California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



tits of the stock raised from such a bull 

 with the certainty of a law of nature. 

 For the thoroughbred transmits truly his 

 1 characteristics, and the more nearly tho 

 I cattle ajjproach the type of the thorough- 

 bred the more nearly they approach his 

 qualities. Let the dairy farmer, there- 

 fore, meet the fall in the price of pro- 

 duet by an irnproTement of the milking 

 quality of his stock. Let him seek this 

 improvement by the use of the thorough- 

 bred. If he desires the Short-horn, let 

 him seek the animal which has departed 

 from the Short-horn type toward the 

 dairy type, and which comes of a milk- 

 ing line of ancestry. If he desires the 

 greatest certainty of improvement, let 

 him seek the Ayrshire bull of a milking 

 strain, for power and functions are al- 

 lied, and the Ayrshire is moulded, and 

 has been for generations moulded, on 

 the type which has been universally rec- 

 ognized as belonging to the larger milker. 

 The merchant recognizes the fact that 

 the manufacturer who manufactures 

 most cheaply can offer him the goods at 

 the least cost, and that those goods 

 which are bought at the least cost can 

 furnish the most profit in their line. Let 

 the farmer see the bearings of the same 

 fact, that the quart of milk which is fur- 

 nished him at the cheapest rate will pro- 

 duce for him the most profit, and the 

 farmer who gets more milk from his 

 food than any of his contemporaries can- 

 not fail to be successful. I will close by 

 asking the question: "Is there any 

 other way of increasing the productive- 

 ness or the profitableness of your herds 

 than by changing them into thorough- 

 breds of the proper character as rapidly 

 as may be, by either the purchase of 

 thoroughbreds, or perhaps what is to be 

 preferred on a large scale, the introduc- 

 tion of thoroughbred bulls." 



Kindness to F.\km Anim-ixs. — Kind- 

 ness to animals in every respect is as 

 highly appreciated, apparently, as among 

 the human family; therefore keep the 

 animals in good humor by ke?piug in 

 good humor yourself. The man who 

 makes a practice of judiciously fondling 

 his stock, in the yard and stable, has a 

 more orderly, good uatured stock than 

 he who cannot pass them without vent- 

 ing his spleen by a kick or curse upon 

 some poor, unoffending brute. In the 

 one case the animals are all rejoiced to 

 see him, and are quiet among themselves, 

 seldom crowding each other, except as to 

 show their appreciation for their master 

 and keeper; in the other case they par- 

 take of the disposition of the master, are 

 cross, hook and kick each other; and, 

 instead of expressing pleasure at the ap- 

 pearance of the owner, are apt to par- 

 take of his disposition, returning his 

 gi-eeting in kind. We wei-e forcibly im- 

 pressed by this a few days ago when vis- 

 itiug the farm of one of the most promi- 

 nent and successful breeders of fine stock 

 in our State. We noticed whenever he 

 approached, the animal recognized him 

 with a low whinney of delight, or a kind 

 look, which the master was sure to re- 

 turn by a caress of the hand, or a gentle 

 word. AVe did not see a single animal 

 while there that would not permit yon to 

 come up to it in the open field, neither 

 did we see one jioor in flesh. And here 

 we will state, for the benefit of those who 

 treat their stock harshly, that kindness 

 goes far towards making the provender 

 last. — liural Sun. 



Oil Cake fok Feed. — An English 

 writer to the MUlwrUjht asks: Why is it 

 that so much of the linseed oil-cake pro- 

 \ diiced in your country, especially in the 

 i West and North, is exported to England? 

 I It must be that its value as food for cat- 

 tle and stock of all kinds is not known 



or is not appreciated by stock feeders of 

 your country. American oil-cake com- 

 mands 55U to iJfiO per ton in England, 

 and as the English are the best econo- 

 mists in the world they would not pay 

 more for oil-cake than they would for 

 anything else if it were not the most 

 valuable for feeding purposes, particular- 

 ly when we consider the extent to which 

 they feed for fattening. Experienced 

 English feeders all saj' that there best 

 beef is that from cattle fed on oil-cake 

 meal, and it is universally known that 

 the English know how to make and ap- 

 Treciate good beef. Oil-cake meal is 

 equally valuable as food for horses, cows, 

 sheep and hogs. It is the richest food 

 known; it gives a healthy tone to the 

 animal, fattening the lean ones and 

 maintaining the health and vigor of the 

 strong. The great value of oil-cake for 

 cattle food has long been known, yet it is 

 by no means sufficiently appreciated in 

 your country, nor upon the part of very 

 many jjersons who own or feed stock is 

 it clearly or fully understood. 



