The herald., 1896-07-04
THE RANCH AND ITS PRODUCTS
EDITED BY 5. M. WOODBRIDGE. Ph. D.

|, ton had kept himself posted, instead
of writing the immense amount or YER
biage which the report contains, ne
would have known that the subject was
treated and remedy given TWO years
ago at a farmers institute nelu unuer
the auspices of the university.
Again the report says: The CONFUSION
of nomenclature which we found exist
ing at Santa Monica, when the station
was transferred to us, is being gradually
rectifled, especially as regards the eu-
calyptus, by comparison with standard
collections but takes time and the SER
vice of experts. In this and all other
work the limited financial resources
interpose serious obstacles, which nave
sometimes been taken advantage OF FOR
unjust criticism" Excuses, with some
people are like motions to adjourn-al-
ways in order. The Forestry Station
at Santa Monica has been under the
charge of the director more than twenty
four months How many months does
he want and how much money does he
require to correctly spell the names on
the signs and to rightly place them on
proper eucalyptus trees at the Santa
Monica station? And there are others.
TUSTIN. June 26, 1895.
Agricultural Editor: Dear Sir-Can
you tell me what to put on my trees to
stop the gum disease? If you can will
be very much obliged. Yours respect
fully, S. w. +.
The gum disease Is very readily con-
trolled by the simple use of coal tar and
commercial carbolic acid. Mix the lat
ter with an equal weight of water and
apply to the trunk of the tree with an
ordinary brush. On young trees dilute
the acid with four or five times its
weight of water 1t will require from
three to six months to cure tree. dur
ing which time an application should be
made every three or four weeks. OF
course. If a tree Is completely girdled
and the bark is dead all around either
above or below the ground the tree Will
die Before replanting. be sure and dis
infect the ground with sulphate of iron,
say one-half pound to each tree and two
pounds of sulphate and two pounds OF
muriate of potash. Ashes are also an
excellent diSinfectant. AT Duarte and
Kinneyloa may be seen many replants
that are growing we'll and healthy where
proper disinfectants were used, as well
as many replants that are diseased
which were not disiIfected. When the
roots are affected insert three or four
holes in the ground with a crowbar close
to the tree and fill the holes with tar
Editor.
LOS ANGELES, June so, 1896.
Agricultural Editor Potash-is it
true that our soil is composed of de-
composed granite full of potash, and
that our city water is so full of potash
that it wants but very little potash
in the fertilizer to supply the trees and
plants with all the potash they want?
Yours truly, T. Il.
Undoubtedly decomposed granite as
we'll as the adobe soils in Southern Cali
fornia are full of potash>-more so, per-
haps, than any soil on the face of the
earth; but the potash for the most part
Is locked up in them and is in an insoluble
condition, so that the plant cannot take
it up to feed upon. Constant cultivation,
and consequently the exposure of new
surfaces to the air and sunlight, decOm-
poses the soil more or less and therefore
unlocks the potash. Actual field tests
have shown that the application of pot
ash Is essential here for all crops only in
about one-half the quantity in which
they are used in rainfall sections, If the
quality and flavor of the fruit is to be
kept up to the highest standard. In soils
that are rich in potash it is useless to add
potash unless corresponding proper
tons of nitrogen and phosphoric acid are
in quantity and quality, is always regu-
lated by the least one of the three essen
tial elements-nitrogen phosphoric acid
and potash-which the soil contains. One
thousand pounds of phosphoric acid
would not give a larger yield than five
pounds (and so of the other two ele-
ments) If there is not a proportionate in
crease of the other elements. So far as
the Los Angeles river water is Coz
cerned, it contains so little potash that it
would cut no figure in the matter of
STANDARDIZATION.