PACIFIC TRKK AND VINE 



INTERESTING TO FARMERS. 



( )ne of the worst pests of the hop yards 

 of Oregon has been the hop louse, or 

 aphis, which injures tlie crop in two 

 ways, by sucliing the juice of the plant, 

 and by weakening it, reducing the quan- 

 tity, and also by discoloring tiie liops and 

 rendering them of inferior quality. Cali- 

 fornia escaped this attliction for many 

 years and it was hoped tliat the pest 

 would not find entrance into our yards, 

 but it has boen discovered recently and 

 while not nearly so destructive as in our 

 sister state, it promises to becomeserioua 

 enough to demand constant watclifulness 

 and the applications of remedies to pre- 

 vent its spread. Dennis H. Stoval. an 

 Oregon man, states that there are two 

 sprays, one especially, that can be used 

 to advantage. Kerosene emulsion, one 

 part to 30 parts water, is a good spray for 

 lice-infested liop vines. Some who have 

 used this spray claim that they seriously 

 injured their liop plants by so doing. 

 However, this should not have been. 



Kerosene, if not rightly handled, is a 

 dangerous agent to plant life. 



Another excellent spray for lice-in- 

 fasted hops is the resin wash well known 

 to orchardista. This wash is terror and 

 sure death to all forms of plant lice, no 

 matter whether tney been hops or trees. 

 Its special value lies in the fact that in a 

 weak form it may prove fatal to the 

 tender-bodied lice, and at the same time 

 not kill the predaceous insects which 

 feed on them, anil are found among them 

 in considerable numbers. The following 

 is the method of mi.ving reain wasli: 



To three jiounds common washing soda 

 add four pounds rosin and one gallon 

 water. Heat until dissolved, and while 

 boiling gradually add four gallons hot or 

 warm water, stirring all the time, and 

 continue the boiling until the mixture is 

 the color of strong black coffee. When 

 wanted for use, warm and dilute with 

 cold water; for any other aphi.s, one part 

 wash to ten parts water, which applies to 

 the hop louse. 



The Federated Trades of San Jose at a 

 recent meeting denounced the effort now 

 l)eing made to induce farm laborers to 

 come to California as antagonistic to 

 union lalior and an effort to bieak up 

 the unions, and asserts that there is now 

 all the labor in California that can ob- 

 tain employment. This will be news to 

 the fruit growers and packers, the wlieat 

 growers and hay farmei's, to t!ie ho|)nien 

 and others who are dependent upon 

 farm labor and who lost some ten i)er 

 cent of their crops last season because 

 sullicient liel]) to gather them coidd nut 

 l)e oljtained. There is too much of the 

 dog-in-the-manger about some of these 



labor unions Tliere is more work than 

 can be done by them or a class of work 

 which they cannot do, and they are de- 

 termined that no one else shall do it. 

 There is no antagonism between the 

 farmers and the unions ; there is no rea- 

 son why the farmer should desire to 

 break down the unions, and this attempt 

 on the part of the San Jose Federated 

 Trades to keep farm labor out, for fear 

 that it nnght somehow at some time 

 interfere with tiieir demands, is, to say 

 the least, verry narrow and presumptous. 

 Farm labor is needed in California, and 

 needed badly. We have worked hard to 

 secure white men, and good reliable 

 white men are always to be iireferred, 

 but so hard is it to get this class that 

 many of our fruit growers are already 

 favoring the relaxation of the Chinese 

 exclusion act, and efforts like this on tlie 

 part of the Federated Trades will go far 

 to converting others to this view, and 

 when members of an industry represent- 

 ing an income oi $150,UOO,000 annually 

 become unanimous in any demand, thev 

 will be pretty apt to make Congress hear 

 them. 



One of the greatest blessings winch 

 modern legislation has bestowed on the 

 farmer has been the rural delivery sys- 

 tem. The farmer, living remote from 

 the busy centers of trade, is now in con- 

 tinuous touch with them by means of the 

 daily mail which tinds its way to his 

 door. He is no longer out of the world, 

 but in constant touch with it. Tlie daily 

 papers reach him usually on the day of 

 publication, he is posted on the markets 

 and on all the happenings of tlie outside 

 world, and he haa no longer to hitch up 

 old Dobbin once a week and drive sev- 

 eral miles to town for his mail and get 

 the news a week or more after its occur- 

 rence. There is no question in the 

 farmer's tnind as to the blessings of rural 

 delivery, and any proposition tor its 

 abolition would meet with strong oppos- 

 from those who are so largely benelitted 

 by it. A new movement to make it still 

 more effective has been inaugurated by a 

 bill, which was introduced in the last 

 session of Congre.ss, but which failed to 

 become a law owing toils carrying an 

 appropriation of $25,000. This measure 

 was a rural telephone free delivery. The 

 bill wa.s introduced by Senator Fair- 

 banks, and, as be pointed out, in iiianv 

 parts of the country almost every farmer 

 has a telephone, and the system is stead- 

 ily increasing. The new scheme is to 

 have a special stamp which will denote 

 to the postmaster at the receiving ollice 

 that the envelope is to be opened and 

 the nn^ssage forwarded to its destination 



by telephone. It often happens that 

 mail ia received at the postoffice after 

 the carrier has started on his daily 

 rounds, and possibly important meseages 

 would have to remain over for the next 

 days' delivery. By this method the 

 message would be forwarded to its desti- 

 nation immediately upon its arrival and 

 a day's time saved in its delivery. The 

 measure is a good one, and while turned 

 down by the last congress, will undoubt- 

 edly come up again and pass in the next. 



Every farmer, yes, every city or sub- 

 urban resident, with half an acre or more 

 for a garden, should have a few rows of 

 dewberries and blackberries. Two rows 

 of each one hundred feet long, will amply 

 supply a family of six or seven persons 

 during the berry season and leave enough 

 over to make a few jars of jam for the 

 childoen between meals, and would till 

 in the gap there would otherwise be be- 

 tween the strawberries and the early 

 plums and peaches. Of course, we are 

 assuming that the half acre or more aball 

 contain an ample strawberry bed, say 

 26 feet by 100, and at least one dozen 

 choice fruit trees, chiefly peaches and 

 plums, with iigs in South Texas and a 

 pear tree or two. All this fruit would 

 occupy less than one-fifth half acre, leav- 

 ing more than four-fifths for vegetables. 

 About our cities how often do we see 

 residences with enough ground devoid of 

 any of these luxuries so cheaply secured, 

 and the care and cultivation of which is 

 so great a pleasure to every normal per- 

 son. But what is much worse is the fact 

 that hundreds of fa"rms are as bare of 

 fruit as the city residence. If a man 

 owns a home he should literally dwell 

 under his own vines and fruit trees. 



How Would You Like 

 To Sell The Farm 



and come to a fine, new, modern 

 University town, to live in com- 

 fort and to educate the children? 

 There are some good business 

 openings in Palo Alto, and it is a 

 profitable jilace in which to own 

 bouses to rent. We are also see- 

 ing great numbers of Kastern 

 tourists, and many of them want 

 farms; jierliaps we conUl sell 

 yours. If you can't come write 

 to us. 



n. i\ HALL 



Dealer in Town and County Property 



PALO ALTO, CAL. Santa Clara Co. 



