California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



regards society than he is. For him 

 there is the trip to town once or twice a 

 week for groceries or to the post ofBce. 

 And then there is lodge-night, when he 

 is enjoying himself with his friends, she 

 is at home, it may be entirely alone. 

 Then there is such a difference between 

 their works. Every stroke the farmer 

 makes, counts one, in appearance as 

 well as det-d. Every day sees new fur- 

 rows turned, more grain sowed and 

 springing up to tell of work that he has 

 done. And so with everything that he 

 has to do. With the wife it is different. 

 Three times each day the dishes must be 

 taken from the cupboard, placed upon 

 the table, only to be gathered up, washed 

 and put away again. The same floors 

 to be swept, the beds to be made each 

 morning, the clothes to be washed and 

 ironed every week, and patched and 

 darned. It makes no show after it is all 

 done, and if the husband grows cureless 

 it is doubly hard; and it is not to be 

 wondered at that so many women seem 

 to have no thought for anything but 

 their housework. That "their lives are 

 harrassed by carping care and petty anx- 

 ieties," should not be; and it is in the 

 power of every one to remedy it. But 

 of this, I will, with the editor's consent, 

 speak in the future. 



ALMOND CULTURE. 



For a number of years, almond cul- 

 ture was regarded as a veutuie in the 

 whole northern portion of California, 

 owing to the prevalence of late frosts, 

 which it was thought must blight the 

 blossoms five years in six at least. The 

 Almond blooms in March or Aijril, and 

 the frosts at that season are frequently 

 quite heavy. But experience has proved 

 that it is the exception— not rule— when 

 the almond crop is seriously injured by 

 Spring frosts. 



Extensive orchards of almonds have 

 been planted in this valley within the 

 last five years, and the young trees are 

 bearing exceedingly well. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. E. L. 

 Bradley," of San Jose, wo took a ride 

 with him to his fine young almond or- 

 chard during the harvesting of his first 

 crop. This orchai'd consists of 2170 

 trees', covering 10% acres of gravelly 

 but ricn soil. It is situated near the 

 County Infirmary; was planted in Janu- 

 ary ISli. The trees were of two years 

 growth in nursery when planted, and 

 are consequently now five years old 

 from the ground. The trees are planted 

 pretty closely— li feet apart. They will 

 average three to four inches iu diameter, 

 and Ten to twelve feet in hight, with a 

 finely proportioned form of head. Some 

 of the trees produced three to five lbs. 

 of nuts each; but the average will be 

 about one pound of fine nuts to the 

 tree this vear. This is a really good 

 yield for the age of the trees. There is ( 

 not a finer almond orchard of its age in 

 this part of the State, and we doubt if 

 there is a finer one in the world than 

 this one of Mr. Bradley's. Mr. Brad- 

 ley's system of culture has been to keep 

 the surface soil clean and light by thor- 

 ough cultivatiou. He runs a pftw about 

 four inches deep among them; does not 

 irrigate at all, but preserves the moisture 

 that the rains supply for the use of the 

 trees The roots run deeply, and the 

 growth and healthfulness of the trees 

 show that they have not suffered for want 

 of moisture. Another idea: Ble has 

 never pruned his trees at all, but let 

 Nature do her own forming of hmbs and 

 ballauciug of forms. The results show 

 the wisdom of Mr. B., and of Dame 

 Nature, for the trees are superior to any 



that have been trained under the relent- 

 less knife. There are a few limbs that 

 may be removed with benefit to the tree, 

 but generally, only a slight shorteuing- 

 in of some leading limbs is now neces- 

 sary. 



We have advocated letting young trees, 

 and old ones, grow without much pru- 

 ning, and Mr. Bradley's success with 

 his almond orchard is a strong argument 

 in favor of m/-pruniiig. It is ci-rtaiu to 

 our under.stauduig that more tribes are 

 injured than benefitted by the modern 

 systems of pruning. Had we a youu;.; 

 orchard, our prayer would be, Spare it 

 from the professional pruner! 



The close planting, is to get a fair 

 sized, well balanced, rather than a very 

 large tree. The object is to get as full a 

 yield from the acre as possible, with the 

 least cost. Trees growing pretty closely 

 together in our windy chinate seem to 

 thrive best, as they are sheltered by each 

 other more than when planted at a great- 

 er distance. 



Next to the public road Mr. B. has 

 planted a row of almond trees only eight 

 feet apart to catch tlie dust and break 

 the wind from the orchard. This he has 

 also done around a young prune orchard 

 of 2,5.50 trees set last winter. 



In planting Mr. Bradley had holes dug 

 three feet across and as deep, and tilled 

 in with surface soil when the trees were 

 planted, scattering the earth taken from 

 the holes over the surface between the 

 rows. His almond trees cost him 30 cts. 

 each, setting out 10 cts. each. The land 

 upon which the trees set cost $120.00 an 

 acre, although it is worth more than that 

 now. 



