THE RHRA1. MEW 
JAM 8 
small stream—what we call a creek in the 
East—named Santa Ana. Artesian and other 
wells are relied upon for feeding the irrigat¬ 
ing ditches. Water for irrigation costs, per 
acre, from $1.60 up. Orange trees are irri¬ 
gated about four times in the dry season if I 
remember aright. The young trees require 
protection from possible frost. The streets 
are laid out in squares a half mile each way, 
and the farms are small, varying from 10 or 
20 to 80 acres. A Canadian showed us one of 
the oldest orange orchards there, of 400 acres, 
the average yield of which was 8,0oo ovanges 
per tree. Twenty acres yielded the present 
season 1,700 per tree; but he thought by an¬ 
other year the yield would reach 8,000. The 
orange growers claim that ft man can afford 
to pay $1,000 an am; for an orchard, and then 
make lots of money. It is said that as culti¬ 
vation increases, the need of irrigation dimin¬ 
ishes. The soi 1 is exceedingly productive, and 
the cultivation perfection. One can readily 
believe that the Riverside Colony is the best 
in California , as is claimed for it. The trees 
are not affected with the pest known as the 
San Jos^ scale bug, which threatens all fruit 
trees iu California; and this immunity of the 
Riverside tree's is thought in some measure to 
be due to the desert, winds which sweep through 
- the valley from the north. Of course, these 
winds raise a dust in summer, which is not 
pleasant—for invalids, in particular. One 
gentleman with whom we talked had so much 
to say iu praise of the climate, that J asked 
him if anybody ever died in Riverside! Ho 
laughingly replied: “Well, rarely! A man 
died here the other day, and we came together 
fora holiday, and buried him. The trouble 
is that people wait until they ore too far gone 
before coming to this healthy air.” I thought 
of the poor fellow iu the hotel, who had a room 
adjoining ours, and kept mo awake most of 
the night with incessant, terrible coughing, 
like a consumptive with whom the beginning 
of the end had come. 
The heat in slimmer rises to 120 degrees in 
the house; sunstroke is unknown, anil it is 
never sultry. The foot-hills ot the mountains 
are near, the San Bernardino Mountains are 
iu view, but the landscape is not so en¬ 
chanting as about Pasadena in the Sau Gabriel 
Valley. Figs do well in Riverside, and there 
is one man there—a Vermonter—who dries 
and puts up his figs excellently, but he is an 
exception. He has roses, too, and his sou—a 
marvelously tine child of sev en years—cut for 
us a hundred or so, and the bushes seemed 
none the less burdened with blossoms. There 
is no grass to speak of, but the orchards are 
fenced with hedges of Monterey Cypress. Or¬ 
chards arc everywhere—of oranges, lemons, 
figs, peaches, apricots, palm trees and vine¬ 
yards, so that the grass is not missed. 
The. people are hospitality itself, and we 
were quite loaded down with oranges and 
lemons. The oranges lay iu heaps on the 
ground like apples in a New York orchard in 
autumn, and the trees were also fragrant with 
orange blossoms. The orange tree, wp were 
told, makes four distinct growths in a year, 
producing four rings. Seedling oranges pro¬ 
duce a light crop on alternate years. Figs 
yield three crops a year. The Vermont man 
who puts figs up finely, sella them for 15 cents 
per pound. As the California oranges come 
into market later than the Florida crop, there 
seems to be no danger of lack of market, and 
if freight rates can be kept down to reason¬ 
able figures, there ought to be profit in orange 
culture. But every industry has its draw¬ 
backs—and in California particularly—the 
soil and climate vary so in even adjacent 
lands, that a new-comer cannot bo too partic 
ular iu choosing bis location. I should advise 
no one to locate permanently where he has 
not previously lived on “trial” for a year or 
two. Oranges, and tlowers and palms the year 
around appeal very strongly to the fancy, but 
apples are better than oranges (a Michigan 
Bellflower, for example) and apple blossoms 
are far more beautiful than orauge flowers, 
and where it is never really winter, there 
is never the charm of the tender spring, nor 
the crimson glory of the autumn. If one 
wants snow and cold in California he can have 
them by going into the Sierra Nevada, and the 
State has “40,000 climates. ” But in dreaming 
of California, one thinks of a State of undying 
summer, and this is practically the case. But 
I heard a lady who had been for 12 years a 
resident of the State say: “I just long to hear 
the snow crunch under my feet agaiu!” A 
change of climate is just as essential to Cali¬ 
fornians as to other people—they come to need 
the tonic- of a snapping cold cis-Rocky Moun¬ 
tain winter. As for the actual net profit of an 
orange orchard I fancy that about as much 
money could Is 1 made out of apple raising—the 
magnificent luscious apples that sell for five 
cents apiece at the street corners 1 But no 
fruit that 1 have eaten on the Pacific Coast 
equals the Puget Sound plums for absolute 
deliciousness. The Riverside Railway Station 
—where are the hotels, shops, etc.—is a shabby 
place, and we drove quite a little distance 
before reaching the orchards aud boulevards 
that have made Riverside famous. The foot¬ 
hills are excellent for bees, ancl the honey is 
fine. All about Riverside is much unculti¬ 
vated land, which only needs water and 
industry to make it equally productive. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Iowa. 
