1883.] 
165 
gin to form to much extent, working ceases, and 
the crop is laid by. There is then an interval of 
at least two months when the planter can turn his 
attention to other matters about the farm. 
Cultivating the Mistletoe. 
A numberhave inquired if the mistletoe will grow 
in this country, and if it can be cultivated and 
how. These inquiries are no doubt due to the fact 
that just before Christmas a small twig of mistletoe 
sells in city stores at what seems an enormous price. 
Increasingly large quantites are annually imported 
and mistletoe has become a regular article in the 
holiday trade. It does not seem to be generally 
known that a mistletoe is native to this country, 
from New Jersey, southward, and in Texas is 
sometimes so abundant as to form a feature in the 
landscape. The American mistletoe, while it has the 
same parasitic nature, and is in its general appear¬ 
ance similar to the European, differs so much in its 
botanical characters as to be placed in a different 
genus. The European is a Viscum, and ours a 
Phoradendron (a tree-thief). Ours is of a very yel¬ 
lowish green color, which makes it much less effec¬ 
tive than the other as a decorative plant. In Eng¬ 
land, the mistletoe is often cultivated, and the 
nurserymen furnish young apple-trees upon which 
the plant is established. It grows upon a number 
of trees, wild and cultivated, and prefers some 
varieties of the apple to others. The seed is sur¬ 
rounded by an exceedingly viscid substance, by 
means of which it can adhere firmly to the bark of 
trees. In cultivation, the seed is either placed un¬ 
der a tongue cut in the bark, or it is merely rubbed 
on with the thumb until it adheres firmly. The 
seed is placed on the under side of the branch, to 
hide it from birds. No doubt the same method will 
answer with our own mistletoe. Whether the Eu¬ 
ropean plant will be generally hardy if planted here 
we can not say; it would probably succeed in Vir¬ 
ginia and southward. 
Tin Tomato Pots. 
Those who pot tomatoes, egg-plants, etc., and 
live at a distance from potteries, use various sub¬ 
stitutes for pots. We recently gave a clever one of 
chestnut bark. Old fruit and other cans have long 
been used, and now, W. R. Wood, of Norfolk Coun¬ 
ty, Virginia, writes us that he finds that it pays to 
make them from new tin. The size of common tin 
plate is about 13i by 91 inches, and one sheet will 
make three pots, four inches in diameter and three 
inches deep. The short edges of the tin sheet are 
bent in opposite directions, so that they may in¬ 
terlock and make a joint. If the soil, in potting, is 
properly fined, it will hold the joint in place, and 
it will not fall out from the bottom in moving. 
When placed in a hot-bed or frame, the pots should 
stand upon boards to keep the roots from reaching 
the soil below. In planting, a slight pressure of 
the hand unclasps the tin and the plant goes to its 
place without the least disturbance of its roots. Mr. 
W. writes that the first gathering from his plants 
more than paid the cost of the tins, and as by their 
use he was enabled to have the market to himself 
for over a week, he found them profitable. The 
tins, by placing one within another, may be stored 
in a small space and remain useful for several years. 
We would suggest that where cans are used, it 
would be well to adopt this plan: unsolder the cans 
and remove the bottoms, and turn over the edges 
to form a joint. This will facilitate the storing, 
and also allow the pots to be made of one size. 
House-keepers who have been accustomed to 
using wood for fuel, retain a prejudice against 
coal for heating, and especially for culinary pur¬ 
poses. Much of this comes from lack of knowledge 
as to the proper mode of using coal. The steady, 
continuous fire obtainable with coal, the feasibility 
of so regulating its burning as to save waste and yet 
start up a brisk heat whenever desired for tempo¬ 
rary use, as at meal times, are decidedly in its favor. 
The question of economy is not fully understood. 
The carbon of wood, as well as coal, is the principal 
heat-producing element. The best dry, hard coal, 
is nearly all pure carbon, while the best wood con¬ 
tains much of other elements, and even when well 
air-dried it has a large percentage of water which, 
in burning, carries away much latent heat. 
Sheep Feed Trough. 
Make the frame of scantling, li in. or 2 in. 
square, as may be most convenient; sides 12 feet 
long ; top end-pieces 22 inches loug ; bottom end- 
pieces 9 inches long ; the four corner uprights 21 
inches long, placed as shown in figure 1. Cover the 
aides and ends and inside of the bottom with inch 
boarding; then cut eight holes in each side, 6 
inches wide by 8 inches high, leaving 11 inches be¬ 
tween each hole. By leaving the first 11 inches, 
at the left end of each side, the holes will not 
come directly opposite each other, thus preventing 
the heads of the sheep on either side from being 
in contact while feeding. Then hang the trough 
by ropes to the beams in the center of the sheep 
house, a suitable distance from the ground. Fig- 
□ □□□□□□□ 
Fig. 2. 
ure 2 represents the trough in position. Each 
trough will feed sixteen sheep. The writer has 
five such troughs in his sheep house. 
By this method of feeding, the sheep get all the 
grain, shipstutf, or roots that may be put into the 
trough, and are fed in half the time it would take 
to feed them in a rack around the wall, because 
the sheep eat from each side. Make the trough 
altogether of pine lumber, if possible, for light¬ 
ness in handling. For salt, the writer has a small 
trough nailed on the wall of his sheep house, just ] 
high enough to permit the sheep to put their noses 
into it. Salt is always kept in this trough. 
Cloth Bags for Sausages, Pork, etc. 