Care of Young Stock. — Some farmers 

 have advanced the opinion, and even 

 practiced upon it, that to have hardy 

 stock they must be exposed to the 

 weather and stinted in food while young ; 

 or, in other words, that a calf or a colt 

 well fed and cared for will be naturally 

 tender, and must be so fed through life 

 to be kept in good condition. This is 

 not so, in the first instance, for stock 

 half kept while young can never recover 

 from iujurj' thus received, and no after 

 care in feeding can make as good an ani- 

 mal as would have been produced by 

 proper treatment in early life. To keep 

 stock profltably, thej' should always be 

 kept in thriving condition, receiving ex- 

 tra attention while young and growing, 

 especially during the AVinter and Spring. 

 Good shelter and plenty to eat and drink 

 are especially necessary at this season of 

 the year to make valuable horses and 

 cattle hereafter. — Wool (J-rower. 



The Destruction of Bison on the 

 Plains. — Where, j'ears ago the mammoth 

 herds of bison roamed the plains and 

 were hunted only by the Indian.s as ne- 

 cessity demanded, now lie the bleaching 

 bones of million of those noble animals 

 sacrificed simply for their hides. For 

 the past two years the work of destruc- 

 tion and annihilation has gone forward, 

 and to-day there is not enough buffaloes 

 to form what was at one time considered 

 a moderate sized herd. 



|lag, ^xm iJtc. 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS. 



Gl 



N unusual amount of moisture in 

 i^flX> the atmosphere and soil, with warm 

 '^f, weather, showers, etc., is likely to 

 make the growth of grain very ten- 

 cj" der, so that it will lodge before its 

 time for ripening, and be predisposed to 

 attack by rust. JIany of our most ob- 

 serving and practical farmers find it 

 necessary to either pastm'e down their 

 grain fields with sheep or cattle, or else 

 to run a mower through them to cut 

 back and check the soft growth. A good, 

 early stock of roots is well enough, and 

 is even an advantage to gi'ain, no 

 matter how good the season rnay be, but 

 it will not do to allow a tender growth 

 of stalks prematurely. If pastured or 

 mowed to the ground, the fields of grain 

 will start up again in dryer and sunnier 

 weather, with healthy, strong stalks, ca- 

 pable of standing alone and healthy 

 enough to resist the attacks of fuiuji, so 

 destructive and to be dreaded. Of course, 



we can give uo instruction in this mat- 

 ter to experienced farmers in this coun- 

 try, but call attention to it for tho bene- 

 fit of such as may be inexperienced. 



Where a field of early sown or volun- 

 teer grain shows that it is likely to be 

 choked with weeds and foul stuff', it is 

 bettet to cut it for hay and to pasture it, 

 than to allow tlie weeds to rule and ruin. 

 We have known cases where it paid to 

 resow the fields with seed after the grain 

 was several inches high, and cultivate 

 the seed in and tho green stuff out by 

 thoroughly working the surface with plow- 

 tooth cultivators and harrowing finely. 

 The crop of grain from the last sowing 

 would be clean and as fine as possible. 

 Where one has a use for ha}', as every 

 farmer should have, with good stock to 

 eat it, or where the market for hay is 

 within easy reach by team or railroad, a 

 crop of hay often proves more remunera- 

 tive than one of grain. We think it ad- 

 visable to make hay of such portions of 

 grain fields as are likely to lodge badly, 

 or that are foul, at any rate. In the vi- 

 cinity of San Jose, many fields are sown 

 with wheat yearly for hay. Many far- 

 mers when they sow their seed, do not 

 know whether they will make hay or 

 grain, but calculate on being governed 

 by circumstances over which they have 

 no control. If the growth is more fa- 

 vorable for grain, then let it stand; but 

 if it shows too rank a growth for grain, 

 aud promises better returns as hay, or if 

 it commences to rust, it is made at once 

 into hay. There are chances to be taken 

 in farming in California, but the wise 

 farmer will take advantage, even of 

 chances. 



Now is a good time to poison squirrels. 

 Use plenty of strychnine aud phospho- 

 rus. Probably phosphorus is the best 

 dead-shot, when well prepared, of any 

 poison known, patent poisons not ex- 

 cepted. In boiling water phosphorus 

 will easily dissolve. To six lbs. of brown 

 sugar put two quarts of water, and bring 

 to a boil in an iron kettle; then take 

 from the stove into the open air out of 

 doors, add five sticks of phosphorus and 

 stir till dissolved. Put this into a peck 

 of w'heat aud stir, mixing flour till it is 

 dry enough to handle conveniently. The 

 rodents will like this prepared wheat, 

 and it will surelj' kill every one that eats 

 a single kernel. It is not dangerous to 

 handle in this way, except with the bare 

 hands, which in no case should be done. 