Sutherland. O’Brien Co., Dec. 12.—On the 
18th of last month we had a terrible storm; if 
the weather had been cold at the time there 
would have been a great destruction of stock. 
It was very bad for chickens: some lost as high 
as 52. A great many hogs were lost through 
the county. Some lost a few calves. The 
storm cauglil a good many in a bad fix, not 
having auy corn busked to feed their stock. 
Some are buying corn now. They cannot get 
into the fields, the snow is so deep among the 
stalks. All around we can bear of bugs dying 
of hog cholera. The yield of small grains was 
not so much to the acre as last year, but of 
better quality. Corn not nearly so much to 
the acre and very hard—not good to feed cat¬ 
tle. 1 thiuk corn will be high before another 
crop is raised. h. b. 
Hannan. 
Parsons, Labette Co. , Dec. 20.—The dry¬ 
ness of the year continues, though dry win- 
tore, here, always prevail. It works great in¬ 
convenience to stock raisers and housekeepers. 
The winter altogether has been mild. The 
partial fail are of crops in the last two seasons 
lias wrought great changes in the prices of 
laud aud horses—either of these can be had 
88 J „ per cent lower than two years ago. 
Bargains can be had here now. Railroads 
arc spreading all over Kansas, and freights, 
in any conceivable event, must be low. The 
western portion of the State is filling up fast; 
the population of the State is now about 1,500,- 
000. Winter wheat is small in acreage but 
looking fairly well. The drought of the sum¬ 
mer affected all vegetation. The apple trees 
seem to have made no growth, and the fruit 
wus small aud wormy, and decayed much 
faster than usual, though this might have 
beeu caused, wholly, or in part, by the com¬ 
paratively high temperature through Oct. 
and Nov. Hay is selling at $0 per ton 
(prairie); corn, 35 cents per bushel; .‘/heat, 75 
cents per bushel; oals 25 cents per bushel: 
live hogs, $3 75 per 101) pounds: throe-year- 
uld-steers $8.25 per 100 pounds; apples 50 cents 
per bushel; potatoes 05 cents per bushel; but¬ 
ter 25 cents; eggs 20 cents; coal 11 cent* per 
bushel; common day labor$1.25; pine lumber, 
merchantable, 15 cents per 1,000 feet. 
J. B. 
New York. 
Howells, Orauge Co., Dec. 12.—The sea¬ 
son has been very favorable, both for grass 
aud grain. The drought, which was severe, 
came on too late to injure gram crops. 
H. B. 
Utica, Oneida Co., December 28. — The 
cheese market is well supplied with good 
grades of cream cheese and prices are firm 
with a tendency to higher rates. Wholesalers 
are now selling from 18 to 15 cents, according 
to quality, but the bulk is selling at the for¬ 
mer price. No cheese is coming in now from 
the factories, but au occasional dairy is heard 
from. Little Falls dosed out its final consign¬ 
ment last week. Both summer and winter 
butters are freely offered. The former is a 
little scarcer. The market is a trifle dull and 
buyers are not willing to take much. Sellers 
are numerous. About 07 packages were re¬ 
ceived in this market last week, audsell, dairy, 
at 28 to 25 cents. This is just about sufficient 
to supply the home trade here. The prospects 
are for steady prices, however. The holidays 
made a blank in the hop market aud no sales 
took place. Quotations are about 80 Cents for 
best estate, aud 28 to 25 cents for good medi¬ 
ums. R- 1. 
Ohio. 
Lamartine, Carroll Co., Dec. 18. — Weather 
pretty cold at present. Mercury has touched 
zero to-day. Corn in this vicinity is about all 
husked; it is yielding about 100 bushels of 
oars per acre of good sound grain, and sells 
for 40 cents per bushel. Fruits were in abun¬ 
dance and thousands of bushels of apples 
went to waste in the orchards for want of a 
buyer. Wheat went 20 bushels per acre. We 
had some very line melons. Wheat is selling 
for 70 cents per bushel; oats 25 cents; potatoes 
80 cents; pork 4t._. cents. w. E. e. 
Oregon. 
Kellogg’s, Douglass Co. — Crops in the 
Umpqua Vulley are good. Fruit plentiful; 
apples 20 cents cents per bushel; potatoes very 
scarce; wheat 55 to 00 cents; oats 40 cents; 
barley 50 cents; eggs 20 cents & dozen, a. s. 
