The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-24
AMONG COAST RANCHES,
The San Jose Grange Dis
cusseS the Treatment
of PruneS.
HORTICULTURE NOT OVERCOME.
Inspector Charles II. Shinn Declares
That 1t Compares Well With
Other Industries.

In circular issued to farmers on the ex-
termination of chinch bugs, State Ento-
mologist Lugger of Minnesota says: "It
has been found that the spores of the
ching-bug disease can be grown upon
many substances, so that it is no longer
necessary to breed them upon the chinch
bugs themselves. The entomologist can
now produce every day sufficient number
of spores to fill many thousands OF small
tin boxes, which farmers can secure. The
spores thus produced upon cornmeal and
beef tea are vigorous and soon communl-
cate the disease to the healthy bugs"
At the recent Farmers Institute in San
Diego, Guy P. Hawley, while discussing
dried fruits from a practical standpoint,
showed, in an economical comparison,
that 100 pounds of fresh fruit added to the
sugar and the tins made 125 pounds of
canned fruit, while 100 pounds of fresh
fruit dried is reduced to about twenty
pounds, but the nutriment in each is the
same, and the cost of packages for dried
fruit is less
At last weeks meeting of the San Jose
Grange, says the Mercury, there was an
extended discussion of the question as to
whether it was better to prick prunes or
to dip them. The opinion of the speakers
was largely in favor of the latter process.
By dipping it was agreed that the fruit
came out cleaner, but at the same time it
was admitted that the pricking process had
not been extensively used and had not
been given a fair test. In regard to the
prune crop it was reported that while it is
I'd ha in oil
orchards are even fuller than last year. In
few instances there were reports of local
tiles where the crop would be double that
OF last season.
No horticultural industry is really over
done in America to any greater extent than
are other industries, writes Inspector
Charles H. Shinn of the Berkeley Agricul-
tural station. There always seems a surplus
of doctors and lawyers, and yet the active,
capable ones manage to hold on and gradu-
ally better themselves. In every line of
business the careless observer sees no gaps,
but other men come along and make
places. 1t is the same in horticulture, ex-
cepting that for many years to come the
prospects for intelligent horticulturists
will not lessen, but rather increase. In
every district, however, horticulture must
most painstakingly adapt itself to local
conditions, and so, in the course of time,
California horticulture will become an
epitome of the horticulture of almost the
entire north temperate zone. The law of
the growth of cities, which has held else
where in America, will hold good here
also, and we shall have to feed cities like
New York, Philadelphia and Boston within
the limits of this imperial California.
The Buckley (Wash.) Banner has the
following from hop-grower named V.
Scilpp, regarding new hop disease that
has made its appearance in that locality.
He says: There appears TO be a new dis
ease on the hops. 4 have been noticing
the hop for the last three years, but it now
seems to take on threatening character.
1t appears to be some kind of a blight,
the leaves pucker up and have the appear
ance of being scalded, and dry up alto
gether. I have found several hills already
which are dried up entirely. and / have
some hops growing along a fence which
are so badly affected that they are nearly
dried up. If this disease keeps on spread
ing as it has in the last three years, it will
be far more dangerous than the hoplouse,
and it would be we'll to look after it in
time. 1t is my opinion that the disease
originates on vines not burned in the fall
where germs are allowed to remain until
spring. The fact that nearly all vines
growing along the fences and stumps are
most affected goes to prove this.
The secret of agricultural wealth lies in
Investigation, writes Joel Shoemaker in
the Rural World. Men must learn the
lesson of variety in production. A small
farm, well titled in diversified products
will yield more returns than the large
areas neglected and half cultivated. In
the West, where water is more valuable
than land, the small diversified farm has
become the rule rather than the exception.
Utah has land worth $25 per acre, and
water to irrigate it costing more than
double that amount. The people. by force
of circumstances, are compelled to till
small tracts. a few acres planted to fruits
yield an immense income-from the time
strawberries are placed upon the market
till the winter apples are sold. The fruits
are marketed fresh, dried, canned and in
wines, elders and vinegar.
A small farmer who grows wheat and
corn and feeds hogs and cattle for home
use and the market, always has some cash.
Ii the same farmer has poultry, butter and
cheese for sale at all seasons his cashbox
is never empty. In addition to these he
can care for fruit and bees and supply the
market. Early vegetables and late root
crops are valuable and require but little
work in comparison to the value. The
mar who lives within ten miles of large
city or railway station stands in his own
light when he attempts special farming.
Pests may destroy the cereals or fruits,
drouth may kill the late crops, the hay may
be failure, but no season ever is such
that all productions of the soil fail to yield
some returns.
One man in Utah, when interviewed by
the writer as census enumeration, gave the
following figures: His farm consisted of
eighty acres. Ten acres of orchard and
vineyard produced $2250; ten acres planted
to beans, potatoes and corn yielded $3.50
per annum; twenty acres in alfalfa pro-
duced hay and feed to the value of $1,000
yearly; twenty acres in pasture furnished
feed for cows, hogs ano sheep, yielding in
butter, pork and wood, $500 each year;
ten acres in wheat and oats with yield of
$500 every year; five acres in root crops
produced $500 yearly; the other five acres
were occupied by dwelling-house, farm,
lawn and stockyard, on which ITO stands
of bees produced an annual average of $3.50.
A total of $3.50 yearly is thus obtained
from the eighty-acre tract. Add to this
almost another thousand from the sale OF
cattle and horses raised on the public
domain and we have the actual income OF
$4,000 YEARLY from an EIGHTY. FL RIM.