The record-union., 1899-06-14
Agriculture
and
Horticulture

me Following news concerning agri-
cuiturai and horticultural matters will
oouptiess prove Of general interest to
al VINO care to know what is going on
an the great growing belt Of the Pacific
Coast States:
POULTRY FOR PROFIT.
Los angeles Times: It is claimed that
the product Of poultry and eggs In this
country alone amounts to 100000, 900
annually. With our glorious climate,
Calliornia should produce enough
poultry and eggs to supply her
own markets, but it is a fact
mat she does not supply one-half the
amount Witness the arrival in San
FRANCISCO every week of carloads of
Eastern poultry and eggs. While there
are some model poultry farms in this
state, there is room for more, and there
IS no reason why we can't compete with
eastern stock. The average farmer is
ignorant of the poultry business as 1T
should be conducted. He has left that
part of the farm output to his wife, to
earn a little pin money, and has
neglected one of the best-paying prod
ucts on the farm.
A poultry farm, to be conducted
properly, must be thoroughly under
stood and carefully managed. 1t is the
rule with the majority of farmers to
try and raise a. large lot of poultry, and
crowd them into one small house, and
expect the fowls to prosper. Result:
Disease appears among the flock, and
they die off, and the farmer can't set
any money in chickens, But If he had
gone into the business, from the start,
in the right way, he would find that it
is profitable business, and will pay
to givexit more attention than he has
heretofore.
With the reduced price in land values,
s, 1t is not necessary to crowd the poul-
try. Let there be five acres turned
into a poultry plant, with the proper
amount of houses and yards for each
flock, and an account kept of the
amount received from that five acres
of poultry. Compare it with any other
product raised on the farm, and see
which is the most profitable.
OF course, it will take little capital
to start the plant going, for houses and
fencing. and not much can be ex-
pected for the first year. The houses
should be built to accommodate not
over twenty-four chickens in each. and
yards should be about 40x100 feet long,
partitioned with six-foot wire netting.
nailed to posts about twelve feet apart.
THINNING PEACHES.
Los Angeles Fruit World: The great
est trouble is in not thinning enough.
The growers should see that the fruit
is thoroughly thinned. for the market
able fruit is the large fruit. The same
number Of pounds can be secured from
a tn in, large peaches as in small ones
and the large ones are the money-get-
tiers, while the small fruit incurs more
expense In handling. breaks down the
trees and sells for little or no price in
the market Thin peaches WELL
VEGETABLES AND ELECTRICITY
St Louis Globe-Democrat: Lamarche,
in France, has been duplicating and
improving upon many of the expert
ments in e,ect1 culture of vegetable
made by Specimen in Russia He
traced the effect of electricity upon the
plant from it's termination to maturi-
ty. He found that the electric action
doubled the rapidity of termination
and the increase Of the plants, but it
had no effect on the weight of the
product obtained in the harvest. This
was especially the case with grains
whose seeds had been treated cleo
trically before planting. Where it IS
desired to produce a larger description
of plant the current gave astonishing
results Copper and zinc plates placed
in the earth and connected with a
wire enormously developed the size OF
some vegetables, particularly radishes
and carrots. Static electricity in all
cases enabled the plant to assimilate
a large share of the nitrogen of the
air; for a number of grains the in
crease was about 60 per cent. 1t was
observed that not only did these grains
mature more rapidly, but they were
free from the attacks of destructive
insects. 1t is probable that this feature
of electrical treatment of plants will
be taken up later and be made the
subject of special investigation. Elk
periments have also been continued
with the oft-dsScribed geoma gnetifere,
which gives great facility in supply
ing a series of garden beds with the
proper amount of electricity for the
most effective treatment of the plants
they contain. Potatoes begin to grow
at the same time, but not under its in
f1uence, and the product was 90 per
cent greater. Experiments by Moira
on the termination of seeds showed
that a largely increased proportion OF
the seeds treated matured.
INYO POTATOES.
Riverside Enterprise: Mr.. Tingman,
who is a pioneer in the business OF
raising potatoes for the market, says
that Indio is just the place for that
kind of farming. He and others there
are just now harvesting their new cror
of the tubeTs, and 1t is a good one
Specimen potatoes raised by him weigh
one and a quarter pounds.
SICILY LEMONS.
San Diego Union: The custom OF
curing lemons is unknown says Mr.
Whitney, mo such idea ever occurring
to the growers. The first pick Will
keep for six months in fairly good
shape. They are sorted and wrapped
and boxed the same as for shipment
excepting the fancy wrappers), and
are piled up in cool place so the all
can circulate about the boxes They
are occasionally examined and before
shipping are carefully repacked. Nc
other method is known here. The see.
ond and third picklngs are packed as
before stated, and after four to sis
days are repacked and loaded as fast
as possible on the steamship. Tht
lemons cure on the way. The greai
secret in the keeping is in the careful
selection and condition of growth a.
the time of picking. Picking is not dont