California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



and in many cases from chance lots of 

 ill-bred, ill-assorted stock. Few have 

 been imported direct from their native 

 mountain country; the greater portion 

 having been purchased near the coast by 

 persons unacquainted with the business, 

 and more interested in speculation, than 

 regard for, or a desire to improve the 

 stock. Mr. John M. Harris, of California, 

 is an exception, he having, last year, 

 visited both Casemere and Angora, and 

 after observation and inquiry, decided in 

 favor of the last named as the best adapt- 

 ed to this country. He purchased and 

 imported two bucks and ten ewes, (all 

 yearlings, ) which, with their increase on 

 the way, cost him at the time of landing 

 over five hundred dollars each. 



To obtain the finest specimens of pure- 

 bred Angoras, I am clearly of opinion 

 that some experienced breeder should go 

 direct to the native home of the goat and 

 remain one or more years, select and 

 breed there, and thus by securing an im- 

 proved stock, obtain animals which 

 would be a decided improvement on 

 many of the previous importations, and 

 prove a really valuable addition to our 

 Angora stock. 



THE GOAT OF THIBET THE TRUE CASHMEHE. 



The came "Cashmere" is derived from 

 that of the city where the far-famed 

 Cashmere shawl is made, but the wool 

 entering into its manufacture is obtained 

 from the undercoat of the goat of Thibet 

 — the home of which goat is among and 

 between the principal and secondary 

 ranges of the Himalayas, near the re- 

 gions of perjjetual snow, from 10,000 to 

 22,000 feet above the ocean, distant 

 northwesterly about 1,.500 miles from 

 Calcutta, and 2,500 miles east of Angora. 



Dr. Davis brought with him from Asia, 

 in 184y, besides the Angoras, a pair of 

 Thibet goats. The male died soon after 

 his arrival in this country. The female 

 was smaller than Angoras, narrow in the 

 chest, with fox-ears, and rather short, 

 upright, spiral horns. She had an un- 

 dercoat of downy wool, and an overcoat 

 of white hair about four inches long. 

 This undercoat is combed out by the na- 

 tives as it starts to shed in the spring, 

 and is used by them in the manufacture 

 of the Cashmere shawls. 



In 18.59 I bought a male Thibet goat, 

 and three females having the apiJearance 

 of being half Thibet and half Angora. 

 The Thibet male bore a strong resem- 

 blance to the Thibet female imported by 

 Dr. Davis. I combed out his undercoat 

 of wool early in April, 18-'J9, but could 

 luake no practical use of it. 



In 1854, when about to invest in Thibet 

 and Angora goats, I was advised by Dr. 

 Bachman not to purchase the Thibet 

 goats, but to rely on the Angoras, as, in 

 his opinion, the Thibet goats, like the 

 Llamas of the Andes, could not be suc- 

 cessfully acclimated in a locality under 

 10,000 feet above the ocean. His opinion 

 proved to be correct in my case, as all 

 the Thibet goats in my iiock, pure and 

 graded, died in a few years after I pur- 

 chased them, from a disease of the lungs 

 combined with dysentery, and I have 

 heard of no one having been successful 

 in the United States east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, with the Thibets or Llamas. 

 I am inclined to believe, however, that 

 with care and attention, both can be 

 acclimated and profitably bred on the 

 elevated plateaus of California, Colorado, 

 and New Mexico, and perhaps other por- 

 tions of that highly favored jjortion of 

 the Union. 



i TuERE are six bearing orange trees in 

 I Marysvillo within a distance of two 

 ' blocks. They range from 50 to 100 to 

 the tree. 



^n^^i Ciiltuve, 



Fallen Zieaves. 



The wiutry breeze disrobefi the trees 

 And leaves them sad and cheerless, 

 Whose lean arms dread no alarms. 

 Like {i^iauts bold and fearless. 

 The withering blast comes rushinp past 

 And Rrasps tlie leaves in cold embrace, 

 Till on the ground the glow is found — 

 Their beauty perished in its place. 

 The summer flew aud autumn too, 

 Then chilly night and mciruiug. 

 Came down amain, with ice-cold rain, 

 And smote them without warning. 

 Tliey trembling pass across the grass. 

 Or on the path of gravel, — 

 Making a bed soft to the tread, 

 Where children like to revel. 

 The rustling noise delights the boyB, 

 Who are in but life's dawning; 

 While from the trees by slow degrees. 

 Come signs of death-like warning. 

 Like flocks of quail, away they sail, 

 A whirling, golden column, 

 Leaving all pale to meet the gale, 

 The maples bare and solenm. 

