California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



MovticuHuvc, 



Cnitamcrlcrjjcal 



BEST FRUITS FOR AN ORCHARD. 



LIST of the best varieties of fruits 

 to cultivate in California for a 

 family orchard is something of 

 much value to every owner of a 

 home. The long experience of 

 many of our best orchardists, and the 

 many expensive changes they have been 

 obliged to make to get only the varieties 

 best adapted to our climate, have resulted 

 in much positive knowledge upon the 

 subject that, when properly reduced and 

 arranged, becomes invaluable informa- 

 tion to guide the inexperienced aud aid 

 each in making suitable selections of 

 fruits for his locality. For the past three 

 years we have given a list each season, 

 obtained by careful and direct inquiry 

 and investigation. Next month we shall 

 present a revised aud very complete list, 

 worth to any one who thinks of planting 

 trees for profit or for family use, much 

 more than the subscription price of the 

 Agricultprist. In the meantime such 

 persons as want information upon any 

 particular point upon the subject are in- 

 vited to send in questions that they may 

 be seasonably answered. The Editor has 

 had much experience in orchard and 

 nursery culture, and feels a deep interest 

 in such mattei-s. The adrice we may 

 give will be founded in the experience of 

 several of our best orchardists, and we 

 shall aim to give only what may pass as 

 authority ujjon the subject. 



SENDrNG Pl.vnts BY Maii.. — Plants of 

 almost every kind may safely be sent by 

 mail if properly prepared and packed. 

 The cost of postage is one cent for each 

 ounce weight. An Eastern exchange 

 gives the following advice : 



If we were going to send a small pack- 

 age of trees or shrubs by mail, we should 

 first cut oil' every leaf about half an inch 

 from the bud, aud thus prevent all evap- 

 oration of the juices of the phiut through 

 the leaves. The neglect of this precau- 

 tion would alone be sufficient cause for 

 failure, as the leaves, if not also enclosed 

 in some kind of damp jiacking, would 

 soon dry out all the moisture in the 

 roots, tops, and packing material. After 

 removing the leaves, we would next cut 

 off all surplus wood. If the plants were 

 blackberries or raspberries of the present 

 year's growth, they would be worth more 

 with the tops almost wholly removed, 

 than if left on. Then trim off all long, 

 straggling and broken or brviised roots. 

 Next dip the whole plant in a paste made 

 of clay mxid just adhesive enough to 

 form a thin coating for the roots, then 

 roll the package of plants well tied to- 

 gether, in a thin covering of damp, not 

 wet, moss from a wet meadow; then roll 

 all in a piece of strong, brown paper pre- 

 viously coated with linseed oil, which 

 would protect the plants from drying out 

 or wetting other matter in contact. Then 

 enclose the whole in a thin piece of 

 stout cotton cloth, which would prevent 

 the paper from tearing. In this way, we 

 should expect hardy plants like rasp- 

 berries, currants, or little elms, to go 

 safely across the continent. 



The Semi-Teopical Fruits that are 

 now being cultivated in C'ldif ornia are all 

 proving a success. English walnuts, 

 almonds, olives, oranges, lemons, etc., 

 are growing well in all portions of the 

 State below the snow-belt. There are no 

 fruits that are in better demand or that 

 promise better returns. Every farmer 

 should make up his mind to plant a 

 variety of semi-tropical fruits for home 

 use, if not for profit, this very season. 



THE WOOLY APHIS. 



(Ssf T IS becoming quite too common on 

 m the apple trees of this State, aud or- 

 jlt chardists should be seeking and ap- 

 'S\ plying a remedy before it is too late, 

 i^ For the boneiit of those who mav not 

 have noticed this insect on their trees 

 we will describe its appearance and state 

 in what manner it accompiishes its rav- 

 ages. The tree efl'ected with the aphis 

 will have on the body and lower limbs, 

 near the main stem, little branches of 

 white, downy-ajjpearing wool or fuz. 

 At a distance these white spots look like 

 bits of eider down stuck about promiscu- 

 ous on the bark of the tree, ("pon clo- 

 ser observation it will be noticed that 

 these bunches of down are mostly to be 

 found covering little warts or knots on 

 the bark. If the tree is badly effected 

 these bunches of d >wn may be seen to 

 the extremes of the limbs, but always on 

 rough places or blotches on the bark 

 aud at the points where the new growth 

 joins the growth of the past season. 

