18 



California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



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gm J/t7f/{ jrtj///7/;//J 

 $L50 Per Ar\r\urn. 



PUULieHED MONTHLY BY THE 



CAL. AGRICULTURIST PUB. CO. 



B. HARRIS HERRING, Editor. 



OFFICE;— 0\'er tlie Sun .Jose Saving's 

 Bank, Balbn4'li''s Biiildiii;;;, Santa 

 Clara Street, near First, San -lose. 



SPECIAL TE2MS TO AGEKTS. 



RATES OF ADVERTISING: 



Per one Colnmn S12 00 Per Mouth 



" half Coluiiiu 6 00 " 



" fourth Column 3 00 " 



" eighth Column 2 00 " 



*' sixteenth Column 1 00 " " 



1^" We are detemiined to adhere to our resolu- 

 tion to admit nonelnit worthy business advertis- 

 ing in our columns, and to keep clear of patent 

 medicine, liquor, and other advertisements of 

 doubtful influence. 



The large circulation, the deBirable class of 

 readers, and the neat and convenient form, rend- 

 ers this Jouma[ a choice medium for reaching 

 the attention of the masses. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Sack Numbers. — With the excep- 

 tion of the August number, we have sev 

 eral complete files of the Ageicultorist 

 for 1875 to spare. Subscribers who lack 

 copies to complete their files should send 

 orders in at once, and as long as we have 

 any to spare we will forward them to 

 you by mail, free of expense. 



Sumac Seed. — Mr. .Jacob Elierhardt, 

 of the Santa Clara Tannery, has left at 

 our office for distribution a sack of 

 sumac seed. Such of our subscribers 

 as would like to experiment with the cul- 

 tivation of the plant can have a package 

 sent to their address by ordering the 

 same. The sumac is a tree well known 

 east of the Rocky mormtains, and is val- 

 uable chiefly for its tanning projierties. 



Thanks to the few subscribers who 

 have responded promptly to the state- 

 ments of accounts lately sent out. An- 

 gels' visits are said to be few and far be- 

 tween. Perhaps for this reason they are 

 all the better ajipreciated. But when it 

 comes to paying our bills, we sometimes 

 are compelled to think we could appre- 

 ciate a more profuse shower of postal 

 money orders, etc. But then, we may 

 be happy yet. 



\ 



Senator Lane is doing a good work 

 for rclreucliiii^' the enormous fees and 

 salaries of officials. The people are 

 taxed beyond endurance to feed a lot of 

 cormorants who do nKU'o harm than 

 good anyway, and the more )iay they get 

 the worse they are, <ui gc;neral principles. 

 Economy and jiatriotism should crush 

 out these parasites and pay for honest 

 service only, and only pay wages in pro- 

 portion to the earnings of useful, indus- 

 trial pursuits. Kvery cent of pay above 

 that is a premium oB'ered for corruption 

 and extravagance. 



The boys and girls did not send 



their little letters soon enough to get 

 them into their department this month, 

 but they will find more than a page of 

 choice original articles by their favorite 

 friends. Aunt Polly's puzzle has been 

 solved by several who will get a hearing 

 next month. By the way, she is prepar- 

 ing a nice budget for March, and wants 

 you to write to her early. Do not for- 

 get, now, but write at once. 



A netition to the city to make the 

 San Jose Library free to the public, and 

 to pay §100 per month for its support, 

 is being circulated and generally signed 

 by the citizens. We believe it will be a 

 good thing, for many persons and fami- 

 lies who would like to read the books 

 cannot really afford the 50 cents per 

 month now charged for membership. 

 The tax to pay the expenses will not be 

 burdensome to any one, and will be de- 

 voted to a noble purpose. The library 

 will be likely to attract many who might 

 otherwise seek demoralizing associa- 

 tions, and must result in much good to 

 every class of the community. 



Laying Out the Garden.—Since we 



wrote the article which can be found un- 

 der the Vegetable Garden department 

 about laying out, planting and cultivat- 

 ing the garden, we find, in Colemdn's 

 Bund World, similar advice to its read- 

 ers by its practical editor, who closes his 

 remarks by saying: "If the readers of 

 the Bural ]Vorld will adopt this system 

 in cultivating their gardens, they will 

 say at the close of the year that the sug- 

 gestion was worth much more than the 

 subscription price for the year." This 

 is even so, and the readers of this .jour- 

 nal may as well take the matter close 

 home in our case. 



