The record-union., 1899-09-22

there have been cases in which grow
ers were so badly cramped by circum-
stances as to have offered prunes as
low as $40 per ton. Prudent, careful
dryers have offered from $40 to $2i
per ton, and it looks as if some grow
ers will take the figures offered. Fruit
which ought to be worth $50 is valued
at the dryers at about $24. If all who
can manage to dry their own fruit do
not do SO. or have it done by the
unions or professional dryers for them,
it looks as if there will be a good
many slaughters of fresh fruit. 1t will
be better for every one to dry who
can and hold the market firm" That
is not encouraging, and yet it may be
that the situation has been exagger-
ated. But in any event, as the fruit
journal from which we quote says,
such breaks as this in the market are
the natural results of the lack of or
ganization, and growers who have hesi-
tated about signing for an association
because of about 1 per cent. of ex-
pense, amounting in all to not over
So, 1000, will cause Santa Clara Valley
to pocket a loss of from $3.50 900 to
$500,0
CATTLE dying.
Modesto News: The cattle in San Joa-
quin County are becoming afflicted with
a malady believed by many to be an
tharax, while others hold the belief that
it is the Texas fever. 1t is spreading
southwark, and many valuable cows
have recently died. The disease runs
its course speedily, ending in death
sometimes within two hours, but oc-
casionally lasting two days and a half.
| 1t maintains itself most frequently
either in the form of blackleg or
splenic apoplexy. In the latter case
the animal generally dies about the
time it's condition is noticed. In the
former case the hip is usually affected
and lameness sets in. When the flesh
at the hip is pressed there is sound
as if paper had been stuffed under the
hide. This sound is due to the genera
ton of gases in the blood, decomposi-
ton having set in. There is no reliable
cure. Antharax vaccine has been known
to be effective. but it is unreliable as
general thing except as preventive.
BAD MUSKMELONS.
Pacific Rural Press: James Troop,
horticulturist of the Indiana Expert
nlent Station, makes these pertinent
remarks: The muskmelon has come to
be one of the necessary luxuries of life,
and so it should be, and doubtless is,
the object of every melon grower to
produce melons of the very highest
quality; but there has been much COM
plant this season, even among the
growers themselves, concerning the
poor quality of the melons found upon
the market. Various causes are given,
such as leaf blight, too much rain, a
lack of some necessary element in the
soil, poor varieties, ETC., any one of
which would undoubtedly have a ten
dency to affect the quality of the fruit.
The appearance of leaf blight during
the growing season always has a ten,
dency to rob the fruit of the neces.
sary amount of nourishment, and cause
1T to ripen prematurely. This may be
prevented in large degree by spraying
the vines with Bordeaux mixture two
Or three times, depending upon the
amount of rainfall, before the disease
makes it's appearance. An excessive
amount of rain is undoubtedly one of
the CHIEF causes of trouble. 1t is a
well-known fact that during a very
wet season strawberries are of much
poorer quality, containing less
amount of sugar, than when the ripen-
same is true with muskmelons; the
crop may be larger during a wet sea-
son. the fruit may be finer in appear