California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



the prairie. The summer of 1872 was hot 

 ami dry, but all the trees grew and did 

 finely. Next year I increased my plant- 

 ing, and thus far have three different 

 settings of trees. I find it as easily 

 transplanted as any tree I ever handled, 

 having never lost a tree. Of vigorous 

 growth, clean and healthy. 



By my advice several of my friends 

 have procured and planted this tree, and 

 I have five hundred more which I intend 

 to plant the coming spring. 



The pecan tree ordinarily commences 

 bearing at about eight years of age. It 

 bears one of our finest nuts, which sold 

 in the Cincinnati market, for the past 

 six years, at an , average price of five 

 dollars per bushel. 



A gentleman in the southern part of 

 this State, who has a pecan orchard, 

 partly natural, which he has increased 

 by further planting, says " it is of more 

 value to him yearly than his apple or- 

 ch.u'd." 



The pecan tree is grown readily from 

 the nut, if it is not allowed to become 

 dry before planting. But to those who 

 are so situated as to be able to procure 

 thrifty young trees, of one or two years' 

 growth, I would say get the trees. And 

 to the farmer who is contemplating 

 planting trees on the prairie for shade, 

 for timber, nuts or fuel, or for an inheri- 

 tance for his children, I would say plant 

 the pecan, and future generations shall 

 bless thee. L. Harrison. 



Peoria, 111. 



German Forestry. — The aim of scien- 

 tific forestry, in its present most ad- 

 vanced state, is to convert the regular 

 growth of a woodland district into what 

 is called a ijescfUossener Bestand, or com- 

 pact forest; divided into distinct blocks 

 of trees of equal age. The usual Umirieh, 

 or ortation, for beech, llochwalrl, or high 

 forest in Hanover, which may be taken 

 as the model state, is 120 years. The 

 forest is so divided that there shall be as 

 nearly as possible six equal areas, allotted 

 to as many periods of 20 years growth. 

 Thus one block will be full of trees, not 

 exceeding 20 years old; a second, trees 

 from 20 to 40 years old, and so ou. 

 When a block arrives at the last periods 

 felling commences by a Vorbereilung or 

 preliminary clearing, which is little more 

 than the ordinary thinning carried on 

 from time to time in former periods. 

 Ttie beech in these woods only ripens its 

 seed everj' third or fourth year. After 

 the first seed year in the final period, a 

 Lichtschlriij, or clearing for light, takes 

 place, in order to afford light for the 

 germination of young seedlings; the 

 finest trees being left standing. When 

 the ground is well covered with seedlings 

 the old trees are felled and carefully re- 

 moved, and the block recommences 

 growth. The tendency to a gradual re- 

 moval of the old trees appears to be ou 

 the increase, so as to make the culture 

 approach as nearly as possible to the 

 natural growth of a wild forest. — Edin- 



Walnut Ldmber. — Of all timber trees, 

 the black walnut is at the present time 

 believed to be most profitable. Prices 

 have been so tempting that in many lo- 

 calities no more of any consequence are 

 found. Ohio and Indiana have of late 

 years been the great sources of supply. 

 From these States large quantities have 

 been sent to the furniture factories East. 

 At the present time Kentucky is shipping 

 walnut timber largely. While, however, 

 , the older States are being depleted of 

 ) this vahiuble wood, the States that may 

 I bo called timber-planting ones are rapid- 

 » ly coming up with a supply. It is found 

 ( to grow with great rapidity in some of 



them, and especially in Nebraska. In 

 this State several acres set out within the 

 last ten years are already producing nuts 

 in abundance, and these, it is said, have 

 already paid the expense of planting and 

 care. Many people, in view of the grow- 

 ing scarcity of walnut, fear its disappear- 

 ance from market in a short time. It 

 would be no matter for alarm if the ex- 

 tensive Western plantations were known. 

 — Forney's Weekly Press. 



The Eucalyptus in Algeria. — After 

 successful plantings of this tree at Fou- 

 douk, Roniba, and Hussein-dey, in Al- 

 geria, its culture was commenced on a 

 large scarle in ISfiT. The first plantings 

 have already produced wood that can be 

 utilized in carpentry and wheel-wrighting. 