Pluck will win against odds. Two 



years ago Mr. Bennett started a furni- 

 ture factory in San .lose, and several 

 furniture dealers tried to beat him out 

 by running down iJrices and discourag- 

 ing him in everj' way. But, although 

 he had little capital, he bent all his en- 

 ergies to his work. He thorcjughly un- 

 derstood his business, and attended to it, 

 turned out most superior and elegant 

 work, and commanded patronage and 

 success. He has lately enlarged his 

 manufactory, in new quarters on St. 

 John street, employs some twenty men, 

 and the best of machinery run by steam 

 power. Mr. B. has experienced difficulty 

 in getting good, steady, honest boys to 

 work ancl learn the trade. The right 

 kind of a boy can find an opportunity, 

 with Mr. Bennett, to learn a good trade. 

 None other need apply. 



ly Business and professional men 

 have long felt the want of an encyclo- 

 pedia that is at once concise, complete 

 and authoritative, compiled from other 

 books only so far as relates to past 

 events and positive knowledge, and writ- 

 ten up by the best living representatives 

 of the various departments of science, 

 art and technical practice, and occupy- 

 ing a small space, so that it can be con- 

 sulted without overhauling a dozen 

 books to get at a single fact. Such a 

 want seems to have been recognized 

 when Johnson's Cyclopedia was de- 

 signed. An examination of the first 

 book of the four volumes convinces us 

 that it comes nearer tilling the bill than 

 any other work ever published. 



The new outside dress of the .Vom- 

 cni.TUKiST was designed and engraved by 

 women — Leila ('urtis & Co., (iOG Mont- 

 gomery street, San Francisco. The work 

 will speak for itself, and any words of 

 praise from us wiiuld be superlluous. 



PLANT TREES. 



<(YUR nurserymen are all doing a good 

 business this season. This shows 

 that the people are planting lots of 

 trees, and we are glad to note the 

 •r'rj fact. The abunSant and long con- 

 tinued rains h.ave put the soil into readi- 

 iuess, so far as Nature can do it. The 

 advice we gave in December and Janu- 

 ary numbers is applicable now as then. 

 I'UDit trees now if you ever intend to. 

 Plant a good orchard for home use, fence 

 it in against all stock but poultry, and 

 never allow animals to run in it at all. 

 On the windward side plant two or three 

 rows of evergreen trees for a shelter and 

 breakwiud. Monterey cypress and pep- 

 i:ier trees are best, and should be planted 

 not over eight feet apart. Gum trees 

 (Eucaljptus) grow too tall to do much 

 good alone as a shelter, but together 

 with trees of a lower growth are very 

 good. 



Unitkd States Oeangeeies. — In years 

 gone by we have received our chief sup- 

 ply of oranges from Cuba, Spain and 

 Sicily. "We now, however, enjoy this 

 delicious fruit all the more because it is 

 grown on our own soil and under our 

 own flag. It has been demonstrated that 

 the United States grows oranges which 

 equal any that are produced in the world. 

 Indeed, some good judges think the 

 Florida orange the best that is grown 

 anywhere. In California the orange is 

 grown to great perfection, and the crop 

 is increasing every year. During this 

 year, also, it has been satisfactorily 

 proved that excellent oranges will grow 

 in Berrin county, Georgia. The Valdosta 

 Times is authority for stating that orange 

 culture is well established in other sec- 

 tions of South Georgia. The trees are 

 now in the third year of bearing, and 

 they are in no way inferior to the much 

 admired Florida orange. The same re- 

 sult may be expected in other sections of 

 that State, and in still other Southern 

 States where the experiment has not yet 

 been tried. A greater number of orange 

 groves are being planted in Orange coun- 

 ty, Florida, this year, th.iu ever before 

 during the same length of time, and the 

 same is no doubt true of other counties 

 in the same State. Everywhere, through- 

 out the State of Florida, they are mak- 

 ing increased preparations to send larger 

 quantities of this delicious and health- 

 promoting fruit to the markets of our 

 northern cities. — £.r. 



Liquid Geaftino Wax. — The Horiicul- 

 tiu-ist gives the following formula for 

 making Lefort's liquid grafting wax, 

 which is said to have been highly com- 

 mended in France and until lately kept 

 secret: Melt one pound of common resin 

 over a gentle fire. Add to it an ounce of 

 beet tallow and stir it well. Take it from 

 the fire, let it cool down a little, and then 

 mix with a tablespoonfid of spirits of 

 turpentine, and after that about seven 

 ounces of very strong alcohol (sixty-five 

 per cent.), to be had at .any drug store. 