Virginia. 
Richmond, Henrico Co., Dec. 27. — The past 
week in tobacco wound up with a stronger 
feeling iu all good leaf, dark and brights, aud 
from the high prices paid in interior Virginia 
and North Carolina markets for fine brights 
our markets should show heavy advances here 
in January aud February. Rich dark leaf has 
sold loose here at 18L; cents; the better grades 
are all higher. This week, as usual, will be a 
half-holiday week, and without much of in¬ 
terest to report. Very heavy shipments of 
cigarettes for export were made last week, and 
the general manufacturing business has im¬ 
proved. T. H. M. 
Wisconsin. 
Truksdell, Kenosha Co., Dec. 10.— 
Weather quite cold aud windy; have about 
three inches of snow and very poor sleighing. 
Water is getting scarce, and a thaw or rain is 
hoped for. Hay is low; No. 1 Timothy sells at 
$7 per ton Corn. 22 to 25 cents a bushel, iu 
the ear; 45 cents shelled. Oats, 25 to 27cents. 
Flaxseed, 85 to fit) cents. Beef cattle and fat 
sheep low. Milch cows high, fresh ones selbug 
from $45 to $50. Butter sells at the store for 
80 cents. Eggs, 18 cents. c. e. b. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must lie accompanied hy the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please sec If it Is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one lime. Put questions on a separate piece of paper. 
ROOTS FOR MILCH COWS. 
W. C. M. y Bluekstone , Muss. —1. Is it bet¬ 
ter to feed milch cows different kinds of roots, 
giving variety, or can they be confined to beets 
alone? Which is the best kind of beet, all 
things considered, to raise for feeding milch 
cows? 
Ans.— 1. There is not the least necessity for 
giving variety in roots. Any one will supply 
the requisite* succulence iu the food to secure 
perfect digestion, anil this is all that Ls re¬ 
quired. But different roots have marked 
differences in their effects upon the quality of 
the milk and butter produced. Orauge carrots 
are the best of all roots. The cows are fond of 
them and their use imports a fine color to the 
milk and butter, but we can grow so many 
more beets on the same ground aud with a 
tithe ot the labor that, although not equal to 
the carrots, they arc so nearly so that we al¬ 
ways raise them in preference. 2. No doubt 
sugar beets contain most nutriment, but they 
yield only moderately, and they have so many 
roots that the labor of harvesting is so much 
more that wo prefer mangels. Of these the 
newer varieties are so much improved that 
they are very nearly equal to sugar beets, and 
but little inferior to carrots. The Yellow 
Globe is a fine variety, of good quality and 
with only small roots; but this year we im¬ 
ported a quantity of seeds of the Yellow 
Tankard, which gave us beets which we 
thought, superior to anything we had over 
tried. They were of large size, solid, free 
from pithiness and with no more root than a 
common fiat turnip. We should recommend 
for cow feeding either the Yellow Tankard or 
Yellow Glohe. 
TANNING SHEEP SKINS. 
./. A'., Beat he, Kuns.-H.ow can I tau sheep 
skins, having wool about an inch long on 
them? 
Ans.— Supposing the skins are dry, they 
should be softeued throughout by soaking iu 
pure water; soft water is best, but auy ordi¬ 
narily pure water maybe used, and care must 
be taken that the skins are thus soaked only u 
sufficient time to soften them. Then clean off 
any bits of flesh that may remain on the flesh 
side, rinse all well, shake off the loose water, 
and gently stretch out. and tack on a board, 
flesh side up. Then sprinkle with a mixture 
of powdered alum aud suit, about two-thirds 
alum anil one-third salt, enough to just cover 
every part. As the skin dries it takes up the 
mixture, but if any bo left on the surface the 
second day, sprinkle on a little more water, 
otherwise put oil more ulum and salt, and 
sprinkle. Two to three days .should be suffi¬ 
cient for such small skins, the idea being to 
give the skin all of the alum and salt. it. will 
take up while in a moist condition. This 
tawing process makes the hair firm, a gentle 
rubbing and beating soften the flesh side, and 
it is preserved from decay, although tawed 
skins are never calculated to staud much wet¬ 
ting. This process is well adapted for all small 
skins, although those which are heavier re¬ 
quire more time, and the flesh sides arc some 
times folded together aud the skins rolled up. 
When the skins are freshly taken off no soak¬ 
ing is needed, but more care is then called for 
in thoroughly washing off aud cleaning them, 
and the first application of salt and alum 
should be in the proportion of one-half each. 
It requires the judgment of a tanner to deal 
with skins in a dry state, which may have be¬ 
come partly damaged before drying, and it 
requires special knowledge also to tell whether 
a dry skin is so damaged. 