 Planks over 40 feet long have been cut, 

 showing that after eight years of growth 

 this tree will produce timber of great 

 value and utility. A proprietor, on his 

 own account and for other parties, has, 

 since 1867, planted about 200,000 trees 

 of this variety, and has already sold 50,- 

 000. The hygienic qualities of this tree, 

 claimed by writers in other countries, do 

 not appear to have been realized in Al- 

 geria. The plantations have had a re- 

 markably thrifty growth, yet no diminu- 

 tion in the cases of malarial fever are 

 noted. The wood is harder than that of 

 any other species growing in that region, 

 and its production promises great profit 

 to the growers, meeting, as it does, a 

 specific necessity of the people. — April 

 Report, Departmenl Agriculture. 



Ten millions of acres of wood lands 

 are said to be swept off every year by 

 our present population, and the destruc- 

 tion is constantly increasing. This must 

 eventually make some impression even 

 upon a continent. Alaska and St. Do- 

 mingo will not supply us with timber. 

 For the good of the whole country, for 

 its highest productiveness, we want at 

 least one-fifth of its whole surface cov- 

 ered with forest. A wise regard to his 

 own pecuniary interests should lead ev- 

 ery farmer to retain at least a fifth part 

 of his land in wood. Timber is con- 

 stantly appreciating in value. He can- 

 not better provide for his old age, or 

 leave a safer inheritance for his children. 



Cows.— There are $500,000,000 invest- 

 ed in cows in the United States. Unfor- 

 tunately, a great deal of this money is 

 not well used. It does not bring in the 

 yearly interest which it might and ought 

 to yield.- The average pirofit which the 

 ordinary farmer receives from his cows 

 is quite small. But they ought to pay 

 well. If they do not, it shows either a 

 lack of skill, or else of care and atten- 

 tion on the part of our owners. A great 

 perhaps the greatest, cause of loss is, 

 most farmers keep poor cows. A poor 

 cow hardly pays, while a good one pays 

 a handsome profit. It will cost but little 

 more to keep a good cow than a poor 

 one. The former will make from six to 

 eight pounds of butter per week for for- 

 ty-two weeks, worth say thirty-five cents 

 per pound, realizing an income of from 

 $88 to $117, while the latter, making 

 only three or four pounds a week for 

 forty-two weeks, will bring only from 

 $44 to $00 per year. Farmers and dairy- 

 men should study these facts carefully 

 when selecting their stock. — i,'x. 



The three year old almond trees at 

 Santa Barbara have this year borne about 

 3J^ pounds of almnnds, on the average, 

 while the two year olds yielded about a 

 quarter of a pound. The crop on Colonel 

 Hollister's place amounted to 17,000 

 pounds. 



FLAX FOR FIBRE. 



Our article in last month's issue, on 

 flax culture, has attracted the attention 

 of man}' farmers to the profits of raising 

 flax for seed. In that article we said 

 nothing about its value for fibre. As 

 good fibre can be produced on this coast 

 as anywhere in the world, and at as 

 little expense. What we have to contend 

 with in high-priced labor is more than 

 made up by easily tilled soil and supe- 

 rior working implements to cultivate it 

 and harvest the crop. We quote a few 

 facts from the New York Mercaniile 

 Journal of interest to our readers : 



"During twenty years ending 1874, 

 the exports of wheat from America to 

 England were more than doubled, rising 

 from 27 to 58 per cent of the whole re- 

 ceived in England, while the exports from 

 Russia decreased more than one-half, 

 fall from 23 to 11 per cent, of England's 

 receipts. In the same decade, America 

 received 7 per cent, more per bushel for 

 its wheat sent to England than Russia, 

 demonstrating the sujieriority of Amer- 

 ican over ■ Russian wheat. America 

 excels Russia in wheat; it could also 

 surpass Russia in flax. It could supply 

 the world with flax. During twenty vears 

 America imported 345,000,000 doilurs' 

 worth of flax and its manufacturers! 



" Russia's flax mills — situated in Po- 

 land — employ 300,000 hands, and pro- 

 duced in 1875 $120,000,000 worth, while 

 in 1870 America's production of flax 

 goods was under $3,000,000. Russia 

 ships American cotton, while America 

 spins Russian flax. There may be a 

 good reason for Russia's course in this 

 respect, there is none for America's. 



'■ The organization in Belfast of the 

 Flax Supply Association was instrmental 

 in the successful development of Irish 

 flax. Flax is in Ireland what it should 

 be in America, a principal means of pub- 

 lic and i^rivate prosperity. In America 

 there are thousands of Irish and Ger- 

 mans whose dormant skilled knowledge 

 of flax might be utilized through a simi- 

 lar society to that in Belfast. Why 

 should not one be organized in New 

 York? 