 The alcohol cools it down so rapidly that 

 it will be necessary to put it again on the 

 fire, stirring it constantly. Still, the ut- 

 most care must lie taken to prevent the 

 alcohol from getting mllamed. To avoid 

 this, the best way is to remove the ves- 

 sel from the lire when the lump that nnvy 

 have been formed commences melting. 

 This must lie continued till the whole is 

 a homogeneous mass, similar to honey. 

 After a few days' exposure to the atmos- 

 phere in a thin coat, it assumes a whitish 

 color and becomesas hard as stone, be- 

 ing impervious to water or air. 



The Spanish CHESTsnT. — In all the 

 mountain regions of Spain, France, Italy 

 and Switzerland, their declivities, half 

 way up from the plains below to the 

 snowy peaks above, are clothed with 

 magnificent forests of a species of chest- 

 nut, the edible fniit of which, imported 

 into this country, is known as the Span- 

 ish chestnut. "Gardner's Farmers' 

 Dictionary" contains the following brief 

 description of this " famous European 

 tree." "The European, also called the 

 Sijanish or Italian chestnut, is of im- 

 mense size and longevity, trees being 

 known which have a girth of sixty feet. 

 The wood, except in very old trees is ad- 

 mirable, being more durable than oak in 

 moist situations. The bark is also used 

 for tanning. It prefers a dry, silieious 

 soil, abounding in silieious matters and 

 potash. The European variety is easily 

 raised from the seed, grows rapidly and 

 bears in seven years. The fruit is five 

 times larger than ours and commands a 

 good price in the market. Chestnuts are 

 used boiled, roasted and raw. In South- 

 ern France, Italy, etc., they constitute 

 he bread of a large population." From 

 other sources we learn more of its tises 

 and value as a means of subsistence, 

 than is furnished in this meagre account. 

 During the protracted wars which were 

 formerly waged between the mountiiin 

 tribes and the cities on the plains, the 

 chestnut formed almost the only article 

 of food which the former could com- 

 mand, and without it they would 

 have been starved into submission in a 

 tenth part of the time required to sub- 

 due them by force of arms. Indeed, the 

 chestnut enabled the people in the up- 

 lands to maintain long periods of quasi 

 independence, and to dictate their own 

 terms when yielding. Not only is this 

 nut eaten boiled and roasted, but it is 

 pulverized and mixed with flour for bread, 

 and may be employed- in soups, pud- 

 dings, etc. The nut is exceedingly nu- 

 tritious and wholesome, and at the pres- 

 ent day forms as essential an article for 

 tconsumption, to very extensive popula- 

 tions, as it ever did in early times, when 

 the means of living were comprised with- 

 in a smaller compass. Barry thus 

 speaks of the Spanish chestnut, or Mar- 

 ron: " This is "the large, sweet nut, as 

 large as a horseehestuut, imported from 

 abroad. There are many varieties culti- 

 vated in France and England, but that 

 cultivated by the French as Marron de 

 Lyon is the best. It is propagated by 

 grafting on the common sorts. It is not 

 reproduced truly from seed, but its seed- 

 lings produce large and fine fruits. It 

 bears the second year from the graft and 

 the fourth from the seed" 



How TO Geow Orange Trees From 

 Seed. — Save the seeds of a half-dozen 

 nice oranges and plant at once five inches 

 apart, in shallow boxes with perforated 

 bottoms. Let the soil be light and rich. 

 In a year the seedlings should grow from 

 eight to twelve inches. Make them of 

 symmetrical shape now. Scr<'en from 

 frost and heat with light muslin cloth. 

 Sprinkle every night. In the Spring of 

 the second year transplant to separate 

 boxes, and graft them if you hear of 

 any fine variety to do it with. In the 

 third year transplant to the open ground, 

 twelve or fifteen feet apart. Tlie trees 

 can be easily transferred, and either kept 

 in the house or moved about at pleasure 

 to beautify dift'erent parts of the garden. 

 Young trees can be moved at any time, 

 because the roots, extending in every di- 

 rection, hold a fine ball of earth around 

 them.^Kr. 



Christian Fieldstead, who lives in the 

 foot-hills four miles cast of San Jose, 

 has ordered 500 coftee trees two years 

 old, which he intends to test thoroughly. 



V 