 They pile the ground in heaps around; 

 I hear in walking through them, 

 A wrestling voice, as'if they called 

 To one who loved and knew them. 



FORESTRY. 



AN, in an uncivilized and in a 

 half civilized condition, depends 

 upon the wild forests that nature 

 in some localities has bestowed 

 with a lavish hand, for all the 

 fuel and timber that he has found it ne- 

 cessary or convenient to use. As civil- 

 ization has. advanced and population in- 

 creased, the increased demand for timber 

 in many industrial directions have de- 

 nuded vast tracts of laud of timber trees, 

 and caused a scarcity while the demand 

 has proportionately increased. Other 

 vast tracts of land, rich in soil and pro- 

 ductive cajjacity, but naturally destitute 

 of timber or other trees, have become 

 settled uji and cultivated to food-produc- 

 ing plants, to stock raising, etc., still 

 further increasing the demand for tim- 

 ber. 



Forest culture has not kept pace with 

 this demand, nor has it met with the 

 encouragement nor been given the atten- 

 tion that it deserves. In this respect 

 our civilization seems not in a very ad- 

 vanced state to-day. To be sure iron, 

 and some other materials, have sup- 

 planted and taken the place of wood in 

 the manufacture of many implements, 

 and in uses where, were wood more 

 abundant and cheap, it would have re- 

 tained its supremacy'. But certain it is 

 that this branch of culture has not at- 

 tained to the importance in the general 

 estimate of farmers that it deserves. 

 There is great need of this subject beiug 

 often discussed, and constantly kept be- 

 fore the public, that the masses may be 

 educated, as it were, to a realization of 

 its importance in our domestic economy, 

 and of its sure return of jirofit to the 

 cultivator. Also our farmers, who are 

 generally ignorant upon the subject of 

 propagation and culture of the different 

 kinds of the valuable forest trees need 

 to be instructed therein, and many of 

 them really desire a complete knowledge 

 upon this subject, and would venture 

 upon the same as a diversion at least, 

 had they the requisite information and 

 data upon which to make a beginning. 



It is in the beginning that knowledge 

 and care of tree culture is especially re- 

 quired. Once started, and two or three 

 years grown, and but little knowledge 

 would be needed, and no more care than 

 any person of ordinary intelligence could 

 give. Our nurserymen would confer a 

 favor upon the public by giving, through 

 our columns, directions for planting 

 seeds and cuttings of forest trees, and 

 how to cultivate until the trees are estab- 



lished in the soil. They would also do 

 well to keep a stock of such material in 

 the way of seeds and cheap seedlings as 

 are best to plant for forests. Trees that 

 have been gi-own two or three years in 

 the nursery are generally held at too high 

 prices to plant for a forest and are not so 

 fit for the purpose as trees not over six 

 months or one year in the seed bed, 

 while some liinds are better planted at 

 once where they are to grow. The best 

 arrangement that the farmers of any sec- 

 tion could make would be to co-operate 

 together to start forests employing a suit- 

 able person to oversee the whole, to 

 start seedlings and cuttings by the whole- 

 sale, under favorable conditions, and ap- 

 portion them to planters. 



One man could start and care for the 

 stock of seedlings and young trees for 

 twenty or more farmers, and his wages 

 divided among so many would be but a 

 trifle to each. But as our farmers and 

 communities are generally as backward 

 iu co-operative movements as they are 

 in tree planting, we fear that this advice, 

 however rational it may be regarded, will 

 fall upon poor soil and be lost. A higher 

 civilization that will exclude some of the 

 selfishness and indifference that neigh- 

 bors usually hold towards each other 

 must first be cultivated before men will 

 associate together in many economical 

 ways to their individual and social ad- 

 vantages. 



Leading the question of "how to 

 grow a forest," is the all important one, 

 "is there money in it?" Statistics upon 

 this point are already abundant and con- 

 clusive. It will pay any farmer to culti- 

 vate a few acres of forest and in «nauy 

 localities the soil can be put to no more 

 remunerative use. 



The best sorts and varieties of trees to 

 cultivate for timber and fuel is another 

 important matter. Of course this will 

 largely depend upon the foil, climate, 

 and demand for special classes of timber. 

 The same judgment is required in this 

 regard as in any other branch of culture 

 upon the farm. There is always a best 

 kind of everything, best suited to locali- 

 ties and conditions, and it takes a good 

 farmer to always know what is best. 

 But it is safe to plant out a variety, and 

 as the trees grow, extend the culture of 

 such as prove the best adapted to j-our 

 locality. Almost any kind of a tree is 

 better than none, and will pay for cul- 

 ture. 