'•Political economists attribute En- 

 gland's greatness to its factories and 

 mines, and write of the brilliant pros- 

 pect before America when these give out, 

 indicating the time when the blasts of 

 Birmingham and Sheffield, and the mills 

 of Dundee and Lancashire, are trans- 

 ferred to the valley of the Mississippi, 

 as the period when we shall become the 

 merchants and manufacturers of the 

 world. There certainly is no need to 

 wait for England's dark hour; now is 

 the time for a new departure in the race 

 for pre-eminence." 



The Pacific coast is the place for es- 

 tablishing factories for working up the 

 fibre of flax, for here it can be produced 

 in great abundance, and cheaply pro- 

 duced, too. The following from the 

 Wilkmietlc Farmer, Oregon, shows what 

 has been done there, and what may be 

 done here as well. We hope it will set 

 our California wheat-growers to thinking 

 that there is possibly a better way than 

 growing nil wheat: 



"Messrs. Jesse Parrish and Charles 

 Miller, two well-to-do and energetic 

 farmers living near Jitt'ersou, have raised 

 two large crops of remarkable excellence, 

 which was established by the award of n 

 medal at the Centennial, to their pro- 

 duct. 



"We are glad to learn that they have 

 disposed of their lint — tor they have 

 manufactured it themselves — at a very 

 satisfactory price, $300 per ton, which is 

 15 cents per pound, to Mr. Crane, who 

 has located at - San Francisco, to engage 

 in the manufacture of twine, thread, etc. 

 They have to refuse an offer for 10 tons 

 to be shipped to Dundee, Scotland, for 

 the reason that their stock is all pre- 

 engaged. Their flax mill is now turning 

 out 300 pounds of liut every day, and 

 they feel every encouragement to con- 

 tinue the business on a large scale. Mr. 

 Crane, of San Francisco, pronounces 

 their lint a first rate article. 



"Fifty pounds of their flax was shipped 

 to Dundee, Scotland, through the agency 

 of Mr. William Reid, Portland, where it 

 was manufactured into linen and pro- 

 nounced by the manufacturers as good 

 as any in the world. The same company 

 that worked up this sample and made 

 this report, wrote to Mr. Reid that they 

 would send machinery here to manufac- 

 ture linen, provided they could be sup- 

 plied with sufficient lint to run the first 

 year. All these facts combine to show 

 that flax fibre can be made a leading in- 

 dustry in Oregon, and lead to the estab- 

 lishment of important manufacturing in- 

 terests in this State. 



"Mr. MiUer also informs us that a 

 company is organizing in New York 

 State for the purpose of sending an agent 

 to Oregon to secure the raising of flax 

 fibre to be sent back East and supply 

 factories there. Those who are engaged 

 in manufacturing flax there think there 

 is no such flax raised anywhere as they 

 have received from Oregon. We have 

 then what seems certain to prove a per- 

 manent paying product that our farmers 

 can depend upon for a change of crops, 

 and which can be manufactured into lint 

 here, and will eventually lead to the es- 

 tablishment of linen manufactories in 

 Oregon. The permanence of this pro- 

 duction and manufacture can be judged 

 from the history of flax culture and linen 

 manufacture for 100 years past in the 

 north of Ireland, where great cities and 

 immense manufactories have grown up, 

 permanently sustained by the successful 

 cultivation of flax in the surrounding 

 country, which cultivation and manu- 

 facture have been a source and means of 

 lasting wealth and prosperitj'. We pos- 

 sess at least equal facilities for growth 

 and manufacture and can therefor count 

 ou equally successful results." 



ExpEBiMENTS show that the amount of 

 meat obtained from the domestic animals 

 varies greatly, some yielding as much as 

 eighty per cent, while others give only 

 fifty per cent. The average is calculated 

 at fifty-eight per cent, of the live weight 

 of beef cattle. Sheep give forty to fifty 

 per cent. The different products of cat- 

 tle and of sheep are shown by the fol- 

 lowing; 



CATTLE. BHEEP. 



Meat 771 66 



Skin 120 7 



Greaes 87 6 



Blood 5.1 5 



Feet and Uoofs 2S 3 



Htud 11 4 



Tougue, liver, heart, spleen and 



lungs 43 4 



luteBtiues 67 6 



LoBfi and evaporation 166 20 



Total 1342 no 



While this estimate may not apply to 

 every case it gives the average result of 

 many experiments and may be relied 

 upon in most cases. 



It requires talent to so arrange the 

 work of the farm th.it every portion of it 

 shall be done at precisely the right time. 

 Work done out of season is almost al- 

 ways expensive. In the hurry to catch 

 up there is loss. 



