"^v^ ; 



California Agriculturist akd Live Stock Journal. 



pnt in grain again, and the gi-ain crop will be 

 as good as on (allowed laud, and the soil will 

 give a return each season. But on very dry 

 soil summer fallow is the only sure method of 

 getting a full crop in any season. 



The proper depth to plow when summer- 

 fallowing is another questipn of interest. We 

 do not think it makes much difference. To 

 plow deep a great expense of power must be 

 used, and even then it %vill bo necessary to 

 have the surface finely jjulverized to resist the 

 drying effects of sun and winds and retain the 

 moisture the most completely. Shallow 

 plowing, or thorough surface cultivation with- 

 out plowing, wiU answer the same purposes. 

 All that is needed is to make a few inches of 

 light soil for a mulching on the surface, which 

 should be stirred often enough to keep all 

 weeds from growing, and be just thick enough 

 to prevent the escape of moisture from the 

 soil into the air by evaporation. 



Some persons have acquired the idea that 

 loose earth will condense moisture from the 

 air, and think that if they stir the soil deeply 

 it will obtain all needed moisture without 

 raiu. This is a serious mistake, in our dry 

 climate at any rate, tractice will prove that 

 if you want your soil to dry out fast the best 

 way to do is to stir it deep and often, and sci- 

 ence will show you that the dew point in our 

 dry climate is lower than the temperature of 

 the soil in Summer, hence the impossibility 

 of such condensation. 



The fact is, we have to depend upon what 

 moisture there is stored in the soil for our 

 crops, and we should see that a sufficient 

 amount is stored there to produce a crop, and 

 then so cultivate the surface soil as to prevent 

 its escape into the air. 



On soils that can be irrigated, or that are 

 furnished with abundant moisture from be- 

 low, as bottom lands are, it matters not so 

 much what is the method of cultivation, so 

 long as the soil is not plowed too wet or al- 

 lowed to bake. 



The object of this article is to show the use 

 and rationale of summer-fallowing from a 

 practical stand-point. It we cannot make it 

 rain, and so make it an object for farmers to 

 take the AoiucuLTCJiasT, we hope to give 

 enough hints applicable to the conditions of 

 our climate to compensate the want so far as 

 we are concerned. There is certainly need 

 enough of a correct understanding of how to 

 treat soils to the best advantage in California, 

 for we iind many contlictiug theories among 

 farmers concerning this thing. 



Not long ago jute fibre was known in Eu- 

 rope only in the form of gunny bags. A 

 paper read by l^vofessor Hodges at the last 

 ■ meeting of the British Association, states that 

 last year 1UI),UUU tons of the fibre were im- 

 ported from Calcutta into Dundee, while Lou- 

 don, Liverpool and Glasgow probably receive 

 half as much more. It was formerly thought 

 that jute could not be bleached, and there- 

 fore, that, with all its strength and other 

 good qualities, it could be used only for bags 

 and coarse fabrics. It is only in this raw 

 state thixt it is worked up in the United States, 

 at least until lately. In Ireland and Scotland 

 the bleaching process has succeeded perfectly 

 giving to the fibre the whiteness of linen fab- 

 rics, into which, indeed, it largely enters. It 

 is largely worked up with silk, and makes the 

 best substitute for hair, most chignons being 

 made of it, while the dust from the mills is 

 employed in the manufacture of silk hats. 

 So that jiite is largely worn by both sexes. — 

 Q'lceiislandt^r. 



Another Physiological Lesson. 



BY ALFRED POWElt, CHIEF COMMISSION OF VOUli LAW, 

 IltELAND. 



NO, n— THE BLOOD. 



^ IX thoxl.'iand years after his era began 



The astonishiUK fact was tliscovercd by man, 

 y That the blood in his body does not remain still, 

 k:'''> But rushes along like the race of from a mill. 



Cfvlnin vessels called artt ries. hidden within 

 The body, conduct from the heart to the skin; 

 While others called veins thrniinliout every part 

 Of the system conduct from the skin to the heart. 



The heart every instant gets filled with new blood. 

 Prepared, as you'll Bee, Irom the air and the food: 

 And this new blood is driven throughout the whole 



frame, 

 As from a force-pump, by the force of the game. 



The blood in its passage leaves everywhere 

 Some of what it has got from the food and the air, 

 Wliieh is all t:iken up ere a moment is gone. 

 To rex>leuish the tissue, the fat and the bone. 



Throughout the whole structure — bone, muscle and 



skin — 

 Where the arteries eud the veins begin. 

 Anil ehangiug its color from red blood to black, 

 The blood enters the veins and is so carried back. 



Wlien the old blood arrives by the veins to the heart 

 It is mixed and churneil up, in a chamber apart, 

 With a thick, milky Huid, uiitritious anti govid. 

 Which the stomach and bowels have drawn from the 

 food, 



It is then driven off by a similar force 

 To the lungs, where the air cells vec civo it, in course. 

 Where at every breath it takes up through the skin 

 The material parts of the air within. 



Thus regenerate, vigorous, lusty, and red, 

 And once more forced back on its fountain hc.id. 

 To the artery chamber it rushes amain, 

 And is ready to start upon service again. 



What we get from the air is equal in weight 

 To what we derive from the food that we eat; 

 But what we breath out, I must tell you once more, 

 Is of poisons the worst, as 1 tojd you before. 



In a much clearer light you now may perceive 

 What it's hooed you'll hold fast and devoutly believe. 

 That for health and enjoyment the very best fare 

 Is the soundest ol food and the purest of ail". 



