California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



i 



> GAL, AGEICULTto'iST PUBLISHIHG 00, 



S. HARRIS HERRINC, Elitm 



OFFICE: Over the San Jose Saviii;^s Bank, 

 BalbacU's Builf1in;Xi SanJa C'lara Street, 



near First, San Jose 



SPECIAL TEEMS TO AGENTS. 



KATES or ADVEKTISING. 



Per one CoUimn $15 00 Per Mouth 



" Ji.'ilf t.;o!nnin 8 00 " ' 



" fourth Culumii 4 OO " " 



'' eighth Columu _. 2 00 " 



" Bixteenth Cohiuxu 1 00 " '* 



0£?" We are determined to adhere to to our resolution 

 to admit none but worthy business advertising in our 

 columns, and to keep cleiir of luitpiit nindiciue, liquor, 

 and other advertisements of doulttlnl intiueuee. 



The large circulation, the desiral>le class of renders, 

 and the neat and convenient form, rendf rs this Journal 

 a choice medium for reachin-,' the attention of the 

 masses. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Our Patrons will please bear in mind that 

 renewals and remittances are now in order 

 and that we, on our part will be pleased to 

 credit the same on their accounts, sending to 

 them recepts for the amount. "We send state- 

 ments of account to many of our subscribers 

 this month. These are not in all cases duns, 

 but are statements of each subscribers stand- 

 ing upon our books, that all may see how they 

 do stand, whether paid up fully or not. Of 

 course we expect, what every honest man will 

 admit to be right, pay for the Jouknal, 

 when our good subscribers feel ready to remit. 

 A few of them are always prompt, many are 

 rather slow, and several are sadly deliuque^it, 

 while occasionally one never intends to pay 

 and after awhile stops the j^aper without pay- 

 ing. The sooner the latter class stop the 

 better for us. But we are always willing to 

 wait a convenient length of time on any well 

 intentioned i)ersoufor his or her subscription. 

 And we are also willing to send to any one 

 wishing to take the Ageigoltdkist on trial, 

 three months free. Every subscriber, old or 

 new that Jiays one year in advance, will be 

 entitled to a premium and it will be credited 

 to his account until he chooses from our list 

 what it shall be. 



Peas sown before the first rains are some 

 of them in blossom. The frosts of wintf-r 

 will be sure to check that jiroclivity, and 

 although^^they will grow all winter, they will 

 not be likely to bear before March, unless 

 this is an exceijtioual winter. Frosts may 

 soon be expected that will singe tender things 

 generally and stop all lavish growth of green 

 plants till the warm days of February. 



Country Gentleman is a term that has 



been applied East to a class of farmers, who 

 having acquired wealth in some business ope- 

 rations, have country seats and farms as well 

 as city residences. In this State, and partic- 

 ularly in Santa Clara valley, quite a number 

 of farmers with their families reside in town 

 a portion of the season— generally during 

 winter months, where the children can have 

 the best educational advantages, and the fam- 

 ily can attend lectures, and enjoy all the ben- 

 efits that an advanced civilizatinn can give. 

 It matters not whether one is rich or jjoor — 

 whether they can own the house tney occupy 

 or not, we rather like the plan. While the 

 boys and girls are attending the institutes, it 

 is perhaps a matter of economy for the fami- 

 ly to live in town. Then in spring and sum- 

 mer all can go back to the farm, and work 

 together for natural education and means, as 

 they did in town for knowledge of books and 

 ideas. We like the idea of the family keep- 

 ing together. The old folks need city advan- 

 tages as well as the young, and it is nice for 

 the father and mother to enter into society 

 with their children, assist them in their stud- 

 ies and sports, and enjoy with them as many 

 piivileges as possible. As civilization pro- 

 gresses we expect to see more of this co-ope- 

 rative country and city life. The old folks 

 and the young rolks need it mutually. 



We -re glad to learn that there is some 

 redress for the farmer or gardener who is im- 

 posed upon by dealers selling poor seed. 

 There has been much complaint, and with 

 reason, on this coast, that it is almost impos- 

 sible to get good seed from dealers. It should 

 be made to the interest of dealers to sell none 

 but reliable seeds, and a little "justice" might 

 bring them to an appreciation of that fact. 

 The Rural Neio Yorker says : "A decision 

 has just been made in the Court of Common 

 Pleas in New York City which is of great im- 

 portance to seedsmen, farmers and gardeners. 

