The record-union., 1899-12-04
Agriculture
and
Horticulture.
JAMAICA saRREL

! have visited South Pasadena, says a
writer in the Los Angeles Times, TO
see the new industry Of growing ana
selling roselle, or Jamaica sorrel, Tor
making preserves, jellies and jams.
This plant is new to the general pub
| lie, though it has been cultivated IN
small plots here for two or three years.
To be sure that it is what is claimed
for it for jelly making, I secured two
pounds of the pods and had them made
into jelly by an experienced con1ec-
toner The result was jelly equal to
the best red currant in the judgment
of all who have tested it. believe it
can be recommended as one Of the
best jelly makers known, and that 1t
will become very popular as soon as
/ it's virtues are recognized. Mr.. Slurt-
| ing is making good money in the .culti-
walton of this plant, and is regularly
supplying the city market at 10 cents
a pound. The roselle is the Hibiscus
subdariffa of the botanists. 1t can be
grown with as little water as any other
plant tried in Southern California, and
there is less trouble in preparing the
for that purpose Try it and you will
1
APPLE PACKING.
Fruit Trade Journal: 1t is said that
many Of the shippers and packers of
apples in the Pajaro Valley, the apple
district Of California, will next season
adopt individual labels or brands on
their packings This is a good idea as
it places a responsibility as to the
character Of the fruit of any certain
brand which is an incentive to closely
grade and select stock for shipment.
ALFALFA.
| Willows Journal: A gentleman Of
Kern County writing to a local paper
on the subject of alfalfa, says the best
time to SOW alfalfa is in October and
further that the very best results have
been obtained Where the land was
plowed and replowed in the spring, re-
naming in fallow until October, then
narrowed over four or five times or
until the land is perfectly pulverized;
in fact. as fine as possible; then SOW
broadcast not over ten pounds of seed
per acre, drag a light brush over the
ground or leave it without. In no case
put a harrow on it as all seed covered
to the depth of two inches is lost. It
has been tried here and the Kern
County man is right-we have been
wasting lots of seed.
ROAD FRUIT TREES.
Santa Rosa Press-Democrat: An i'm
portant national industry of France,
Germany and Belgium is the cultivation
of fruit trees along the highways. The
annual revenue derived from the ma
tional roads of Saxony planted with
fruit trees rose from $1,000 in 1880 to
$4,000. In Belgium, according to the
statistics of 1894. over 1850 kilometers
of roads were planted with 741,571 fruit
trees, which furnished the almost in
credible sum of S2,OOO,OOO. In France
the production of fruit trees is esti-
mated at S6O,OOO,OOO. Why could not
the experiment be proftably tried in
| this country?
DWARF PEARS IN SMALL GAR
DENS.
| 1t is strange, indeed, that SO little
attention is paid to these for ornament
and for a continuous supply for the
| table of one Of the most luscious of all
fruits. the pear which, as well as the
foundation of it, the ounce, finds its
congenial home in California. The main
reason may be that standards, pears
on pear roots, bear so early and abund-
antly here as hardly to make dwarfs
desirable in orchards. But dwarfs re-
Quire SO little room, only Sx1O feet
| they can be formed into such pretty
pyramids, branching from the ground,
are objects Of ornament from the spring
on, when they are covered with their
| snowy blossoms, and all through the
summer, while ripening their golden
fruit. that they well deserve our atten-
| ton. But not alone this; many of our
best varieties produce better and earlier
fruits on the ounce than on standard
roots. Anyone has it within his power
to have a supply of them from earliest
to latest, from July to January, of this
most delicious fruit. But many do not
know how to handle pears properly
They should be picked before they are
| soft or fully colored, as soon as they
part freely from the twig where it joins
the stem, by bending the fruit up, then
either ripened in the house or shipped,
as the case may be. When this is done
| they are much better in quality, and it
also prevents bruising of the fruit. The
| following is list for a family garden,
| arranged in order of their ripening.
from earliest to latest: Buerre Clifford,
Tyson, Howell, Louise Bonnie, White
Doyenne, Duchess D, Angouleme, Glout
Moroccan. These are all of first quality.
| Hoping that they may receive more
attention in the future for our small
grounds and gardens than heretofore
George Huss1nan, in Napa Register.
ORCHARD EXPANSION AND MAR
KETS
San Jose Herald: The demand for
nursery stock indicates a large increase
in orchard tree planting this winter.
This has it's good and bad side 1t
| shows confidence in the future of this
valley, expansion of our leading indus
try and general increased business ac-
tivity. On the other hand, it augurs
in the near future an enlarged output
of fruit and emphasizes the necessity
| for finding profitable markets for the
| increase and better arrangements for
disposing of the crop.
The markets exist. potentially, but
| they must be won That is partly a
matter of education of the tastes and
| habits of the people of this and other
countries and SO creating a demand.
and partly in arranging to meet that
demand in a way which will give the
| greatest profit to the producer at the
least cost to the consumer.
The dealers are factor which must
be considered They would rather work
for a moderate profit and a steady
trade than on speculation. And their
business naturally takes the form OF
speculation when they have no GER
4 - saI,