The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-03
Agriculture
and
Horticulture.

d11A
Horticulture.
The following agricultural and horti-
cultural matters, concerning the great
growing areas Of the Pacific Coast
States, will be found Of general inter-
est: $40 .,ass s4t IS
ANTS IN ORCHARDS.
Riverside Enterprise: Judging from
the following by Leading fruit grower
quoted by a San Francisco daily from
the Napa Register they have not
found out up North all there is to be
known about the '.idiotic'' ant, or else
they have not the same species we have
here in Southern California:
1.-The 'idiotic' little amt receives the
attention of Leonard Coats, who says
in the Napa Register: The local
press sometimes gets out of it's depth
when dealing with things chronological
and horticultural. The Colusa Sun,
Quilted in your issue of the 2Sth ult.,
thinks the ant a valuable assistant to
the orchard and florist, and even sug
gests that if some one would invent
some way of colonizing ants in or
chards he would confer a favor on the
State. From the housekeepers' univer-
sal experience it should not be very
difficult to- colonize ants anywhere, and
this energetic but idiotic little animal
is usually treated with a dose Of kero-
sene or hot water, and with good re-
suits.
no mt no 70 ri i.
sionally lay violent hands on a scale.
a dead beetle or a wasp and spend
many precious hours pulling and push
ing it over hill in order to find out
that 1t meant to go in the opposite di-
rection. Now, the real object Of the
ant in invading scale infested trees Is
to feed upon the sweet, gummy excre-
ton which may be found upon the
leaves and be seen dropping to the
ground. This has to take the place OF
the molasses jug which he failed to To-
eating previously. The aphides, or
plant lice, are sometimes called the
ants cows, because he will herd them,
carry them tenderly from one branch
to another, In order to do a little colon
izing on his own behalf. These lice also
exude sticky substance which the ant
feeds on"
AS matter of fact, the 'idiotic" ant
is extremely cunning and hard to get
rid of, and is pest in our orchards
without one redeeming quality. When
ever ants are seen climbing an orange
tree that tree has some form Of scale,
and although they live on the scale.
they protect and propagate it as their
colonies increase, and not only that,
but they drive away or devour any Of
the parasites or enemies of the scale,
rendering it almost impossible to deal
with the scale by the introduction of
predaceous insects; whereas the article
quoted from would make it appear that
the ant if not a positive benefit, was
at least not Injurious. About the only
way to keep them off the trees and give
the predaceous insects any chance tQ
work, is to bind strips of paper around
the tree, to prevent injury to the bark,
and on top Of the paper tie strips Of
rag soaked in o. strong solution Of cor
rosive sublimate Painting shelves or
other places where they frequent with
corrosive sublimate will also prevent
their rtlmaging around and making
must be taken not to get the sublimate
on the bark of the tree, as it will injure
it, and it must be handled carefully, as
it is deadly poison.
GOOD CROPS
Briggs Argus: Notwithstanding the
almost total absence Of rain in April.
the month when moisture is required
to mature the summer fallow grain
and mature the winter sown, which
was followed by an unusual storm of
about two inches of rain beginning on
the last day of May, when too late to
do the almost matured grain crop any
goodwill all these disadvantages the
wheat crop in Western Butte is one
of the best in years, and the farmers
have good cause to feel cheerful over
the outlook.
While the recent heavy rain was of
but little advantage to grain and dam
aged the hay crop considerably, the or
chards reaped great benefits, so all
the farmers and fruit growers in West
ern Butte are well blessed in the as
s1rance of a good harvest. Wheat has
filled better than usual the grain
plump and free of shrinkage and some
fields will prodlce as high as fifteen,
eighteen and twenty sacks to the acre
No one need kick at the outlook in
this section.
THE ORANGE CROP.
Fresno Democrat: The Pasadena
"Star'' makes some interesting COM
ment on the Santa Fe,s estimate of
the coming seasons eastern shipments
of California, grown oranges The esti-