The herald., 1895-07-22
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MONDAY, JULY AZ, 1898.
AN EXAMPLE OF SMALL FARMING

The Herald has several times called at
tention to the fact that there is no other
state in the union which presents such
favorable opportunities CO the small
farmers as does Southern California.
Where else can so large number of small
farmers make not only good living, but
q good profit over and above living ex-
penses, as in California? Where else does
twenty acres constitute a large farm?
Where else does ten acres constitute a
farm too large for a rancher to cultivate
without the assistance of hired help?
Where else is fve-acre farm all that one
man can carefully cultivate? Where else
will two acres yield an income of $4O0 a
year?
California was primarily stock rails
ing country and later gold producing
state. Latterly attention has been given
to horticulture, and 1t is therefore a
comparatively new industry here. True.
many mistakes have beeL made, but
where is there an industry of which the
same cannot be said? Too many persons
are of the opinion that ranching simply
consists of sowing and reaping. When
. rancher goes about his work systemat-
ically and intelligently, making use of
all the knowledge he can procure as to
the best methods to follow, that man will
succeed as surely as harvest follows seed
time.
= As an example of what thoughtful
progressive man can do, we cite the in
stance of J. W. Elder of Visalia, as re-
ported in the Visalia Times. Mr.. Elder
in February, 1894. cleared two acres of
land which he planted to Texas ever-bear
ing blackberries. AS result of his first
years. experience he has cleared just
$4O3.50 from those two acres. AS MI.
Elders experience and methods followed
may be of interest to our ranchers, it is
given here as published in the Visalia
Times:
''I leveled about two acres of ground so
that the water would run through the
berry bushes tuning it in at one end of
each row and having an outlet at the
other end, so the water did not remain
standing long at any one place
II set out the black berry bushes In
rows eleven feet apart, and planted the
slips five and half feet apart in the
rows. This, however, l have since found
to be too close; eleven feet apart each
way is better. My slips were shipped
from Los Angeles and were long time
on the way. For this reason only about
half of them grew. l ordered about 1000,
so / had about 500 growing plants. They
are known as the Texas ever bearing
blackberry.
LAS had been to considerable ex-
pense preparing the g ounu, planted
two rows of strawberries OF the ever-bear-
ing variety between the rows OF backber-
ries."
Mr.. Elder set his strawberry plants five
feet apart. and then increased the num-
ber of plants between each two by means
of runners. till there were eight or ten
plants for each pair of original plants.
Next year, however, the strawberry plants
will be in the way of the black berries and
will have to be removed to another place.
This is made necessary by the rapid in
crease of the black berry bushes in size.
Mr.. Elder had all his berries picked on
shares this year. the pickers taking one
out of every four boxes gathered. Mr
Elder was out no cash for his work,
therefore. His three-fourths interest
proved to be 500 crates, or 5000 boxes.
These berries were of excellent quality.
Thew had not been spoiled by too much
irrigation. Once week the water had
been allowed to run through the rows.
Again, the vines were young ard free
from disease. One chief cause of the
hard, sour blackberries SO frequently met
with is the diseased cond itlon of the
vines on which this inferior fruit was
grown. Many OF the blackberry patches
in this vicinity are badly affected with
the rose scale bug and if they are not
soon attended to will become utterly
worthless.