8C 



California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



Thej' remember their masters with good 

 or ill feelings as the case may be. Having 

 been trained to work, they remember how- 

 to do it, and do not need the same train- 

 incf every day. They sometimes have a 

 grudge against a person, and manifest it 

 on various occasions. 

 The mind remembers, wills and reasons. 

 It determines to do a thing for a reason. 

 Do brute animals will to do or not to do 

 anything? I have seen a balky horse that 

 evidently willed not to draw an empty 

 wagon, and a few mornings ago I saw 

 the siiich of a saddle tightly drawn on a 

 mustan" when I was satisfied, from bis 

 uneasy appearance, that he was meditat- 

 ing something, so I stopped to witness a 

 scene. The man who was about to ride, 

 or thought he was, led him around and 

 finally leaped into the saddle. That which 

 the horse had evidently meditated before 

 he soon put into execution, and began to 

 take positions and to change them so rap- 

 idly that the rider was compelled to take 

 one in a ditch. 



I once saw a cow, which had been loft 

 in the coral by the others, go out, walk 

 down to the main road, go up in one di- 

 rection a little way, stop and stand still a 

 few moments, as if deliberating, then turn 

 and go in the opposite direction. The 

 acts had all the appearance of willing and 

 reasoning. We cannot certainly say that 

 dumb animals do or do not reason, but 

 it is admitted by all that the workings of 

 instinct resemble reason, and many who 

 examine this matter cautiously ask, Do 

 not the brutes give evidence of something 

 more than reason? 



I had a shepherd dog that, when I 

 would say to him " The cattle are 

 arormd," would immediately look in all 

 directions for them. I sent him one day 

 to drive the cattle up the hill-side. He 

 did it well, then stopped and looked at 

 me for further orders. He was too far 

 off to speak to, so I motioned him fur- 

 ther on. He instantly obeyed, drove them 

 further, then looked to me, as much 

 as to say "Will that do?" I 

 beckoned him to me, when he came at 

 his utmost speed, and on reaching me 

 seemed much delighted that he had been 

 able to serve me. A child could not have 

 done better. 



Many things that that dog did savored 

 of reason. I never allowed him to go 

 away from home with me, though he ac- 

 companied me as much as he pleased 

 about the farm. I used to go about the 

 place very much in hot weather without 

 a coat, but always put it on when going 

 to a neighbor's, or any distance. I finally 

 noticed that my dog never presumed to 

 follow me toward the road when I had 

 my coat on, though he would look very 

 wistfully. Must we set all this down to 

 instinct, and say that there was no rea- 

 soning abt)ut it? 



I had a horse that used to untie his 

 halter when he pleased. I have tied 

 three nots, sat down at his side, and seen 

 him go right to work and untie it in as 

 many minutes. It was only by taking a 

 deal of pains every time I tied, that he 

 seemingly conr/wdet/ to give up the trial. 

 Very many facts may be given concern- 

 ing animals that indicate thinking and 

 reasoning. 



It is urged as another dill'crence bet- 

 ween animals and men that animals make 

 no improvement; that birds, for instance, 

 build no better nests now than when they 

 begun to build them. To this it may bo 

 replied that eaeli kind of bird knew how 

 to make a tirst-class nest at thebegiuniug. 

 To d<^iiy this is an imputation against its 

 Creator who taught them. If the nest 

 was just the thing at first, then there 

 was no need of improvement, and so of 

 either animals. K the ostrich could 

 cover up its eggs in the sand and have 



them hatched, there has been no need of 

 its inventing an elaborate nest and then 

 sitting upon them like a hen. 



The animals resort to many contriv- 

 ances to obtain food when they must. 

 Hogs that once learned that a neighbor 

 had a delectable field, used all sorts of 

 strategy to get iuto it. 



One reason given for the supposition 

 that animals live again is, that they ap- 

 pear to have spirits, and that it seems 

 reasonable that they should be immortal. 

 Another reason given why animals 

 should be immortal, .and particularly the 

 domestic animals, is on the score of com- 

 pensation. It is thought that those an- 

 imals that are over-worked, ill-fed, or 

 abused in any way during their short 

 lives, should have another life which 

 might be a happy one. They suppose 

 that a benevolent Creator would give the 

 abused animal an opportunity for a better 

 Ufe. 



Finally, it would seem that no valid 

 reason can be given why they should not 

 live again. 



