72 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



It takes about three seconds for a mes- 

 sage to pass through the entire length of 

 the Atlantic Cables. 



FIGS IN CALIFORNIA. 



The California State Board of Trade has 

 taken up the matter of developing the fig 

 industry and has enlisted the support of 

 the secretary of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. In a recent letter to him they 

 said: 



"For the fiscal year ending June 30, 

 1896, there was imported into the United 

 States 11,900,700 pounds of figs, valued 

 at the port of export at $639,512, a trifle 

 over 5 cents and 3 mills per pound. This 

 sum does not accurately represent the 

 value of the importation. In October of 

 each year nearly all of these figs are sold 

 in the City of New York ; the report on 

 commerce and navigation showing that of 

 the amount named as imported, 9,981,351 

 pounds were imported into that city. These 

 figs are sold at auction and the prices 

 realized are between 9 and 28 cents per 

 pound. Assuming that the average sum 

 paid was 10 cents per pound, the amount 

 paid to exporters in foreign countries for 

 figs averages about $1,200,000 a year." 



The principal trouble with fig growing 

 in California was the absence of a little 

 wasp (Blattophoga psenes) the interven- 

 tion of which is needed to pollenate the 

 female flowers of the edible fig. Prof. 

 Gustav Eisen has made some interesting 

 experiments which have resulted in the 

 foregoing conclusion and that it is neces- 

 sary to import some Smyrna fig trees con- 

 taining figs with the pupa of the wasp 

 thereon for propagating purposes. 



Secretary Wilson has promised to lend 

 all the assistance possible. 



MONEY FOR AGRICULTURE DEPART- 

 MENT. 



Secretary of Agriculture Wilson will, in 

 his annual report, ask Congress for a ma- 

 terial increase in the appropriation to be 

 alloted to him. The money will be em- 

 ployed to facilitate the work of the Bureau 



of Animal Industry, the Farmers' Bulle- 

 tins and the Weather Bureau. The work 

 of the first-named bureau in sending but- 

 ter to Europe as an experiment has met 

 with much success, many English firms 

 having sent their representatives to this 

 country to buy up all the available butter 

 for export. 



MISSOURI CROPS. 

 Col. J. B. Rippey of Columbia, Mo., 

 Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, 

 estimates corn crop of 1897, at 167,500,000 

 against 200,000,000 bushels for 1896. The 

 Northwest section of the state gives the 

 largest yield, an average of 28 bushels per 

 acre. Cotton for 1897 is about the same 

 as last year, the yield being 13,500,000 

 pounds. Tobacco is yielding about 720 

 pounds per acre against 668 last year. 

 The potato crop is much smaller, being 

 3,650,000 bushels against 7,830,000 in 

 1894. Pastures were never grazed more 

 closely and have suffered for want of rain. 



BLINDING CATTLE. 

 Cattle are going blind in some parts of 

 the Indian Territory, from some kind of 

 an eye disease. Their eyes will run water, 

 turn white, when they go blind and remain 

 in this condition for ten days or two 

 weeks when they come to their sight, but 

 some remain permanently blind. To treat 

 this disease, keep the cattle in a cool dark 

 place and give a pound of Epsom salts 

 every other day for a week. 



COWS WEAR BUTTONS. 



Everybody else has had a chance at the 

 button fad and now it is the cow's turn. 

 Those of them who are in good health 

 must be decorated with buttons, whether 

 they will or no. 



Arrangements have been made by the 

 health authorities of Alameda county, Cal- 

 ifornia; to submit the cows in all dairies of 

 the county to the tuberculin test, and 

 those that pass the test successfully will 

 have a small silver button attached to the 



