The record-union., 1899-11-03
Agriculture
and
Horticulture

Lompoc Record: Irrigation develop
ment means inestimable increase IN
wealth alike to State and individual; It
means an increase of taxable property,
a lower rate Of taxation, and a build
ing up OF communities with the in
creased demand which immigration
naturally creates for merchandise and
other supplies. A steady, healthy agrl-
cultural growth adds the greatest pos
sible. wealth and stability to a COM
munity.
VALLEY ASSOCIATION.
Kern Standard: The Board OF Trade
Of Visala has issued a call for meet
ing to be held In that city on the 9Th
of November for the purpose OF or
ganizing San Joaquin Valley Associa-
tion. Invitations have been sent to
the officers of all Boards of Trade In
the valley, the editors of all the news
papers and others likely to aid In the
organization and maintenance OF such
an institution, the object Of which is
to induce immigration to the valley and
to foster and advance the commercial
anJ industrial interests of the several
| counties. It is an improvement club on
a large scale. The meeting should have
a large attendance, and the organiza-
ton, when effected, the united support
of the people of this great valley.
A FOUR POUND POTATO.
Salinas Index: A potato Of the Sa-
Mnas Burbank variety was brought to
the Index" office. yesterday which
would be sufficient to make meal for a
large family. It is thirteen inches long,
ten inches in circumference, and weighs
four pounds. This tuber was grown on
the Carr ranch adjoining the County
| Poor Farm, and is not a solitary speci-
men, but was picked up from a large
number Of others in long furrow. The
potatoes raised on this ranch the pres
ent season are all large in size and will
average from two to four and possibly
! five pounds each. The ranch was we'll
irrigated during the dry season just
over. and shows what can be done by
judicious system of irrigation.
STOCK PRICES.
| Shasta Courier: Cattle, and in fact
all kinds of live stock, are nearly LOO
per cent. higher than three years ago.
! What was paid then for an old animal
is now paid for yearling cattle. Horses
are also in good demand where then
| they did not pay for the trouble of
branding. The increased demand and
price bid fair to keep up for several
years. Informed people say they will
never get low again.
EXPERIENCES CONTRAsTED.
| Riverside Enterprise: A bulletin sent
out by the California Raisin Growers
Association contains some points of
considerable force, as illustrating the
advantage of organization. The expe-
rience of raisin growers this year is
contrasted with that of the prune grow
ers. Through effective association the
raisin grower has marketed his crop at
| full prices as fast as the raisins could
be delivered and packed. and with
positive knowledge that not car will
! be carried over into another season, so
freely have Eastern dealers placed ord
ers tor the crop. On the other hand.
the prune growers, who have an equal
| ly desirable product, find it extremely
| difficult to sell their crop even at prices
which are but little more than half the
true value of the product as compared
with other fruits. Dealers in buying
and handling raisins have perfect con-
fdence in the ability Of the Raisin
Growers Association to maintain prices
at all hazards, and therefore have no
hesitancy in ordering freely. In hand
ling prunes, the dealers realize that
the growers are without organization
and consequently are unable to regu-
late prices, and if liberal purchases of
prunes were made, the price might drop
from an eighth to quarter of cent
the next day. They are, therefore, tim
ID about handling prunes at all and
buy at as low prices as possible.
SEEDS.
San Jose Mercury: w. j. Fosgate,
who is making his debut in the seed
business, has leased the two large fields
directly east of the depot. He is now
engaged in setting out nearly 10000
sacks of onions. His principal industry
for the season will be the raising of SUI
gar beets. About forty acres will be
set out in these. At the present a large
amount of the recent crop of seeds IS
being forwarded to the Eastern market.
AN EXAMPLE FOR CALIFORNIA.
Oakland Enquirer: United States
Consul Charles A. Murphy of Adelaide
has made another report on the sub
ject of fertilizers and wheat, his for
mer account Of the results achieved in
Australia having attracted a good deal
Of attention in California and else
| where. In the present report he men,
tions the similarity Of conditions in
wheat farming between South Australia
and California and says the methods
which are successful there should be
not less SO here.
The Australian wheat farmers, like
| those of California, have cropped their
lands for many years and find that
their productive power is falling off.
In the early days Of the colony, when
the soil was of virgin fertility, a yield
of from twenty to forty bushels of
wheat per acre was not unusual, but
the average has been falling, and now
1t amounts to only seven bushels.
Some of the more intelligent farmers
made experiments and found that the
soil exhaustion was only partial, the
crops having taken out Of the ground
some. but not all, of the elements OF
fertility. They found that sufficient
nitrogen and potash to produce good
yields of wheat still existed, If only
phosphorie acid could be added. About
five years ago these farmers began
their experiments and learned that the
average rainfall is fifteen tor seventeen
inches, which is not far short of the
average in the Sacramento Valley and
considerably more than the average in
the San Joaquin Valley.
1t was realized that to scatter fertil-
izers broadcast would, be an expensive