Take new, unbleached “factory,” and tear off, 
across the width, pieces six inches wide, then fold 
them together, to form a bag three inches double, 
by one yard in length. The double edges are 
folded back upon the cloth, the width of a seam ; 
sew through this quadruple thickness, with stout 
thread, running it coarsely. Dip the bag in very 
hot water, and squeeze it slightly. Insert in the 
mouth of the bag a canning tunnel, and fill the bag 
with the following mixture, being sure to press the 
bag full: 60 lbs. ground meat; 1 lb. salt; f-lb. 
pepper; 2 teacups sage; 1 tea?up brown sugar. 
This is not a highly-seasoned sausage, but is about 
right for home use. The bag is ripped open at the 
bottom, and up the side, as fast as the contents are 
desired. Always wet the bag thoroughly in hot 
water before filling. 
Freshening Salt Pork.— My way so as to 
render it palatable, is to slice ready for frying, and 
half fill a crock with the slices. Turn on sweet 
skim milk, cover the crock tightly, and set in a cool 
place. It will be ready for use any time after six 
or eight hours. When frying the meat, I often 
cook it half-done, then roll in flour and brown it. 
Beat two or three eggs, and a little salt and pepper 
together, dip the meat repeatedly in the mixture, 
fry it, and you have a desirable dish. 
Pork Pot-pie. —This dish is composed of thin, 
narrow bits of salt pork, and potatoes sliced thinly, 
boil until nearly done, then salt and pepper, and 
add dumplings, if desired. Elder’s Wife. 
The Grape Industry in California. 
BT CHARLES H. SHINN, NAPA CO., CAL. 
- -V- 
This spring has been an unusually active time on 
the Pacific slope, especially with viticulturists, and 
the increased acreage in vines is enormous. It 
even surpasses the planting of any previous year. 
The total can hardly be given with exactness, until 
in May. The vineyardists have an active and 
enterprising commission, which comprises among 
its members the most practical growers and wine 
and raisin makers of the State. 
The vine-growers’ problems of the present are 
three-fold : Phylloxera, varieties, and skilled labor. 
“Any one can plant a vineyard,” used to be the 
feeling ; but the men who thrust cuttings of com¬ 
mon varieties of grapes into poorly prepared soil, 
have not found their vineyards very profitable. 
Care must begin long before the vineyard is planted. 
And this is peculiarly true of the mountain lands, 
where the best grapes are grown, and the costliest 
wines will be produced. It has taken long for the 
people to learn that the uplands have their use6, 
but the time has come, and the red hill-land is in 
constant demand. Howell Mountain, Napa Co., 
was partially planted last year, and the work still 
goes on. Among the hills of San Diego, and other 
Southern counties, and along the whole Sierra 
range, the same tendency is manifest. Even the 
slopes of Southern Mendocino, long neglected, are 
becoming vineyards, and one of the peculiarly fa¬ 
vored spots is thought to be in Northern Sonoma, 
on rolling laud about Cloverdale, and westward in 
the Russian River section. Five years ago, much 
of this uneven, rugged, and brush-covered mouu- 
tain land was readily to be had for $2.50 per acre, 
but now it ranges at from $20.00 to $50.00. 
A vineyard usually yields something the third 
year, and a good crop the fourth year. Up to this 
time the cost will have been not less than $50.00 
per acre, or perhaps more. This means, of course, 
that every care has been taken, that choice varieties 
have been selected, the ground thoroughly pre¬ 
pared, the cuttings planted deep and well, hoeing 
and cultivation, pruning and staking, in the most 
approved way, all attended to. Then, the fourth 
year, the crop should be three or four tons to the 
acre, which, at $25.00 the ton, allowing for ex¬ 
penses of gathering, would net from $60.00 to $80.00 
to the producer. The average crop of last year 
over the entire State was from three and a half to 
four tons per acre, a low yield, that was partly due 
to the late frosts of last spring. 
In 1880, the State had 50,000 acres of vines in full 
bearing, and 10,000 acres of new vines were 
planted ; in 1881, about 55,000 acres were in bear¬ 
ing, and 20,000 more acres were planted. Last 
year, fully 60,000 acres yielded a crop, and not 
less than 30,000 acres were set out with cuttings. 
Yet the wine yield of 1880 was 12,000,000 gallons, 
while that of 1882 was 2,000,000 gallons less, owing, 
as was said, to late frosts. 
As for the Phylloxera, it “has come to stay.” 
Beginning its ravages in the Sonoma Valley, where 
it has destroyed a thousand acres and injured at 
least five thousand acres more, it has made its ap¬ 
pearance in isolated spots in almost every part of 
the Sta^e. In Napa and Santa Clara districts, the 
pest, though visible, could easily be stamped out 
by energetic measures. Some of the Sacramento 
Valley and Sierra foothill counties show Phylloxera 
to a dangerous degree. The planting of Phyl¬ 
loxera-proof vines is urged by the best authorities 
as the only safeguard, and these are planted by the 
most thoughtful among the new viticulturists. 
Some depend on flooding the vineyards in winter, 
but this is not a complete protection. The hope¬ 
ful feature is that here the Phylloxera spreads 
much more slowly than elsewhere. 
The labor problem in the near future will be a 
very difficult one, and may make the California 
farmers wish they had more Chinese. If there are 
hardly enough laborers now to gather the crop, 
what will be done when the acreage is doubled ? 
If vintners, vine dressers, and grape gatherers are 
not brought here from France, Portugal, and Italy, 
thousands of tons of grapes will be wasted’ some 
autumn for lack of labor. 
AMERfUAA AGRICULTURIST. 
