PACIFIC TREE AND VINE 



15 



Queries and Answers 



By JOIIIN ISAAC 



T. L., Santa Ro-^a. — Prnniiig 

 may be done now i>r at any time 

 until the saj) begins to rise. You 

 had better leave your winter spray- 

 ing until later ou — say about Feb- 

 ruary. 



P. M. R., Oroville — We do not 

 know where yon can get the navel 

 orange budded on trifoliat.i stock. 

 We do know that the nurseries 

 carry this stock You might in- 

 quire of them. 



Newcomer — Asks whether chick- 

 ens could uot be raised in a young 

 orchard until the trees began to 

 pay. We have answered this ques- 

 tion in detail before and so will 

 only say, assuredly yes. 



Wm. R. P., Salinas.— The term 

 complete fertilizer means one in 

 which the three essential fertilizing 

 constituents are present, viz., nitro- 

 gen, phosphoric acid and potash. 

 Any fertilizer containing these three 

 elements in available proportions is 

 a complete fertilizer. 



J. K. McM., Napa, "has some 

 rather dry, hill-side land n|)on 

 which he wants to grow feed fi>r 

 chickens. It is too dry for corn." 

 Try Egyptian corn. This will ma- 

 ture a crop where it has half a 

 chance, and would probably suit 

 your requirements. 



G. P., Sonoma Co. — C. uavas are 

 grown extensively in San Diego, 

 where they are used for jelly. The 

 strawberry guava is the favorite. 

 Even if yon have a warm .section 

 where they might grow we should 

 not advise the planting of them as a 

 money crop. A few for variety or 

 home use may do. 



"Tyro," Santa Cruz.— Alfalfa is 

 cut when it is in bloom, and at that 

 time it is in the best condition ami 

 Conlaius the most nutriment. In 



your section you could possibly cut 

 three and probably four crops in a 

 season. In warmer sections four to 

 five crops are cut eacli season. 

 Alfalfa to do well : equires plenty 

 of moisture and a good soil, and is 

 a profitable crop in such locations. 



Mrs. M. B,, San Jose. — The .\s 

 paragus plumosus will probably 

 suit your purpose. This is one of 

 the most elegant and delicate of our 

 climbing plants. It is perfectly 

 hardy, easily grown from seed or 

 division of the roots and has a very 

 fine, fern like foliage. It is exten- 

 sively used by florists for interior 

 and table decorations. 



R. L. M., Sacramento — You can 

 get full information regarding as- 

 paragus culture by applying to the 

 Department of .Agriculture, Wash- 

 ington, for a copy of a Farmer's 

 Bulletin on that subject. There 

 are portions of your county that 

 are ideal for asparagus growing, 

 and it can, if rightly handled, be 

 made a good paying crop there. 



Young Orchardist, Salinas. — It 

 is the safest plan to burn all prun- 

 ings and deceased wood taken from 

 your trees. Very many injurious 

 insects deposit their eggs on the 

 smaller twigs and branches, while 

 fungus spores also find lodgment 

 on them. By burning them at 

 once danger from further infection 

 from this source is removed. The 

 disea*^es, too. often come from fun- 

 gus attacks, and by burning the 

 diseased wood, danger from the 

 spread (f the disease is reduced. 



W. B., San Francisco. — There is 

 little doubt but that you would 

 make musliroom growing pav, if 

 you understand the business and 

 have suitable conditions. If you 

 do not understand it yon must be 

 prepared to make manv mistakes 

 and sustain some losses before you 



succeed. Write to the Department 

 of Agriculture, at Washington, D. 

 C, for a Farmer's Bulletin on 

 mushroom growing. This will 

 give full information, which we are 

 unable to do in a limited space. 



Reader, Lompoc. — It is no use to 

 spray with salt, sulphur and lime, 

 for codlin moth. The only way to 

 reach this pest is to have some 

 poisonous compound that it will eat 

 when it is first hatched. Paris 

 green has been found the most effec- 

 tive and this should not be used 

 until the little apples begin to form, 

 about the time the blossoms are 

 falling from the trees, and from that 

 time at intervals of about two or 

 three weeks during the season. 



G. W. L., Fresno. — Asks for a 

 receipt for a good harness oil. 

 Probably the best way would be to 

 purchase il already prepared, as 

 very good harness oil can be had at 

 any harness store, but as some may 

 prefer to make it, we give the 

 formula for a good one, and one 

 which we have used : 



Three quarts neatsloot oil, one 

 pint castor r)il, two pounds mutton 

 tallow, ten ounces ivory black, two 

 ounces Prussian blue, eight ounces 

 beeswa.x, four ounces rosin, two 

 ounces Burgundy pitch. Mi.x, boil 

 and strain. This is a good oil and 

 preserves the harness. 



Reader. — Smudging is unneces- 

 sary in deciduous orchards before 

 the trees have bloomed. It is when 

 the young fruit is forming that the 

 greatest danger is to be appre- 

 hended. The commonest and 

 cheapest method is to make a num- 

 ber of fires through the orchard, 

 and when they are burning well 

 cover them with damp straw\ This 

 causes a den.se smoke which hangs 

 over the ground treated and pre- 

 vents the escape of the latent heat 