 To find the insect, take a little stick and 

 carefully push away the outside dow'n 

 and beneath it you will see a bunch of 

 redish-brown insects of all sizes from 

 that of the point of a pin to a full grown 

 flea — all apparently struggling to get a 

 foothold on or a bite at the bark of the 

 twig or tree. Press the stick upon the 

 bunch and what was before a living 

 mass of insects becomes a putrid mass 

 of redish-brown matter. Brush the 

 bunch away with a feather and a raw 

 sore or wound on the bark will be seen 

 where the downy or wooly bunch had 

 been. Follow the body of the tree 

 down to the ground, and even beneath 

 the surface, and bunches of these insects 

 will be found sucking the sap, or life 

 blood, of the tree at every point. 



We have seen strong and vigorous 

 growing apple trees so completely cov- 

 ered with these insects as scarcely to 

 have a spot of natural bark upon them, 

 all being a mass of blotches or warts 

 covered with white down or wool; and 

 we have seen such trees just naturally 

 die from want of blood, or sap, to keep 

 up life and circulation. This 

 insect is to the apple tree what the scale 

 bug is to the orange tree. The only 

 natural enemy to this insect that we 

 have noticed is the common ant; and 

 the wool or down with which it is cov- 

 ered seems to be the only means of pro- 

 tection agains the ant's attacks. The 

 wily ant seems loth to attempt an attack 

 through the wooly covering, but cau- 

 tiously seeks an opening or exposed 

 point, and seizes the aphis in the rear 

 and quickly dispatches him. 



THE REMEDY. 



These insects may be killed in vast 

 numbers by sweeping the body and limbs 

 of the tree effected with a common 

 broom or cloth swab or mop. But per- 

 haps an easier and better exterminator 

 is to dip the swab into a strong soap 

 suds made of whale oil soap. This is 

 said to kill them while it encourages the 

 healing of the wound they inflict on the 

 tree. 



The above, from the lieowd-Unwn, is 

 good as far as it goes. The wooly aphis 

 is quite as bad \ipon the roots as upon 

 the upper branches. They like a fine, 

 dry, loamy soil, aud apple trees growing 

 in such soil are generally the worst 

 affected. When once this insect gets 

 upon the roots it is almost impossible to 

 get rid of it. The roots get covered with 

 excrescent growth, warty and deformed, 

 from the effects of this sap-sucking 



insect. Various means have been tried 

 to destroy this pest tinder ground, but 

 so far as we can learn, with but poor 

 success. Persons buying nursery trees 

 to plant in orchards should be sure that 

 none of the wooly aphis are upon the 

 roots. Several complaints have been 

 made to us by parties who have bought 

 trees afTected by this destructive insect. 



The Scale Insect. — Within a few 

 years the orchards in many portions of 

 our State have been badly infested by 

 the various scale insects. Every one of 

 our readers who owns fruit trees is in- 

 terested to learn how to get rid of the 

 pests. They are especially severe upon 

 orange trees. We quote from a letter in 

 the New Orleans Oar Homejournal: 



" There are several varieties of insects 

 that from some cause or other develop 

 on the bark, leaf and fruit of the orange 

 tree. Some of them are almost round, 

 having a scale covering, in 8ha])e like 

 that of the hack of a turtle, of a dark 

 browni color. Others are of a yellow 

 cast, aud shaped like a common wedge, 

 broad across the shoulder as compared 

 to their length, aud others still arc of a 

 steel gray color and slender in form. 

 This variety of insect is the most dan- 

 gerous because it is the most destructive 

 enemy the orange tree has. Many years 

 ago it spread all over Florida,doing much 

 damage; it is there yet to some extent. 

 About the breaking out of the war it 

 made its appearance in the groves on the 

 Mississijjpi river below New Orleans, 

 also in groves above the city, as well as 

 in the groves on the Upper Lafourche 

 and Terrebonne. On the coast below 

 the city the orchards were nearly ruined 

 by the scale insects, before anything 

 could be found to check their growth and 

 spread. 