Ten and one-half acres would be 



Foilan.l $1.260 00 



Trees ami planting . 868 OU 



$2,128.(10 

 . 60O 00 



These are set in the front of the hole, 

 covered with paper and earthed over 

 with grains of wheat scattered about. 

 Gophers he fights with traps. Ho re- 

 joices that there is a law compelling oth- 

 ers to kill their squirrels. 



Call tlie cost of cultHro $200 per year 

 T"tali'ost 



28 00 



$■ 



The nuts raised this year will pay 

 more than the cost of culture for a year. 

 The trees as they now stand will pay 

 as an investment $10 to the tree— that is, 

 they will pay for the next titty years the 

 iutt"rest on $20,000 and the priecipal be- 

 sides. This on less than $3,000 in- 

 vested. 



A KKTIEED MINER. 



Jlr. Bradley is not orcharding or farm- 

 ing for a living, but as a pastime. He 

 is one of the few "fortunate miners" 

 who accumulated a pile at the expense of 

 his physical health, by hard work and 

 exposure, and has fin.dly chosen this 

 garden spot of the world for a residence 

 and home. His magnificent mansion in 

 San Jose, erected under his own and 

 wife's direct supervision, shows a degree 

 of taste and good judgment in making a 

 home, as well as the liberal character of 

 the man. Happily, he is one of the few 

 not p\ift'ed up by riches, nor vanity but 

 sensible and every-day in thought, senti- 

 ment and manner. Would that there 

 were many more of the same sort. 



We noticed that his place was well 

 stocked with such animals as he needs, 

 fine Durham cattle, good horses, splen- 

 did mules, Berkshire pigs, etc., als,' the 

 best farming and other tools needed 

 about a farm. His barns are tilled with 

 hay, his straw is all stacked and shel- 

 tered, and economy worthy of being 

 copied is shown in every department of 

 his farming. 



SQUIRRELS. 



Mr. B. has had to contend with squir- 

 rels bred on his neighbors' lauds. They 

 have completely girdled and killed some 

 of his almond trees. He poisons with 

 strychnine in sweet apples. Also catches 

 with traps— the common steel rat ti-aps. 



DIRECT DEALING. 



FBOM OUR APIARY CORRESPONDENT. 



Ed. Agricui.turlst:- -As bees are quiet 

 and there- s-em little to say iu regard to 

 that industry, and for fear that that lit- 

 tle would be out of place in these dry 

 times, I take another theme, and talk 

 of that portion of the farming commu- 

 nity who style themselves Patrons, or 

 Grangers. They have just organized a 

 Pomona Grange in this county, nnd 

 though we know that but few Pomona 

 Granges in this State have met the ex- 

 pectations of their member.s, we have 

 faith to believe that ours at least will be 

 a success, meeting a want long felt for 

 concentrating the powers of the organi- 

 zation in this county at a single fulcrum 

 and enable us through it to communicate 

 our needs to our fellow workers in the 

 land, and arrange for the exchange of 

 the productions of one part of the State 

 for the produce of another without pay- 

 ing tribute to any one outside of the or- 

 ganization. For instance, some of the 

 upper counties are engaged largely in 

 fruit production, green and dried, while 

 we produce as yet but a small propor- 

 tion of what we consume. But we do 

 produce larye QKaidilks of honey, and of a 

 much finer quality than from any other 

 section. Why may not we, through the 

 medium of the Grange, exchange these 

 commodities much to the advanUnje of 

 both sectiom ? I believe we could, and I 

 trust the time is not far distant when 

 the Granges of one county, or section, 

 will make their wants known though 

 some proper channel of communication, 

 and there will be some other section that 

 can fill that want much to the advantage 

 of both. In making these suggestions, I 

 do not claim to advance a new idea, but 

 only that it is one that has not been 

 acted upon, at least with us. Jcs. 



Bernardo, Sau Diego Co., Dec. 17. 



Corn. 



Today the woods are trembliug through and 



thrc>u;!li 

 With shiviriug foriuB, that flash before my view, 

 Then iii- It in t;reen 88 dawn etars melt in blue. 

 The have*; that wave againet my cheek carees 

 Like wnmeu'B liaudb; the embraeiug bouyhs 

 txpretis 



A Biibtlcty of mighty tendemeBS. 

 The cop8t.do])lhB liit.t little noiw-B start. 

 That Bound anon like l)t.atini;B of a heart. 

 Anon like talk 'twixt \i\>*. not far apait. 

 The be- cb dreams balm, as a dreamer hums a 



book: 

 Thronith that vague wafture, expirations 



►trong 

 Throb irom youug hickories breathing deep 

 and long 

 With BtreBB and urgence bold of priBoned spring 

 And ecBtaBy of being. 