 In the ease of Van Wyck vs. Allen, Judge 

 Robinson has fixed the rule regulating the 

 damages to which a seedsman is liable for 

 selling inferior seed. He held that the plain- 

 tiff was entitled to as much damages as he 

 might reasonably have expected from the crop 

 of the kind of vegetable the seed of which he 

 supposed he was buying; less, however, the 

 cost of the care and trouble he expended after 

 he discovered the crop was not of the kind 

 he had a right to expect. 



The Season so far has been a remarkable 

 one. The copious rains of November came 

 di'ibbling along so as to thoroughly saturate 

 the soil without causing floods. Since the 

 grass first started in October, it had grown 

 without hindrance, and in the second week in 

 December is a half-knee high. With a straw 

 stack to run to, cattle will not only live, but 

 on the fresh feed keep in good order all win- 

 ter. The thorough winter soaking of the 

 soil has insured good crops of grain and hay 

 the coming season. There has been no frost 

 at this writing to kill tomato plants or squash 

 vines. Many deciduous trees have not cast 

 their foliage. Tender plants are in blossom 

 and the warm sun after the rains is like 

 spring. 



Orange Culture is no longer considered 

 an experiment in all the lower valleys of Cal- 

 ifornia, and in the mountains below three 

 thousand feet altitude in many localities the 

 orange will do finely. It is the opinion of 

 many good judges that finer flavored oranges 

 can be grown here than at Los Angeles. Be 

 that as it may, it is certain that orange trees 

 will grow finely here, and the fruit will also 

 compare favorably with the oranges of any 

 other country. The trees are ornamental ev- 

 ergreens, and more attention should be paid to 

 their culture.. Young trees should be shel- 

 tered from frosts. Although the frost is not 

 likely to kill, it will injure them. A good 

 way to shelter them is to stick three or four 

 stakes around them and tie the top ends to- 

 gether, allowing a little space above the tree. 

 Then sacking or straw could be drawn and 

 tied about these stakes, making a sort of wig- 

 wam shelter that would exclude frosts and 

 preserve the foliage and tender tops from in- 

 jury until after the frosty season is over. 

 Large trees do not need such shelter. 



Cherry Trees in an Apple Orchard-— 



Mr. Charles Caiue, an old orcharchst, of San 

 Jose, two years ago planted cherry trees among 

 full-grown Newton Pppin apple trees in an 

 orch.ird. The apple trees were standing about 

 eighteen feet apart, close enough one would 

 think, but Mr. Caine planted two-year old, 

 cherry trees between the trees in every row. 

 The result so far is a splendid growth of the 

 cherrj' trees, which are much more stalky and 

 vigorous than those jilanted in open ground. 

 The apple trees bear quite as well as before, 

 and promise to bear as well for years to come. 

 This innovation bids fair to prove a grand 

 success. We have long been in favor of closer 

 planting than most any other party, but Mr. 

 Caine pegs a hole ahead of us in this in- 

 stance. We will watch his experiments and 

 results from year to year. Mr. Caine culti- 

 vates his orchard very thoroughly and feels 

 satisfied that he will reap a double profit from 

 it soon. 



The Whiskey Frauds that have been un- 

 earthed lately show that our liquor men, who 

 claim that they support the Government by 

 paying licenses and taxes, are quite as cor- 

 rupt as patriotic. They seem to be inspired 

 with some of their own alcoholic spirit^ — the 

 spirit of the Devil. Their business is to get 

 all the money they can without giving in re- 

 turn what is of value to the human race, di- 

 rectly or indirectly. Defrauding the Govern- 

 ment is the least of their sins. It would be 

 cheaper in the end to support them all in lux- 

 ury, without their doing other evil, than to 

 do it, as is now the case, at n double expense — 

 expense of money, and of the moral sense, 

 health, happiness and lives of thousands an- 

 nually. What better can we expect than 

 fraud from a class of men whose avocations 

 are calculated to spread ruin and desolation 

 over the land. 



Nkak to any great snjiply of manure from 

 livery stables and other city sources, the soil 

 can be compensatetl, and. indeed, be forced 

 to such a degree of fruitfulness, that it is not 

 of the least conseijueuce how frequently crops 

 of the most exhausting characteristics suc- 

 ceed each other. 



