Year: 1872




| from the Pacific Rural Press, will be in
teresting to growers of beets:


The undoubted success of the TIVE
companies that have ventured upon tn,
experiment of beet sugar making, upor
a reasonably extended scale, is quite
apparent in the effort of the Alvaradt
Company in securing an additiona
tract of land after their first season.:
run, at 5000 per acre; and the recent
| lease by the Sacramento Company oi
| 600 acres of land in the immediate
| vicinity of their own $50 acres, making
in all about a thousand acres, which
| they intend to plant to .beets the com
ing spring, carries with it the evidence
of success to that degree that we need
no longer doubt, Notwithstanding the
reticence of the parties in interest, in
| giving the exact figures of profit.


The question is not whether beet
sugar can be produced in California as
cheaply as cane sugar can in the Sand
wich Islands or elsewhere; but is as to
whether it can be produced here at a
profit to the company or community OF
farmers who grow the beets, and TO the
manufacturer who converts them into
sugar.


We can not all be growers of cane
sugar if we would we are not in the
country best adapted to its growth; but
a great many of the people of California
can be growers of beets and producers
of sugar at profit upon land and capi-
tai employed, altogether exceeding that
| from any other agricultural and manu-
featuring pursuit in the State.


The cultivation of the beet is at a
season of the year when the wheat crop
commando the least attention, and the
gathering of the same for the factory all
| come at time that in no way interferes
with the culture or management of
other farm crops, and the profit derived
therefrom is just so much added to the
farmers annual gains.


| The manufacturing part will take care
of itself, at profit of from 80 to 45 per
cent. per annum upon total cost of
buildings, machinery and labor required
for its production.


The fact demonstrated that beet
sugar factory is also a refinery for the
raw sugars of commerce at seasons of
the year when there are no beets to
work, gives to the beet sugaries signifi-
canoe that was not dreamed of by the
old refners of sugar in San Francisco.
But this fact, important as it is, need
not give them the least uneasiness, be-
cause there probably will not be beet
sugaries enough in California in ten
years, to supply even the home and in
ferior demand, as the population is in
creasisg far in advance of the supply Of
sugar. AS consequence, it cannot be
lowered in price, and the last 20 years
have demonstrated that the zone belt
for the production of cane sugar, is not
sufficient to supply the world outside
the tropics with the required amount
OF sugar.


To C6ver a Steep Bank With GraSS.-A
German method is: For each square
rod to be planted, take half a pound of
lawn grass seed, and mix it intimately
and thoroughly with about six cubic
feet of good dry garden earth and loam.
This is placed in tub and to it liquid
manure, diluted with about two thirds
of water, is added and well stirred in,
SO as to bring the whole to the consist
ency of mortar. The slope is to be
cleaned off and made perfectly smooth
and then well watered. after which the
paste just mentioned is to be applied
with trowel and made as even and
thin as possible. Should it crack by
exposure to the air, it is to be again
watered and smoothed up, day by day,
until the grass makes its appearance,
which will be in from eight to fourteen
days, and the whole declivity will soon
be covered by close carpet of green.


Parsley for Sheep.-A correspondent
of the Toronto Globe reports farmer as
saying: 1 SOW parsley all through my
grass land, ard never lay down any
land to clover in the spring, but | SOW
parsley with it. 1t is the best food for
sheep there is, keeps them healthy, and
fattens them with wonderful rapidity.
Of course I don't SOW enough to smother
the grass but take care there is some
all through it, and the sheep will find
it out, and never leave a bit of it if they
can help it. The COWS and cattle are
also very fond of it, but it is the fttest
for sheep, as it does them the most
good. The only thing to be guarded
against is to keep the breeding ewes
from getting too much. They fatten SO
fast that it stops their breeding, which
is of course los7. But am careful to
keep the breeding ewes off it as much
as l can. 1t does well for lambs, how
ever, and for wethers and fattening ewes
nothing is equal to it. l find that it
does better than grain. 1t also pro.
duces heavy feeees of wool.


Pears Among Corm.-The Country Gen.
tlemen says that John Morse, of Cayuga,
N. Y, has found of late years that he
gets more pears and better ones, by
keeping the ground cultivated instead
of letting it run to grass, The corn
crop proves one of the best for this pur-
pose, as it represses the growth of
weeds, and in this respect is better than
potatoes. Lime has been found de-
cidedly beneficial, being first slaked
into powder, and then spread broadcast
over the ground at the rate of over q
hundred bushels per acre. His ground
has been perfectly underdrained, and
the result of his careful culture is, that
his orchard of 5000 trees yields an an
nual income of over $4,000.


Hints for the Housewife.
Homemade Corner Etagere.-A simple
etagere can be made by fitting in an
angle of the room set of shelves, lit
tie rounding in front, and decreasing
slightly in size and in distance apart as
they rise to height of about five feet
from the floor. Each shelf should be
covered by reps, or cloth, of color to
correspond with that of the curtains, or
other upholstering of the room, and
trimmed on the edge with woolen
fringe of the same shade, put on with
| invisible furniture tacks. If the shelves