Then show that you value your blood and your skin, 

 Itemove every nuisance without or within ; 

 Obey all the laws that are made to that end. 

 And regard the inspector of health as your friend. 



If your house has a taint, employ in good time 

 Eitlier carbolic acid or chloride of lime: 

 But of all disinfectants the earth is the best — 

 Smells covered by earth are forever at rest. 



With all these precautions don't feaf any harm, 

 And yield to no panic or foolish alarm; 

 When the enemy comes be brave but prepared^ 

 Survey your defenses and stand on your guard! 



Disinfectants and Deodorizers. 



Infection and ill smells cause a great variety 

 of diseases; they both arise from decomposi- 

 tion and decay of vegetable or animal matter, 

 or both. To deodorize is to take away the 

 bad smell. To tlisinfect is not only to do this, 

 but to arrest the progress of decay, and thus 

 cut oft' the supply of a bad odor. Our grand- 

 mothers thought they got rid of the ill odor of 

 a sick-room by spriiikling brown sug.irou live 

 coal or burning tar; this gave a strong and 

 more agreerxble odor; it overpowered the other 

 so that it was not perceived, but did not de- 

 stroy it; both odors were really iiresent, and 

 the air was doubly impure, though more 

 agreeable to the senses. Hence, to deodorize 

 an ill-smelling room or locality intelligently, 

 substances must be used which, by causing a 

 new chemical combination, destroy the odor 

 altogether; but if the decomposition coutiu- 

 tinues to go on, other odoriferous particles 

 begin to arise requiring a new applieatiou of 

 the deodorizer; on this account all deodorizers 

 are efficient only teiu[)orarily; hence, the only 

 rational method is either to remove the offend- 

 ing material or employ disinfectants which 

 arrest further decay. If the material both 

 arrests the decay and destroys or absorbs the 



ill smell, then it is doubly valuable. Two 

 hundred grains of chloride of zinc in an ounce 

 of water is a powerful agent in neutralizing 

 bad smells and in arresting both animal and 

 veiretable decomposition, in ships, hospitals, 

 dissecting rooms, cellars, privies, and water- 

 closets, without having any ill smell of its 

 o'ft'n. For disinfecting purposes, mix one 

 pint of the above fluid to four gaUons of 

 water. 



There arc three powerful disinfectants: car- 

 bolic acid, but its smell is objectionable, chlo- 

 rine and permanganate of potash; these last 

 two are quite expensive. These disinfectants 

 act by combining with deleterious substances 

 and rendering them h:irmless, while antisep- 

 tics prevent and arrest the decomposition of 

 animal substances. 



The on!y perfect disinfectant is habitual 

 cleanliness and thorough ventilation; next to 

 that is a dry heat of two hundred and fifty 

 degrees. 



'I'lie most common anrl available disinfect- 

 ant and deodorizer is copperas, crude cojiper- 

 as, sold by druggists at a few cents a pound 

 under the name of sulphate of iron, one pound 

 to two gallons of water, to be used as often 

 as necessary to render all odors imperce]dible, 

 acting at the same time as an antiseptic, de- 

 odorizer, and disinfectant, and if instantly 

 thrown over what passes from the body in 

 cholera is one of the cheapest and best means 

 known for preventing its communication to 

 others. — ^V. J. Mechanic. 



[The above is a valuable article, and should 

 be preserved. There is far too great neglect 

 of disinfectants and deodorizers. I'or many 

 purposes the information here given is inval- 

 uable. But for all out-door uses, earth — dry 

 earth is altogether the best. The only diffi- 

 culty there seems to be in introducing it into 

 use is that it does not cost anything and is 

 found everywhere ready for epplication. If 

 it were found only iu certain localities, and to 

 be bought at a price, its merits would soon bo 

 recognized. For ces.s-pools, or out-houses, 

 nothing else should be used. Yet olten do 

 we see people going to a distance to buy lime, 

 when three steps would take them to good, 

 loose earth, all ready for use. — lltaUK lie- 

 former. 



Importance of Wholesome Beds. — Sleep 

 to the working man is emphatically Nature's 

 restorer — reinvigorating the physical system, 

 which through much toil has become weary, 

 and keeping up the flow of hfe and spirits 

 which are necessary to the performance of the 

 arduous duty of farm-life, A comfortable 

 bed, as we are all aware, conduces greatly to 

 one's rest. On this subject a recent writer 

 says: 



Of the eight pounds which a man eats and 

 drinks each day, it is thought that not less 

 than five pounds leaves his body through the 

 skin. 



And of these five pounds considerable per- 

 centage escapes during the night while he is 

 in bed. The largest portion of this is water, 

 but in addition there is much effde and pois- 

 onous matter. This being in great part gase- 

 ous in form, permeates every part of the bed, 

 mattress, blankets, as well as sheets, which 

 soon become foul and need purification. 



The mattress needs the renovation quite as 

 much as the sheets. To allow the sheets to 

 be used, without washing or changing, three 

 or six months would be regarded as bad 

 house-keeping; but I insist if a thin sheet can 

 absorb enough of the excretion of the body to 

 make it unfit for use in a few days, a thick 

 mattress, which can absorb and retain a 

 thousand times as much of these poisonous 

 excretions, needs to be purified as often, cer- 

 tainly, as once in three months. 



A sheet can be washed. A mattress can- 

 not be renovated in this way. Indeed, there 

 is no way of cleansing a mattress but by 

 steaming it or picking it to pieces, and thus, 

 in fragments, exposing it to the rays of the 

 sun. As these processes are scarcely practic- 

 able, with any of the ordinary- mattresses, I 

 decidedly am of the opinion that the good 



