California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



gmghe1t^aun(itlJ 



S. HAEEIS HEREING & 00., 



Kilili>i'.s and rublishi-TS. 



OKFK'K: Over tlie Siin Jose Siivltiffs Rank, 

 liiillmcliN Biiildiiiu;, $>uiita C'lura Street, 

 near First, Sim Jose. 



SPECIAL TEEMS TO AGENTS. 



BATES OF ADVERTISING. 



Per onp C.ihimn ?15 nn Per Month 



•• iKilf Oohimn 8 00 " 



" fimrlli <:nl\min 4 00 " " 



" .■islithClnnm 2 00 " 



" sixteenth Column 100 *' •• 



V^^ We Jire determined to adhere to to our resolution 

 to admit none Imt worthy InisineBK advertiBing in our 

 columns, and to keei) char of patent nedicine, liquor, 

 and other advertisements ijfdciiibtl 111 iiilliience. 



The larKO circulation, the deKirable class of roaderR, 

 and the neat and convenient form, rend- rs this Journal 

 a choice medium for reachiuf^ the attention of the 

 masses. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Of What Does Greatness Consist ? Not 



notoriety, surely. Neither is it riches. Yet 

 as much renown may be gained from, and as 

 much homage may be, and often is paid to 

 these, as to every virtue and power of mind 

 that distinguishes the noble from the com- 

 mon class of humanity, rrobably scores of 

 men die every year, as they have lived, com- 

 j)aratively unnoticed, who are as' wise, as 

 virtuous, as self-sacrificing, as philanthropic, 

 and who have worked as faithfully for the 

 good of humanity as the late great Ralston 

 of the great Bank of California. But they 

 were not as rich in this worlds goods. 



We must express our condemnation of 

 the system of assessing nominees for State, 

 County and town offices to pay campaign ex- 

 penses. It all leads to corruption and abuse. 

 How can we ever expect to lessen taxation 

 when such a system is tolerated? Even the 

 enormous salaries and perquisites now paid 

 officers are barely sufficient to pay assess- 

 ments. How can they get even but by being 

 open to bribery and favoritism? So long as 

 Buch things are permitted by law, we cannot 

 expect economy of Government in any of its 

 branches, nor fair dealing and justice in our 

 courts. 



Work-horses on the farm sliould not bo 

 allowed to fall off in flesh this month for lack 

 of 'feed in stubble fields and pastures. A 

 feed of hay, or even good fine straw once a 

 day will pay, if it is needed to keep them in 

 good order for the seasons plowing. Look 

 to your horse collars, that they are in good 

 condition and see that shoulders do not get 

 g ailed and sore. Be merciful to the beast. 



A Successful Attempt at seed growing 

 has been undertaken this season near San 

 Jose. Mr. E. W. Wilson, who has had many 

 years experience at seed growing in New York 

 and Iowa, put in 30 acres of onions and let- 

 tuce for seed. He produced about 9,000 lbs., 

 of lettuce seed for Briggs Brothers, seedmen, 

 Rochester, New York, and over 8,000 lbs., of 

 onion seed, not contracted for. Mr. W. is 

 now East to dispose of his crop, and to con- 

 tract with seedsman to take a large crop an- 

 other season. Mr. W. says that his seed pro- 

 duced here this season is the best and heaviest 

 that he ever saw, and that such a good quiilitj 

 cannot be grown East. He was not fortunate 

 in selecting soil that could not be irrigated 

 either, as the season was exceptionally dry 

 and the crop was not as heavy as it should 

 have been. Another season this will be 

 remedied. His success is of the most en- 

 couraging nature however, and no doubt 

 should exist in the mind of any one as to the 

 superiorfty of our soil and climate for seed 

 raisng. 



The Cultivating Fruit for Stock should 



attract more attention than it does. In some 

 portions of the eastern states sweet apple 

 trees are grown around jjastures to produce 

 fruit for cows and it is found to pay well. 

 The cows give a superior quantity and quality 

 of milk when fed with fruit. We have sever- 

 al times suggested that it would pay to plant 

 grape vines about grain fields to furnish 

 succulent food for hogs while ftittening ujjon 

 the grain. We learn that one farmer who has 

 tried it, strongly recommends feeding grapes 

 to hogs as a cheep and economical feed with 

 grain. The Arabs it is said, feed grapes to 

 their horses, which fatten on them. 



