The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-04-15

|
out by some of our experiment sta
tions, notably the one in Maine. Still
the good people who seem to delight
in being humbugged go on buying
these much advertised foods Perhaps
l could learn to like them in time, but
l must confess that in not few cases
| could eat sawdust with as much re-
fish. One thing can be said in favor
of nearly all these much-lauded break
fast foods, and that is, that they are
| harmless, if they are expensive. But
there are some food stuffs of which
this cannot be said; they are filthy and
dangerous. The papers tell us that the
state chemist of Nebraska has ben an
alyZing some tomato catsups and
strawberry jams with astounding re-
suits. He finds that all the catsups
with one exception, are guiltless of to-
mato. Pumpkin and coal tar dyes
are the chief components. Strawberry
jams in number of cases were found
to be made of pumpkins and colored
with analine dyes and preserved by
the use of benzoic acid, which is
we'll known poison. People who live
in the country and raise their own
fruit or can buy of their neighbors
very cheaply, have no excuse for using
any of the commercial jams, catsups,
canned fruits or any of the various COM
pounds that are fed to the city peo-
pie. One of the best jellies to be
found is made of apples. My good wife
saves her apple Feelings and from them
with but little trouble makes very fine
jelly She makes it just as any other
jelly only she adds little lemon juice
to make it jell.
1t is a common thing to see adver-
tisements in which men offer to do
the spraying in a given community.
That some spraying must be done in
that way seems almost unavoidable. A
man living in a town or city and hav-
ing a few trees cannot we'll go to the
trouble to fix up the necessary outfit
to spray. So he must hire it done. No
doubt but there are honest men who
are acting as ''hired sprayers" and also
some who understand their bushes.
But I know that some lack in the first
named qualification while not few
do not know for what they are spray
| ing, when it should be done, nor how
| CuO LudCOl ldl NC dppllGu. Iu0y
believe in spraying ''for revenue on
| ly." The man who owns no more than
one acre of orchard will do we'll never
to hire any one to spray by the tree or
by the barrel. Some one who thorough
ly understands the business must be
with the sprayers, even if he does not
work. have three sons who are mar
ried and live on my fruit ranch and
have an interest in the results of the
crop. One of these boys is always with
the spray wagon and while he may not
say much, he keeps his eyes open and
if man is found pointing his nozzle
one way while ne looks the other, he
| is admonished and if he repeats that
kind of work, he is either sent to some
other work or, what is BETTER paid off
and sent along the road.
| How to get rid of mice in an orchard
| is sometimes serious problem. They
may girdle the trees while the snow
| is deep and much damage may be done
My experience along this line may be
of benefit to others. Some years ago,
while living in Iowa, bought a farm
on which were 1900 apple trees that
had been planted five years. The place
had been neglected the previous sum-