CHESTNUTS NEAR SALT WATER. 
T. 11. L„ Falmouth, Mass.—} aiu informed 
that the native American chestnut does not 
fruit near salt water, and as I have ordered 
some Japan Chestnuts to bo planted within a 
mile of salt water, I want to know whether 
the American chestnut bears fruit near salt 
water; 2, liuve any Japan Chestnuts borne 
fruit in such a situation? 
Ans. —The chestnut, seems not to thrive in 
stiff soils, but prefers rocky, sandy or gravelly 
land. Nevertheless, it succeeds very well near 
the ocean whore t he soil happens to be suitable. 
We presume, therefore, that the character 
of the soil, rather than the air has to do with 
its thrift. We know of grovos and woods in 
which there ure chestnut trees that tear mod¬ 
erately well within a mile of the. ocean. We 
also know of bearing Japan Chestnut trees 
growing in sandy loam within three miles of 
the ocean in Monmouth Co., N. J, 
Miscellaneous. 
A. B. W., Willow Creek. N. Y .—1. Who 
breeds red-polled cattle? 2. A writer says that 
shiftless farmers have slippery stable floors; 
how is this prevented ? 
ANS.—G. F. Taber. Patterson, N. Y.; J. H. 
& W. W. Clark, Lagondu, Pa. 2. Stable floors 
should have slope enough to allow the liquids 
to drain off, and there should be a fall in the 
glitter back of the cattle to allow drainage. 
Where the gutter is placed on a level aud the 
manure allowed to remain, the liquids accu¬ 
mulate. Dry sand or muck spread under the 
hind feet of the cattle will absorb much moist¬ 
ure and give the cattle a foothold. 
T. B., Cannetton, Pa.—I planted three acres 
of sweet, corn as an experiment; it froze be¬ 
fore ripening. Is it any use for feeding pur¬ 
poses? 2. What New York paper quotes daily 
the American cable aud telegraph companies? 
8. What bank m New York has great financial 
strength ? 
Ans.— L Corn frozen lief ore it ripens will 
never be of any value; it will ferment, rot and 
mold. The Mammoth sweet corn should ripen 
and have time to spare iu your climate. 
2. The Financial Record. 8. Bowery Bank, 
Chemical Bank, Park Bank, Citizens’ Bank, 
Hanover Bank, Nassau Bank, and dozens of 
others. 
J. II. Munson, la. —1. What is a good rem¬ 
edy for worms in chickens ? 2. I have some 
black hens with clean black legs, double 
combs, top-knots,medium iu size, good layers, 
wanting to sit but seldom, eggs of medium 
size; to what breed do they beloug ? 
Ans. —Give five pellets of santonin to each 
for a few days—a homoeopathic treatment. 
2. The description comes nearest to that of 
Black Humburgs, 
A. S. A., Pittsfield, IV .—How much ashes 
can te got from a cord of hickory wood aud 
how much are they worth ? What are they 
worth a load—wagon-box 8x12 feetxlo inches? 
Ans,— A cord of hickory wood weighs about 
8,500 pounds, and will make about. 70 pounds 
of ashes, worth 05 cents, when pure. The 
wagon-box will contain not quite SO bushels. 
J, E. TV., Pawtucket, U. /.—How can I 
graft or bud the Pig-nut with the Shellback ? 
Ans. —it is very difficult to graft the hick¬ 
ory. Our most export grafters often fail. 
The best, way is by the method of slip-graft¬ 
ing illustrated in the R. N.-Y. of the current 
year, page 216, Fig. 128. 
w. C. M., Black stone, Mass. —What does 
the Rural think of the Imperial Egg Food 
made by F. C. Sturtevant, of Hartford, 
Conn. 
Ans. —We have not tried it. Good men 
who have done so. praise it. We do not use 
any egg food. 
J. M. W., St, Mary's, Fa.—What is a 
remedy for bone spavin? 
Ans. —What is commonly known as bone 
spavin, viz; an enlargement, of the joint, can¬ 
not be cured. The bunch will always remain 
and lameness will be frequent. 
W. L. B., Faulkner, hid .—Where can I 
buy India rubber about as thick as brown 
paper? 
Ans. —The Goodyear Rubber Co., of this 
city can supply it. There ought to be a 
branch house at Indianapolis. 
A. D. McL., Komoka, Can ,—Where can I 
get machinery for making baskets? 
Ans.—F rom L. L. Tburwacbter, Syracuse, 
N. Y. 
O. T. T., Poplar Hill, Fans .—The “Chatter¬ 
box" cau be obtained through the American 
News Co. of this City. 
E. M. C., Iiodes, Va .—The address of Lee & 
Shepard is Boston, Mass. 