Various remedies were used. The 

 most effective was tobacco juice, ob- 

 tained from soaking the stems in water, 

 aud applying it through small pumps to 

 the limbs of the trees. Most any alka- 

 line solutions applied as before stated 

 are good. A weak solution of soda, 

 potash or ammonia is good as a wash, 

 or a solution of carbolic soap, thrown 

 through a syringe among the branches 

 of the tree. One of the most simple and 

 the most effective remedies that I have 

 ever seen or known used, is the acids 

 formed by the explosion of gunpowder 

 caused to pass through the head of the 

 tree, either from the explosion of the 

 powder from the top of a board held in 

 the hand under the limbs affected by the 

 scale insect, or applied by a common 

 shotgun. The best time to make the 

 application is while the dew is on the 

 limbs aud leaves. Let the powder in 

 the gun be pressed by the ramrod, but 

 no wadding should be used. The party 

 with the gun should stand a few feet 

 from the tree. I tried this remedy on 

 several trees badly affected with the 

 scale insect and removed them all in a 

 few weeks, and the trees commenced a 

 new life aud recovered entirely. 



Ijet the powder be exploded among 

 the diseased branches — be sure to do it 

 while the dew is on the tree, or after a 

 rain. The water absorbs to a certain 

 extent the gases of the exploded powder 

 aud holds them in contact with the in- 

 sects: either one of the three principal 

 gases formed by the explosion of gun- 

 powder is destructive of animal life. Try 

 this remedy, we feel assured that it will 

 kill the insects on your trees — at the 

 same time give life and vigor to the 

 trees. 



unsuccessful. At a late meeting of the 

 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society it 

 was a "subject of consideration. T. M. 

 Harvoy said, however, that he had suc- 

 ceeded by placing pieces of whale-oil 

 soap in the tops of the trees, from which 

 the disolved matter ran over branches 

 and trunk. J. H. Bartram had cleaned 

 the trees bv washing with a strong potash 

 solution in winter. Mr. Sproul had put 

 his trees in fine order by placing a bag 

 of the following mixture in the forks of 

 the trees, namely ; two pounds copper- 

 as, half ponnd blue vitriol, fourth pound 

 salpetre, four pounds hard soap, four 

 pounds common salt. Others recom- 

 mended whitewashing, soap and sand 

 applied with a cloth, fish oil, i-c. 



financial (jjconomLn 



Baek Louse on Fruit Trees. — Most 

 of the experiments made for destroying 

 this insect appear to have been rather 



Zfot Oold, But BKen. 



DY RALPH WALDO EMEIMOK. 



What bnildB a Satlon'B pilUni high? 



And its foundation strong? 

 What makes it luiKlity to defy 



The toLB that round it throng? 



Not gold, but only Men can make 



A jjeople great and Ktroug ; 

 >Un who for Truth aud Huuor'B Bake 



Stand fast and suffer long. 



Brave men who work while others Bleep. 



Wlio dare while others fly: 

 Thcv build a Nations pillars deep. 



And lift them to the sky. 



PRINCIPLES OF A SOUND FINAN- 

 CIAL POLICY. 



Tlie Aiiieriean Syslelii. 



>J? 



(T^HE following extract from a lead- 

 J.K ing journal devoted to the people's 

 Tljy interests, we regard as sound and 

 ?r\ w'orthy of deep consideration: 

 J^ 1. We hold that it is mainly the 

 money laws of a country that determine 

 the relation of men in respect to prop- 

 erty. If the money laws are just, the 

 men who deserve the property will have it; 

 if unjust, the community by degrees be- 

 comes divided into lords and vassals. 



2. All paper money should be, equal- 

 ly with gold, a legal tender for all men 

 imd all purposes alike turoughout the 

 country, except where the laws under 

 which the present contract are made re- 

 quire metahc money to be paid. This 

 is to regulate the bascs of money. 



3. All money should be convertible 

 at the opinion of the holders, for gov- 

 ernment bonds bearing a rate of interest 

 not exceeding 3. Go per cent, per annum, 

 and the bonds in like manner to be con- 

 vertible into money at the opinion of 

 the holder. This is to regulate the 

 quantity of money, and the rate of in- 

 terest upon it and to prevent monopoly. 



i. The paiu-r money of this country 

 should be issued by the government and 

 not by corporations, and the manner of 

 issuing should be by the payment of 

 government expenses and obligations, 

 the same way that all greenback money 

 was issued, and not by short and sharp 

 bank loans, nor loans of any kind. 

 This is to dispense with the useless and 

 expensive agency of corporations in the 

 issuing of money, and to secure the 

 permanent use of the money as such 

 for circulation when its used. 



This is what we call the American 

 system of finance, because it will sup- 

 plement our American theory of equal 

 rights, instead of the ordinary European 

 theory of caste in society. It of course 

 meets the opposition of banks, because 

 it will take from them the privilege of 



