
know an old gardener who was noted for
raising vegetables who always had a few
dozen of these plants scattered about his
garden for the purpose of keeping away
moles."
If cattlemen could see what kind of
cattle bring the top Of the market and
what kind take the bottom Of the market
and should compare notes and find that
the steer that stands at the top cost no
more to raise than the one that goes to the
bottom, they would then be reaching for
the top place.
A new profession has sprung into eX-
istence within few years-that of vet
Urinary dentistry. Horses teeth are very
apt to decay or become liberated, and it
is often necessary, to save them from
great suffering, to extract the offending
member or treat it until the cause of suf-
fering is removed.
Instead OF shutting up SOW and wean-
ing pigs in the usual fashion, try simply
keeping away from the SOW all sloppy,
milk-pToducIng food. Give her dry feed
and let the milk dry up itself A man
who has tried this method says that by it
the milk gradually fails and the pigs
wean themselves before they know it.
Professor Goessman is credited with
having checked the advance of the black
knot on the plum tree by shaving it off
the larger limbs, and then painting with
a mixture of linseed oil and oxide Of iron,
in which he puts few drops of carbolic
acid. 1t seems TO destroy the diseased
growth and leaves the sound wood unin-
jured.
Barnyards are bad leaks in farm man
agement. Thousands of loads of manure
are wasted in them from constant expos
ure to sun, wind and rain. And yet most
farmers endure them just as though there
was no remedy. Manure is needed on
most farms more than anything else.
and yet nothing is wasted with more
readiness.
No better grain can be used for sheep
than oats. They will thrive well on oats
and plenty of hay. floats are given with
cut straw, and the ratio varied by allow
ing cornmeal and sliced turnips OCCASION
ally. the sheep will thrive. With liberal
allowance of grain, sheep will consume
many coarse foods that other stock will
not accept.
Apple and pear trees which were
planted at Fort Ross, SCnoma County, in
IS4l, are still bearing fruit. They were
planted by Russian settlers. In 1S47
some fruit trees were planted by Ameri-
cans at Sebastopol in the same county.
Outside of the Mission olive trees these
are among the oldest fruit-bearing trees
in the State.