 Ground squirrels aud unikground poli- 

 ticians cost the farmers too much to be 

 allowed their own way in this State much 

 longer. 



FLAX CULTURE. 



The Coast counties in this State find 

 the culture of flax profitable, simply for 

 the seed, which is contracted for by the 

 oil factory in Sau Francisco. In the hot 

 interior valleys but little flax is grown. 

 A temperature and degree of moisture 

 in the atmosphere favorable to the growth 

 of oats appears to be also best for flax. 

 We hope to see the time when tho fibre 

 will be utilized on this Coast, aud flax 

 culture become more general. Mr. Wil- 

 son Watson, in tho Iowa iSfoife Jiejjhler, 

 \irites the following facts which are inter- 

 esting: 



In 1873, throughout the world there 

 were over 3,000,01)0 acres in flax, Kussia 

 had 1,600,000 acres and the United States 

 61,20-1, or less than half of " Ould Ire- 

 laud," which had lii), 4:3-2 acres. Derry, 

 Down and Tjrone, in Ulster, Ireland, 

 had 4,0S0 more acres in flax than the en- 

 tire United States. Ireland has 21,000,- 

 000 acres of hind, while in 1S70 the 

 United States had 408,000,000, of which 



218,000,000 were unimproved. Flax cul- 

 ture should be in America what it is in 

 Russian and Ireland, an avenue of pri- 

 vate and public prosperity. 



In 1870 thirty-three states in the Union 

 raised over 27^000,000 pounds of flax, 

 the bulk of which was sacrificed by being 

 deviled into flax "moss," for upholster- 

 ers' use in place of hair. Instead of 

 this, had it been properly fixed for man- 

 ufacture, the United States annual ex- 

 penditure of §25,000,000 for flax aud its 

 manufacture might have been materially 

 reduced. Now this could be easily ac- 

 complished through the Flax-puller of 

 Tyler and Decorticator of Lefranc, the 

 newest and finest flax machines in the 

 world. 



During the past twenty years the 

 United States expended three hundred 

 and fifty-four million dollars on flax and 

 its manufactures, the bulk of which could 

 and should have been furnished by the 

 United St.ates. 



During the past twenty years America 

 more than doubled its wheat exportation 

 to England, while Russia decrea,sed more 

 than one-half. In 1874 (nine months) 

 America sent 58 per cent, of England's 

 entire wheat supplies, or nearly six 

 times more than Russia, which only sent 

 11 per cent. America also received 

 nearly 7 per cent, more for its wheat 

 than Kussia, amply demonstrating the 

 superiority of American over Russian 

 wheat. 



Wheat land is best for raising flax. 

 America makes no eflbrt to secure a slice 

 of England's flax and hemp trade, worth 

 nearly §100,000,000 jier annum, monop- 

 olized by Russia, but annually buys mil- 

 lions of dollars' worth of raw flax of 

 Russia and its manufacturers of Eng- 

 land. When will this suicid.al importa- 

 tion cease? America excels Russia in 

 wheat; it could also surpass Russia in 

 flax. 



Rice Culture in Louisiana. 



The following in regard to rice culture 

 we glean from southern exchanges, be- 

 lieving it will be interesting to many of 

 our readers. We expect the time to soon 

 arrive when the culture of rice will becoiLi 

 a profitable industry in California upon 

 reclaimed marsh and tide lands: 



Before the war almost all tho rice 

 grown in the United States was raised 

 on the immense plautatiohs in South 

 Carolina. Special attention being given 

 by the planters in that State to the selec- 

 tion of good seed, aud the thorough irri- 

 gation and culture of the fields, a supe- 

 rior quality has been produced which 

 brings in the New York market a cent a 

 pound more than the imported Rangoon 

 or I'atua. Immense injury was done to 

 these low lands by the neglect conse- 

 quent on the war, the dykes being bro- 

 ken down, the system of drainage de- 

 stroyed and everything allowed to go to 

 ruin. So widespread was the destruc- 

 tion that the crop is now not equal to 

 one-fourth of w hat it was in 1860. It is 

 estimated that the jjroductiou was about 

 half a million barrels of rice. 



Louisiana has entered as a competitor 

 for this trade, with prosiJects of great 

 success on account of her suitable soil 

 and climate. In the old days of slavery 

 only a small quantity had been raised in 

 the State, amounting to about seven 

 thousand barrels in 1800. Instead of 

 decreasing, like the cr(.p in South Caro- 

 lina, the production increased during the 

 w.<ir, aud in 1SG4 it was nearly ten thou- 

 sand barrels. Then a great impetus was 

 given to the business, many of the plant- 

 ers turning partiidly from cotton and 

 sugar to rice planting, aud year by year 

 a larger area of land has been given to 