 Now, Binee the dew-ptabhed road of morn is 



dry. 

 Forth venture odorB of more quality 

 And heaveuUer giving. Like Jove's locks 

 awry. 



Long muBcadiues 

 Rich. wreath the BpaciotiB foreheads of great 



jiiuea 

 And breailte ambrosial paBi-ion from their vines. 

 I pray with nioBBi-B. feruB, and Uowi-rB shy 

 TtiHt Iil'le like gentle DuuB from human eye 

 Tm lift ud'tllng perfumeB to the Bky. 

 I hear faiiit bri'lal.BliihB of brown and green 

 Dying t<> Bih-nt htntB of kiBSea kt.«.n, 

 As far lights fringe- iiit-*a plttiiBant Bheen, 

 I Blart at fragmentary whlBix-n*. blown 

 I-'roin untb-rtaUsof leafy houIb unknown, 

 Vague purpotB sweet, of inarticulate tone. 



—(Lanier. 



Fruit Profits. — Five acres of prunes 

 eight years old, yielded a net profit of 

 $2,000; two acres of Bartlett pears, 

 twelve vears old, shipped East, a net 

 profit of $1,300; two acres of prunes 

 dried and packed, a net profit of $900. 

 Kt the prices paid for strawberries 

 last year, they would net the producer 

 something over $300 per acre; blackber- 

 ries about $450 to $500 per acre; pie 

 plant, which is extensively grown on the 

 garden lands adjacent to Sau Jose and 

 Santa Clara, will net about $200 per 

 acre; asparagus, also extensively culti- 

 vated for the San Francisco market, 

 $200 per acre; grapes, eight years old, 

 from $100 to $300 per acre; currants 

 and raspberries, of which the S.anta 

 Clara Valley produces enormous quanti- 

 ties, $300. The cherry crop is the finest 

 in the State.— San Jose Arijus. 



When to Paint Your House. — The 

 TechuiitiKii'it, n good authority, states that 

 paint ajjplied to the exterior of buildings 

 iu autumn or winter will endure twice as 

 long us when applied iu early summer or 

 in hot weather. In the former it dries 

 slowly and becomes hard, like a glazed 

 surface, not easily afifectcd afterwards by 

 the weather, or worn off by the beating 

 of storms. But iu very hot weather the 

 oil iu the paint soaks into the wood at 

 once, as in a sponge, leaving the lead 

 nearly dry and ready to crumble off. 

 This last difficulty, however, might in a 

 measure be guarded against, though at 

 an increased expense, by first going over 

 the surface with raw oil. Furthermore, 

 by painting iu cold weather yon escape 

 the annoyance of small tlies which in- 

 variably collect during the warm season 

 on fresh paint. 



POPITLATION OF THE WoRtD. — But (eW 



persons have anything like a correct idea 

 of the number of people iu the world, ^ 

 moving around, eating hash, ruuuing 

 in debt, talking about their neighbors, 

 strugliug for life, falling in love, taking 

 quinine, having tlieir teeth pulled, guz- 

 zling whisky, chewing gum, wearing out 

 old clothes, trying to make money. In 

 1870, according to census returns, the 

 total population of the world was as fol- 

 lows; 



The bust for the Greeley memorial 

 monument was cast at Wood's foundry, 

 Philadelphia. It is of bronze, and of 

 a size proportionate to a figure of 

 about ten and a half feet. The pedestal 

 and base is made of Quincy and Maine 

 granite, bearing a has relief in bronze, 

 with the following inscription: "Horace 

 Greeley, born February 3, ISll; died, 

 November 2y, 1872, The founder of the 

 New York Tribune." The entire cost was 

 over $5,000. The uuveihng took place 

 last mouth, 



Siberia, Asia, 



China, 



Europe, 



.\frica, 



North .America, 



South .\merica, 



798,000,000 

 447,000,000 

 301,000,000 

 203,000,000 

 52,000,000 

 26,000,000 



Profttaele Crop. — Frank Kleckner 

 reports that on twenty six acres he pro- 

 duced 800 sacks of beans each sack aver- 

 aging sixty-five pounds. This yeald 

 aggregates one ton per acre and the class 

 of beatis produced are quoted at '2'yi cents 

 per lb. This brings the returns iu gross 

 at $50.00 per acre. The laud on which 

 this crop was produced cost less than $25 

 per acre. What must be the profit to this 

 people another year when all this vast 

 area is farmed judiciously? A climate 

 and soil that will produce in a single 

 year double the fii-st cost of farm lands is 

 certainly an enviable place for the indus- 

 trious husbandman. The beau crop here 

 reported was not the product of the best 

 land in our valley by any means. — ioni- 

 poc Record. 