The conditions favorable to the gi-owth 

 of seeds and young trees are light soil — 

 either naturally light or made so by cul- 

 tivation — moisture, and a surface shelter 

 of mulching composed of leaves or 

 strawy manure. Forest tree seeds of all 

 kinds are best sprouted in beds before 

 planting, and some kinds should be al- 

 lowed to grow in beds a whole season 

 and then be transplanted. 



The seeds of nut bearing trees, such 

 as pecans, walnuts and acorns, should 

 be sprouted in compost beds of sand and 

 half decomposed leaves or rotted straw. 

 When the sprouts are an inch long the 

 nuts should each.be cai'ofully planted 

 where they are to grow, in a shovelfull 

 of the same compost. The sprouted 

 seeds must be carefully handled and 

 transplanted by hand, pressing the soft 

 soil firmly about it, and coveiing with 

 mulch or compost only. The ground 

 can be laid out with furrows the same 

 as for potatoes or corn, with crosss fur- 

 rows, planting the seeds where the fur- 

 rows cross, thus insuring straight lines 

 and cqu.al distances lor convenience iu 

 cultivating. The trees of this species 

 send down deep tap roots the first sea- 

 son, and will grow in quite dry soil, liut 

 better in moist. No weeds should bo 

 allowed to grow among them to absorb 



away the moisture, but the surface 

 should be kept light to retain it. Trees 

 of the maple family should be grown one 

 j'ear in seed beds, made of rich earth, 

 sand and decomposed vegetable matter, 

 thoroughly spaded together, and then 

 be transplanted where they are to grow. 

 The willow and Cottonwood family can 

 be grown fi-om cuttings as well as from 

 seeds. These may be planted at once 

 where thej' are to grow if the soil is irri- 

 gated or quite moist, or they may be 

 grown a year or two in nursery. 



Evergreens, such as pines, cypresses, 

 firs, spruces, etc., are best started from 

 seeds in seed beds, or boxes, and grown 

 a few months, or a whole year, before 

 they are planted out in forest. They 

 may be grown in nursery a year or two 

 and then be transplanted, but this would 

 require extra labor. The same may be 

 said of the eucalyptus and other ever- 

 greens. 



Where the soil can be irrigated vege- 

 tables may be grown on the same ground 

 a year or two, until the trees get large 

 enough to occupy the ground. 



A forest should be planted out a good 

 deal closer than the trees are expected 

 to stand. We would plant the trees not 

 over four feet apart. In a few years 

 when they get crowded and want more 

 room, remove every other one, and so 

 on, until the requisite size and distance 

 is attained. Several sorts of trees may 

 be planted together, for the purpose of 

 removing a portion of them at different 

 ages for fuel, fence poles, posts timber, 

 etc., leaving at last whatever trees were 

 preferred. ' 



Trees growing pretty closely together 

 make straighter trunks and are clearer 

 of large limbs, such as would injure for 

 timber. Trees growing in the wild for- 

 ests in our climate are so deeply rooted 

 that it almost impossible to remove them 

 with success for transplanting, and it 

 is better to depend ujjon growing them 

 from the seed or cuttings. In the East, 

 where the roots are kept near the sur- 

 face by a shallow soil and much mois- 

 ture, the case is somewhat different. 

 Our nurserymen in this State have to ir- 

 rigate to keep the root growth near 

 enough to the surface to make the re- 

 moval of the trees with good roots and 

 with ease possible. 



These few suggestions we offer as a 

 preliminary to much that we propose to 

 publish on this subject in future num- 

 bers of this journal. 



The Value of Forest Trees for a 

 Shelter. 



No farm can be considered complete 

 without at least a shelter of trees; enough 

 to break the winds and furnish fuel and 

 timber for home consumption. The West- 

 ern Adcerliscr says : 



"We have often urged the -nisdom of 

 having a grove at the rear of the farm- 

 house to shelter the back premises and 

 protect the outbuildings from storms. 

 The other day we saw our ideal in this 

 respect realized. A farmer in Nassage- 

 weya has had the good sense to reserve 

 about an acre of wood-laud, mostly 

 second growth, at the rear of his dwelling- 

 house. It consists partly of diciduous 

 and jiartly of evergreen trees, and even 

 at this season of the year has u cosy, 

 comfortable look. Here the chickens 

 wander about, and here the children 

 ])lay. A sonp-lea. h, oven, and various 

 domestic conveniences are partially hid- 

 den and sheltered. The best of all is 

 the complete protection afforded from 

 the cold northwestern winds. Both the 

 stock and the human beings on the place 

 will feel the gotd of this during the cold 

 seasou of the year." 



