The record-union., 1899-05-15
Agriculture
and
Horticulture

Even those who have seen most of the
agricultural and horticultural resources
OF the Pacific Coast are compelled 10
admit that the possibilities of develop
ment are yet in their infancy. The fol-
lowing facts concerning such matters
will prove interesting:
A TREASURE IN PINEAPPLES.
doctors say that pineapples are good
Tor health and complexion, and horticul-
lurlsts hope to be able to make sue
cess OF them in parts of Arizona ana IN
the extreme southern part of California.
In Russia and other countries court
ladies' find pineapples and their JUICE
great beautifiers. Taken as food, they
brighten the eyes and clarity the COM
plexion far more than! belladonna and
other drugs, and there is no injury In
the custom. The United States Dis
pensatory," which is Bible for drug
gists, says that pineapple juice has the
power of digesting proteid animal ana
vegetable substances. Professor ID. e.
Chittenden is there reported as having
demonstrated that pineapple juice VIII
rapidly digest albuminous matter.
vENTURA'S RESOURCES.
Santa Cruz Surf: AS illustrating the
energy and adaptability to all circum-
stances indicative of the true Califor-
MAN, we were much impressed with the
action of the bee men of Ventura whom
we found preparing to ship their stocks
by the carload from their own blossom
less fields over into the territory of the
Upper San Joaquin and it's foothills.
la food
bees, and instead of making a. crop of
honey the bees had to be fed to carry
the stocks through the season. This
year they are transporting the bees as
cattle were last year into regions, where
blooming pastures abounded. Once
bees without flowers simply persisted of
starvation; now they villa take a rail-
road jaunt of a hundred CIR two miles,
awake in the morning amid millions of
wild flowers and commence business at
once.
IRRIGATION AND FROST.
Tulare Register: 1t is Well known
that dry earth absorbs and retains heat
more readily than moist earth Mr.
Weigle of the Westwood orchard notices
that where he irrigated early the fruit
buds have not put out as much as
1854 to 1894 little toss was sustained by
reason of frost catching the fruit, but
during that decade there was water in
the bitches, snow ON the mountains
and the fruit more backward in coming
out. Since 1894 the supply of water
has been short, orchards have not been
Irrigated as much, blossoms have put
out early and damage by frost has been
ic IoH ~
rigation would avert such disaster as
has just befallen the fruit interests of
the Upper San Joaquin Valley.
THE PRUNE MARKET.
California Fruit Grower: The few or
ders coming to hand are from the West
and South, as Atlantic seaboard mar
kets are more or less out of joint The
New York prune market has not been
in a satisfactory condition for some
time past, and the offering at auction
last week of 5,614 boxes give to six
cars) of California prunes unsettled it
still further Holders on the coast are
firm as to asking price-3H cents for
outside stock, which is very closely
cleaned up, and 31a cents basis for
Santa Clara stock. But at 315 cents
buyers demand strictly choice black
Santa Clara Valley prunes. Prunes
and raisins now are the only fruits car
ried in any quantities on the coast. Re
ports regarding the growing crop are
conflicting. The drop has been heavy,
and In some sections frosts as we'll as
lack OF moisture have reduced the yield.
PEACH TREE BORERS.
San Francisco Chronicles: The New
Jersey. Experiment Station has BEEN CO.
quoting with the peach tree borer in
the hope of devising practical method
of keeping those very destructive in
sects out of the trees, which. consider
Ing that entrance is always effected at
or near the base of the tree, does not
seem impossible. In this State bisul-
phide of carbon has been found more:
effective than any other remedy. the
only objection being the danger to the
tree itself from the use of this agent in
unskillful hands Wrapping the base
OF the tree with paper or other wrap
pings is pronounced more or less effect
I've by the station authorities. but all
who have attempted to deal with this
pest or any important scale will recog-
nize that as mere puttering. The under
ground portion of the base of the tree
cannot be protected in this way that
the larvae will not find their way TO
their food supply. A more promising
covering is made of hydraulic cement
and skim milk. This can certainly be
applied, and viii keep out the insects.
The station reports that it seems to do
no injury whatever to old trees, but in
the case of the young trees which are
rapidly growing it would obviously
girdle them. unless made so thin as to
readily split under the pressure, which
would, of course. afford access to the
insects. In the New Jersey experiments