If they are to live again, would not 

 many men dread to meet the animals 

 they have over-worked or abused in any 

 way, when each may be supposed to re- 

 member all these things? I think that 

 very many might wish that animals were 

 not immortal, but there is doubtless a 

 far greater number who would like to be- 

 lieve that the faithful animal that has 

 served them might be happy in another 

 life. One thing is certain, animals know 

 the difference between kindness and 

 cruelty, and, should they exist hereafter, 

 will our memory and theirs reproach or 

 applaud us? 



The use of sulphur is believed to be 

 injurious to grape vines. Itissaid to be 

 sure death to gooseberries, and the in- 

 ference is natural that it may bo bad for 

 grapevines. It is put upon the vines 

 once or twice a year to prevent mildew, 

 and falling upon the groixnd year after 

 a large quantity of sulphur becomes in- 

 corporated with the soil and has a 

 blighting influence upon the vine. Some 

 other means of destroying the mildew is 

 believed to be necessary, in order to save 

 the vines. These suggestions come from 

 a man of considerable experience in the 

 grape business, and are worthy of the 

 investigation of others who have vine- 

 yards. 



ihc ^Hucnavd. 



Theory of Causes of Death of 

 Crape Vines. 



f«#HE Napa Register offers the follow- 



\r! A grape-grower with whom we 

 ^i conversed the other day advanced a 

 j^ry theory and made some suggestions 

 in regard to the decay and death of vine- 

 yards which are worthy of notice, and 

 which may be of value to those interested 

 in grape-growing. It is his belief that 

 the damage done to vines by the phyl- 

 loxera is not so great as is generally sup- 

 posed, and that the chief cause of the 

 death of gi'ape vines is the severe prun- 

 ing to which they are subjected annually, 

 and to the profuse use of sulphur, which 

 is used to destroy the mildew. As re- 

 gards the pruning, he thinks that instead 

 of setting the vines only eight feet apart 

 and keeping them pruned down almost 

 to a mere stump, it would be better to 

 set them sixteen feet apart and let them 

 run up to a hight of several feet (so high 

 in fact that a man or a horse might walk 

 under the branches), and to make the 

 "head" of the vine at this hight, the 

 same as it is now made near the ground. 

 Cutting off' the large branches and keep- 

 ing the main vine stunted, makes it less 

 healthy and vigorous and more liable to 

 fall a prey to insects and decay. This 

 theory is plausible and seems to be 

 founded in reason. If the vines were 

 allowed to grow larger, they would natu- 

 rally be healthier, more productive, and 

 longer-lived than at present. If only 

 hall as many vines were planted to the 

 acre, it would be easier to care for them 

 and to gather the fruit. If t)ie vines 

 were set out and pruned according to this 

 plan, the gentlemaii who makes the sug- 

 gestion thinks that wo might as well 

 have mamnuith vineyards as an occa- 

 sional mammoth vine. 



The New Phylloxeka Remedy.— ia 

 Kature. in a late review of the researches 

 of M. Dumas relative to the practical ef- 

 ficiency of the alkaline sulpho-earbonates 

 as destroyers of the phylloxera, affords 

 us the following information upon the 

 philosophy of the operation of 

 this class of salts: The sulpho-ear- 

 bonates of the alkalies are produced by 

 calcining their respective sulphates with 

 caabon, by which the mono-sulphide is 

 produced, and agitating a concentrated 

 aqueous solution of this carbon di-sul- 

 phide. The sulpho-earbonates obtained 

 as here described, are free from disagi-ee- 

 able odor, are not dangerous to handle, 

 are non-inflammable and comparatively 

 stable. In the presence of acids, how- 

 ever, even of the weakest, and notably 

 when acted upon by the carbonic acid, of 

 which a moist, arable soil invariable con- 

 tains a certain quantity, the sulpho-car- 

 bonate are decomposed into carbonates, 

 with the liberation of carbon di-sulphide 

 and sulphuretted hydrogen, both of 

 which, and especially the first, are known 

 to be highly efficient insecticides. It has 

 been found" that it is not only necessary 

 to destroy the insects upon the vines and 

 roots, but likewise to poison the earth in 

 the vicinity of the same, and render it 

 uninhabitable by them. For this pur- 

 pose the sulpho-carbonate seem to be ad- 

 mirably adapted, inasmuch as, by their 

 tardy decomposition, they furnish a slow 

 but constant supply of the poisonous 

 gasses for some days. Experiments 

 have shown that 1,-142 grains of the sul- 

 pho-carbonate of potassa will extermiate 

 the insects from l'J8 to 284 cubic feet of 

 earth, killing not only the phylloxera, 

 but, likewise, the larva; of larger insects. 

