The record-union., 1896-03-19


-
kinds that some of the San Francisco
papers serve up daily to their readers
cannot but affect their minds in other
directions as strongly as the story of
the burglaries Influenced the unfortu
nate boys who turned thieves. The
mission of the press should be to pro-
tect society, not to attack il. It is the
duty of the newspapers, with their tre-
mendous influence, to try to make the
world better, not worse, and publica-
tions of such an evidently pernicious
character should be suppressed.
WOMEN NEEDED ON CITY BOARDS
Shasta County Democrat: One of the
stock arguments against equal suffrage
has been that if women vote, some
women must hold office. But it is be-
coming more and more evident that the
good of the community requires some
women to hold office. The Baltimore
SUM- the conservative mouthpiece of
a highly conservative city, says editor
tally:
Mayor Hooper's suggestion that
there should be woman on the Board
IF Visitors to the Almshouse and one on
the Jail Board is excellent, and should
be carried out. Both institutions would
be improved by having a woman among
those authorized to scrutinize their
management and look after the moral
and physical condition and treatment of
the female inmates. Matrons at the po-
lice stations were regarded as a doubt
fu1 innovation when first suggested, but
the wisdom and humanity of the policy.
were speedily demonstrated. Whether
wcman's realm properly extends to po-
litical affairs is a question still very
much in dispute. But there is not only
a valuable but a necessary auxiliary in
public work such as that proposed by
the Mayor. There is not only room, but
an imperative demand for her in the
field, and the sooner she is generally
employed in it the better it will be for
civilization and the world
RATEN.
Stockton Independent: Now that the
mental condition of Raten has mani
tested itself in the murder of two jap
anese for the trif1e of money they had,
perhaps some false philanthropists will
repeat the folly if he is convicted and
ask for his pardon. It will be just as
mental condition of those who urge it
makes them almost as unsafe to be at
large as he is.
THE FREE MARKET.
Tulare Register: That a man with a
head on his shoulders can be of more use
tc a State than a thousand political
patriots with nothing on their shoul-
ders but pimples slowly coming to a
head is about to be exemplified at the
wharf at San Francisco. The ignoble
conduct of fruit-dealers in San Fran
cisco last year wherein they dumped
good fruit into the bay to prevent a
Quitting of the market, while thou
sands went without fruit they were not
able to buy, set a great many people to
thinking, but it set one man to think
ing to some purpose. That man was
w H. Mills of the Central Pacific Land
Department who broached the idea of
a free market. The Harbor Commits
sioners have given their consent, and
now it only remains for the fruit-grow'
ers of the State to organize some effec-
tive method of controlling the free
market, and then the poor as well as
the rich will be able to buy fruit The
producers and the consumers will be
brought into close relation. The way
is now pointed out to them, and if they
have not wit enough to walk therein
they ought to suffer But they have the
wit and the free market system will be
given trial. Too see precisely what is
needed is half the battle.
PROTECTION AGAINST FROST.
Stockton Independent: George A.
Fleming of Visalia, fearing injury to his
orchard by frost, wrote to w. H. Ham
mon, Forecast officer at San Francisco,
for advice how to prevent the antici-
pated damage. Mr.. Harmon suggested
small fires throughout the orchard and
spraying them to fill the air with
moisture and prevent too rapid evapo-
ration from the ground. This set Mr..
Fleming thinking and experimenting,
and he gives the result, which is of in
calculable benefit to farmers. 1t is thus
described:
I'VE built wire frames on low truck
wagons, stretching them from four
wagon stakes and heaping wet manure
over them. Dirt was thrown on the
wagon beds to protect them, and pots
of burning tar were set underneath the
straw roof. A barrel of water on the
wagon was used to keep the straw wet
These wagons were driven about and
Gid the best work, as they could go
wherever the most needed. The smoke
and vapor were carried to the rear as
the wagon moved, and, being at once
out of the rising heat, fell close to the
ground in long white trail. At day
light our whole 400 acres of orchard
was covered with a white fog extend
i'm froy,, tho Ground q bo,,t txrya,+xy foot
high
1t may be many years before the
knowledge thus gained may be needed
in this part of California, but fruit
growers should treasure it carefully
against the coming of late frost which
may be more severe than those which
passed over this region without doing
any harm. 1t is a very simple device
that any farmer can employ and its
prompt use may save many thousands
of dollars.
WITH RAPID STRIDES.