Where alfalfa and squashes, and other veg- 

 etables can be grown cheaply and abundantly, 

 perhaps it would be more economical of laud 

 and labor to cultivate them for feeding stock, 

 than to plant grape vines for the purpose. 

 But on dry ranches, the grape will be found 

 just the thing. It requires little cultivation, 

 ))ruuiug once a year being about all the 

 trouble necessary to insure regular crops. 

 The mission grape is an abundant bearer and 

 will probably be found as good as any for 

 this purpose. 



Grapes are now abundant and cheap and 

 of excellent quality. Other fruits having 

 been scarce and dear this season, we can ap- 

 preciiite this "gift of the gods" all the 

 more. There is no more luscious fruit than 

 the grape ; healthful, nutritious and bounti- 

 ful. The grape vine will grow almost any- 

 where it may be planted and the fruit can be 

 grown with less expense than any other on 

 an average. It is a blessing to the world in 

 its natural and health giving forms, but when 

 fermented in vat and still, the product is dis- 

 tructive of virtue, fortviue and human worth. 

 The noble grape is not to blame for the vile 

 use to which demortdized man may subject it. 

 The grape should b(! found daily upon the 

 table of every family during the season of its 

 riiieness. Put up fresh in cans as other fruit 

 is, it will be found a superior table fruit the 

 year round. Several fine varieties of fleshy 

 grapes make excellent raisins. Kiusins iu 



some countries are a staple article of food, 

 and should be more largely eaten in our own. 

 They are very nutritious and healthful for 

 man or beast. California should now, and 

 probably will in years to come, supply the 

 whole of America with superior raisins. It 

 is estimated that 40,000 boxes will be pro- 

 duced this season. When selected w-iih care 

 and ])roperly cured, California raisins are not 

 excelled by any others. 



The Lick Observatory, will probably be 



located upon Mount Hamilton in Santa Clara 

 County, distance about 25 miles from San 

 Jose. Mr. Lick has promised to build it 

 there if our county will build a good road to 

 it from San Jose, which we have no doubt 

 will be done at once. A telescope of im- 

 mense power, much greater than any ever 

 made will be placed upon it, at a cost of 

 nearly, or quite, one million dollars. This 

 princely donation to science and to the ad- 

 vancement of mankind, will most likely de- 

 velop facts that will settle many points about 

 the planets and other distant stars, which are 

 now shrouded by conjecture. The moon will 

 be brought to vision close enough, so that ob- 

 jects upon its surface the size of a common 

 dwelling house can bo discerned. 



Photographs upon delicate material can be 

 taken and so magnified as to make ob- 

 jects the size of men appear plainly, for ex- 

 amination ; at least there is nothing scien- 

 tifically impossible about it. We believe that 

 it will yet be so that the inhabitants of even 

 the planet Mars, can be seen through these 

 .agencies. At any rate, it is devoutly to be 

 wished, and the prospect of adding to our 

 other attractions such an institution as the 

 Lick Observatory will be, makes every resi- 

 dent of San Jose feel elated. Long may Mr. 

 James Lick live, must be the sentiment of all. 



Horse Racing at our agricultural fairs 

 does not appear to be growing less in favor 

 with the sort of crowds thiit attend such fairs, 

 nor with the the managers of them, who ap- 

 pear to think that to be success/id, a fair must 

 be so managed as to bring together the big- 

 gest possible crowd of people and cause them 

 to squander their money. The Ndthmal Live 

 Stuck Journal iu some sensible talk on horse 

 racing says : "that money thus distributed, 

 does not encourage improveniait in WjHcuUure, 

 nor tend in the fea.s( tteyref to improve, in any 

 useful char.actcristic, our domestic animals," 

 and continires ; " It is probtible that the only 

 way to efl'ectually guard against this evil, is 

 to adopt what has alwaj-s been the practice at 

 the New York State Fair ; that is, to proliihit 

 all tests of speed .'" This would bo a radical 

 moasnre. We have never opposed the simple 

 test of speed, but have always deplored the 

 gambling, pool selling, etc. However, we 

 would sooner see a prohibatory law, than 

 witness any more of the demoralizing effects 

 of horse-racing "Agricultural Pairs." A 

 fair that is a gambling game cannot in any 



proper sense bo called CKiricnltund. 



* m ^ 



■ TiiK San Francisco Board of Provision 

 Packers advises the farmers of California to 

 fatten hogs with their wheat, as 5^1, 400,000 

 gold was sent from that city last year to buy 

 Eastern pork and lard. 