 To apply the remedy, it is recommended 

 to remove the earth from the foot of the 

 vine about a foot deep and sixteen inches 

 broad, into which is to be poured five or 

 six quarts of water mixed with six or 

 eight quarts of the sulpho-carbonate so- 

 lution at 40" B. When the liquid is well 

 absorbed the hole is closed, and the same 

 process gone through on another vine. 

 By following this method the penetration 

 of the solution to the deepest roots is in- 

 sured. Another method of application 

 proposed by M. Dumas is to mix the 

 sulpho-carbonate with twice its weight of 

 slacked lime, and to strew the powder 

 thus obtained upon the soil wherever re- 

 quired. 



Phylloxera.— August Mann, an ex- 

 perienced viniculturist at Big Oak Flat, 

 Tuolumne county, sends to the Vhronicle 

 the foUowina remedy for vines affected 

 by the phylloxera, we give it for what it 

 is" worth: The phylloxera di'posits its 

 eggs on the bark next to the trunk of the 

 \^ne. Hub off all the loose outside bark, 

 gather and burn it, then take hard wood 

 ashes, 20 pounds; strong salt, 1 pound; 

 common soap dissolved in water, 1 

 pound. Put all in a boiler, and five gal- 

 lons of water, and boil ten minutes; stir 

 in the meantime; when cold apply it with 

 a brush all over the vines, eueept on tho 



wood of last year's growth, in the same 

 manner as trees are whitewashed. This 

 must be done before the buds open, so as 

 to destroy the eggs before they hatch. 

 My vines have been affected for years by 

 the phylloxera, particularly the foreign 

 vines. I have tried many different 

 things to destroy them without success. 

 In the Spring" of 1873 my vines showed 

 all the signs of dying out. The grapes, 

 immediately after the blossom, dried up, 

 and the leal had a lifeless appearance. I 

 then tried my remedy on a patch of ^.J- 

 fenthaler vines which were the most af- 

 fected, and to my gieat joy little leav-es 

 came out again. Satisfied then that 1 

 had discovered the right cure, I next 

 spring applied it on all my vines before 

 the buds opened, and as I expected the 

 vines came out full of life and vigor, with 

 large dark green leaves. I succeeded m 

 destroying the leaf louse, and conse- 

 quently the root louse, too, as the former 

 is the producer of the latter. Those who 

 try my remedy will in a short time from 

 now, fiud out the truth of this statement. 



Stated Displays at the Interna- 

 tional Exhibition. 



The following stated displays, under 

 their respective dates, will be held dur- 

 ing the International Exhibition. Ap- 

 plications for entry may be now made, 

 on forms which will be supplied by the 

 Chief of Bureau; 



AGEICDXTUEAL PRODUCTS. 



Pomological products and vegetables, 

 May ICth to 24th. 



Strawberries, June 7th to 15th. 

 Early grass butter and cheese, June 13th 

 to 17th. 



Early summer vegetables, June 20th 

 to 24th. 



Honey, June 20th to 24th. 



Kaspbtrries and blackberries, July 3d 

 to 8th. 



Southern pomological products, July 

 18th to 2-2d. 



Melons, August 22d to 2fith. 



Peaches, September 4th to !Hh. 



Northern pomological products, Sep- 

 tember nth to KHh. 



Autumn vegetables, September 19th to 

 23d. 



Cereals, September 25th to 30th. 



Potatoes and feeding roots, October 

 2d to 7th. 



Autumn butter and cheese, October 

 17th to 21st. 



Nuts, October 23d to November 1st. 



Autumn honey and wax, October 23d 

 to November 1st. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Jlowing machines, tedders, and hay 

 rakes, June 15th to 30th. 



Heaping machines, July 5th to 15th. 



LIVE STOCK. 



Horses. September 1st to 14th. 

 Dogs, September 1st to 8th. 

 Neat cattle, September 21st to October 

 4th. 



Sheep, October 10th to 18th. 

 Swine, October 10th to 18th. 

 Poultry, October 27th to November 

 Cth. 



Tho above dates may be favorable for 

 the assembling in Philadelphia of So- 

 cieties and associations interested in the 

 specialties above enumerated. 



The right to amend or annul this cir- 

 cular is reserved. 



A. T. GosiioKN, 

 Director-CTcneral . 

 Burnet Landreth, 

 Chief of Bureau of Agriculture. 

 Philadelphia, 187G. 



Read our statement of 

 page '85. 



