The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-25
Letters as to the Cause of
Hard Times in Kern
County.
THE PROFITS OF H0G-RAIsING.
Every Farmer Should Seek to Pro-
duce Nearly All That He
Consumes.


fishing letters from farmers in its vicinity
in regard to the cause and cure of the pre-
vailing hard times among them. The edi-
torial summing up at the close gives the
following as the judgment of the Echo in
view of all that the correspondence de-
veloped:
eve emphatically believe there will
never be genuine prosperity on our small
farms until grocery and provision bills are
reduced to the minimum. Naturally mer-
chants like to sell their goods, but we sell
dom or never hear them discussing this
matter but what they say the farmers con-
stantly buy articles which they should pro-
duce at home and they do not bring to
market things for which there is a con-
slant demand.
eve know how the editorial agriculturist
is prone TO theorize on impracticable plans,
but we cannot see why, in this country,
the farmers table should not be provided
with such variety of home-produced deli
cacies and substantials as few Eastern peo-
pie can dream of. Jellies, jams, MARINA
ladies', pickles, syrups, buffers in rich pro-
fusion come from such fruits as we pro-
duce; enough alfalfa to keep COW can be
grown on the roadside; eggs to use and to
sell can be had without cost or nearly so |:
dozen neighborhoods can be found in the
day about killing pig or sheep for fresh
meat-we know neighborhoods in the
mountains where this identical thing is
done.
NEARLY every writer spoke about hog
raising and its profits. How many OF the
colonists will raise hogs enough to buy the
family shoes this year? And is there any
good reason why a few nice fat sheep
should not be sent to market from time to
time from small farm? They are docile
animals, requiring slight fences and no
special care in this climate.
1--WE have heretofore said that with fruit
prices at the present low ebb more land
should be cultivated. This we think can
be secured by renting, and the grain, hay
or beets produced can be converted into
beef or pork or mutton with some profit.
We hope the day is not far distant when
each farmer can get few cattle each fail
to feed on shares if he be not able to buy
some thin steers.
Small farms call for close watch OF
small things. And not few farmers who
will think US impertinent for these re-
marks will see the day when tie degree of
prosperity on small farm will be meas
ured as much by what is not bought as by
what is sold. In the meantime this writer
will be ridiculed and in some cases roundly
cussed."
The spirit of the above cannot be too
highly commended. Every farmer should
and must seek to produce as nearly as
possible all that he consumes. But it is
hardly true that every farmer in all parts
OF california can raise all the agricultural
products he requires The twenty-acre
orchardist cannot unless he has other land,
nor can he afford to pay what the best
fruit land has sold for to put out in alfalfa
or hay for stock. There is no profit in
hogs unless all their feed is produced on
the place, and grain farmers and dairymen
do raise hogs. There are many farmers in
California who cannot profitably raise their
own potatoes. There are others who could
raise them by planting in the fall or early
winter, but do not. In most parts of Cali
fornia no profitable summer garden is pos
sihle without more water than some can
command. There are many natural linn
itations to the possibilities of diversified
farming in California. If it were easy it
would have long since become the general
practice. But the doctrine of many farm
ers of the State that it is best for them to
produce one or two things and buy every
thing else is bad. The effort should con-
stantly be to raise everything possible for
all their ingenuity to discover what they
can raise which will answer the purpose of
what they cannot raise.
J. F. Tibet, the representative of a
large leather company of Berlin, Germany,
has proposed to establish tannery in San
Bernardino County, provided that he can
secure 1000 acres of canaigre roots. With
such promise he will put in 100-horse-
power plant in time to handle the first
seasons crop. AS canaigre grows wild IN
Southern California the proposition is
meeting with great favor. In this connec-
ton the San Bernardino Times-Index says:
Once established the plant will be en-
larged to handle all the canaigre that can
be given. There are now large quantities
! of wild canaigre available. but it is an I'M
certain quantity to depend upon and put
in plant on the idea of using that alone,
| besides the cultivated root is far superior
in tanning qualities and can be raised in
enormous quantities and at large profits.
We have plenty of hides right at our door
that now have to be sent away to be
tanned, but which could be tanned here
by the canaigre process and then fac
tories would start to use the leather here,
and thus one industry begets others. BY
all means commence the raising of canaigre
at once.
A. D. Pryal, one of Alameda County's
horticultural co commissioners, furnishes the
Santa Rosa Republican with an interest
ing description of how phylloxera operates
to the injury of grape roots. He says the
reason that the resistant vines repel the
advance of the pest is because their roots
have smaller cells; that when the root is
bored by the pest, the cell being so small,
the sap flowing out soon forms gum
which closes up the opening, preventing
further flow of the sap. But with the
European vines, the cellular tissues being
different-the cells larger-when they are
tapped the flow of the sap is entirely urob-
structed and the vine becomes quick and
ar easy victim to the pests ravages. He
says that the resistant vine is great
thing, but he firmly believes that para
site exists that will completely undo phyl-
loxera if properly handled.
A correspondent of the Dairy World who
lives at Ferndale, Hum boldt County, Cal,
states that the valley in which Ferndale is
located is about twelve by six miles; that
there are $4,000 mich cows in the valley !: