PACIFIC TREE AND VINE 



15 



Queries and Answers 



J. p. L., Petaluina. — The scale 

 insects 011 the apple twigs sent in 

 are the oysier shell barn louse, 

 Mytilaspis poiiioriun. It is very 

 prevalent in most apple growing 

 sections, but as there are several 

 [Parasites that work upon it, it need 

 not cause you uneasiness, as it is 

 not a serious pest. 



R. P. S., Tehama. — Thecalymr- 

 na fig is not a variety. It is the 

 name adopted by Geo C. Roediiig 

 of Fresno for figs from his orchard 

 packed by him. The common and 

 favorite so called Smyrna fig is the 

 Lop Injur, or sweet fig, and the 

 n.inie calymyrna is the copyrighted 

 name of these figs grown and packed 

 by Mr. Roeding. 



Robert P. M., vSanta Barbara. — 

 The, clematis should make a good 

 climber for your porch and ought 

 to do well with you This plant 

 requires a rich, light soil, and is 

 quite hardy. The Montana is one 

 of the freest blooming of the clem- 

 atises, and gives gieat satisfaction. 

 The flowers are while. The Jack- 

 mani is purple and among the best 

 of them. 



Reader, Alameda. — The insect 

 which you sent and which you say 

 is troubling your house plants, is 

 one of the mealy bugs — Dactylopsis 

 longi fills. The best remedy is a 

 pound of whale oil soap dissolved 

 in tour gallonsof hot water. While 

 the mixture is still warm, but not 

 hot enough to scald your plants, 

 they should be dipped in it. The 

 compound may be used as a spray 

 on plants too large to be handled. 



L R , vSaticoy. — ''liere are no 

 available statistics giving the 

 amount of olive oil made in this 

 State. There are a large num!)er 

 of people engaged in the business 

 all over the State, but no record of 

 their output is kept. The importa- 



By JOHN ISAAC 



tion of foreign oil, accordii\g to the 

 government statistician in 1901-2, 

 amounted to I1339.097 gallons, 

 valued at ^ii 1,579, 309, •''O it would 

 seem that there is yet room for our 

 California product*t home. 



J. Q. M., Santa Cruz, asks about 

 codlin moth traps which he has 

 seen advertised. We have stated 

 our opinion about these before iit 

 this column They are worse than 

 useless, as they catch more bene- 

 ficial than injurious insects, and no 

 codlin motlis at all The codlin 

 moth is not attracted to the light. 

 You will have to stick to the Paris 

 green spray for a while yet, until 

 something better than codlin moth 

 traps is offered. 



R. A. N., Placer Co.— There is 

 usually a good demand for scjuabs 

 in the San Francisco markets and 

 the present prices range from $2.00 

 to $2.50 per dozen. The homers 

 make the btst squabs and are most 

 profitable. With care .squab raising 

 will pay, but like other branches of 

 poultry farming you will find that 

 it requires constant attention and 

 considerable skill. The largest 

 farm in this country, if not in the 

 world, is located near Los Angeles. 



E. S. P , San Mateo.— Ever- 

 greens may be transplanted at auy 

 time during this dormant period. 

 Evergreens, like deciduous trees, 

 have their per ods of growth and 

 their periods of rest, and during the 

 latter their tender growth hardens 

 and they can be more safely handled 

 than at other times. In transplant- 

 ing evergreens it is advisable to 

 take them up with a good ball of 

 earth on their roots; they can then 

 be removed to their new location 

 with the least possible shock, and 

 if well planted and watered will 

 continue to grow without cessation. 



A. C. S., Saratoga. — The fig, to 

 attain perfection, requires plenty of 

 hot weather. We should not ad- 

 vi.se the planting of a large tract for 

 commercial purposes where you 

 propose, as the climate is too cool 

 to bring the fruit to perfection. It 

 would pay you best to plant a few 

 trees and see how they do, than to 

 devote good land, time and money 

 to the enterprise to find out too late 

 that you had made a mistake. In 

 the San Joaquin and Sacramento 

 valleys, where the temperature is 

 high, the nights warm and the sea- 

 son long, fig growing has great pos- 

 sibilities. 



W. P., Sonoma. — Tobacco may 

 be a pa) ing crop in your section, 

 but unless you have had some ex- 

 perience with it, or can afford to 

 make a failure, it would not be well 

 for you to devote much land or time 

 to it. The seed should be sown 

 very thinly, in a bed prepared for 

 it, and should be lightly covered 

 with fine soil. The beds should be 

 protected from any frost, and by 

 the time all danger from this source 

 is past, the plants should be about 

 six inches high and ready for set- 

 ting out. They are planted in rows 

 about four feet apart each way, and 

 should be given thorough and care- 

 ful cultivation. 



A. II. Ladd, Salida, wants the 



recipe for .squirrel poison composed 



of strychnine, oil of rhodium, oil of 



peppermint and other ingredients. 



Here it is : 



Strycliiiine Cryst ^ oz. 



Cyanide Potassium ^ oz. 



Oil .A nise 10 drops 



Oil KlKiilium 5 drops 



Oil Peppermint 3 drops 



Strained Honey . 4 oz. 



Water 1 oz. 



The above amount is for one gal- 

 lon of wheat. Syrup is sometimes 

 used instead of honey, because, in 

 the opinion of some, honey and cy- 

 anide, may conflict, there being 

 danger that honey may weaken the 

 strength of the cyanide. 



