AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Bush Advocate, Volume VII, Issue 475, 30 May 1891, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Some idea of the enormous dimensions of the. f live stock trade in the Western States 'ofZ'l America may be gained from the folio-fling ; ■-? ' statement of the receipts at the three principal V, markets in 1890 :— :•

The total of stock of all kinds received ai ithe three markets was considerably over :,*■. 20,000,000. y In a well-arranged American slaughterhouse, when a steer is taken in now-a-daya, the only thing that is wasted is his dying .*. . breath— from the tip of the tongue to the brush. ; of the tail, every part is utilised. The blood ia^ sold to the sugar refinery and to button and other manufacturers for use in the arts. The hide and hair go to the tanner; the horns go to the comb-maker ; the contents of the stomach is saved for manure ; the scraps and pith of the horns go to the glue manufacturer ; the horny f portion of the hoofs go to the button-maker ; the shin bones, after their oil is taken out, aro converted into handles for various purposes; other bones are used for boneblack or fertilising .. purposes ,' the waste goes to the soap boiler. If '*'.'. the saleable flesh will pay expenses, the refuse, as disposed of as above, affords a fair profit to ; . the establishment. ._--•••■• '.*-'- Trifles axe those things which of themselvesare of little moment; therefore it is but . natural that men in the rush of business and work should sometimes slight those comparatively small matters in their anxiety for. the main issue. With many this is very apt to become a confirmed habit, and they grow into the way of habitually disregarding any little '' piece of work that, of itself, is trifling, and fail to look at the little wastes that are con- ". stantly going on around them in consequence. Such is the case on the farm, especially ; very few farmers are given to considering how much these little things amount to in tho course of a year. Although quite insignificant when considered individually, these trifles count up amazingly, directly and indirectly, in a twelve-month. A little mouse hole in a v grain bag is particularly alarming, and the S farmer thinks that in his hurry it is hardly worth noticiug, but before the year has closed several shillings will have crept out there. A little leak in the roof is so common, and of itself such a&rifling ■ ' affair, that it very seldom gets proper attention in the way of repairs, yet the constant dropping of water upon the plasterine* below may cost several pounds worth of work to be expended in repairs when a few minutes of time on the roof ' would have prevented it. Whatever it is, and however triflingit may appear, itwill surelysave much after loss and vexation to attend to any little matters about the farm similar to the ones above mentioned. If not attended to they will absorb the rofit? V ■yVe see now a vast difference between the educated farmer and he who plods along in the good old ways of his forefathers. All , i around the former are evidences of prosperity. '.* His profits, enhanced by the application, of science, are larger and enable him to surround himself with all that convenience or* . taste may prompt. The other labours on — , each succeeding year finds him where its' . . predecessor loft him, and after the toils of a long life he has made but little progress— for his industry has been applied in such a manner as tb secure the smallest results. What makes the successful lawyer bo efficient in his profession 1 It is because he has spent years of time in making himself thoroughly acquainted with all its principles and • details. Lot a man attempt to pursue the profession who is ignoran t of the law and he would, of course, fail. Let him be but slightly acquainted, with it and his business and his' profits would be small. So ih regard to the. other professions and the mechanical trades. Those engaged in them must know how to do the work before they can do it. Why Bhould it be different in the case of the farmer ? It is true, almost any man can plant a potato, or a field of corn, and may possibly get a fair crop, even if ignorant of the first principles of any science. But the soil must be favourable or he cannot. If it refuse to yield its nutrition and cause the grain to grow, he cannot compel it. The only alternative left for him is to abandon it. But let him be versed in scientific agriculture, and the difficulty vanishes. Perverse soils yield readily, and obey commands. Science unlocks their treasures and they pour them forth, and the cultivator is enriched. The time has come when he must understand his business, and be able to {jive a reason for what he does. Tho field will retaliate his neglect or abuse by withholding the rich products which he might otherwise secure : and the sterile aspect of many a farm in the older portions of our country— once rich and productive—furnishes a proof, both of the violence which has been offered to nature, and retributive vengeance with which she resents the abuse of her generous prerogatives. This demand for mechanical skill, for an intimate acquaintance with the laws and resources of nature, and the plain instructions of a rational and practical philo- . Sophy, is increasing upon us every year and every day. It is our duty to meet it. We must meet it, in order to secure increasing permanent prosperity. We should encourage the desire, and furnish the means by which togratify the aspirations of those who wish to bocome masters of whatever pursuit or calling in life they may choose to select. TKUTHFUL REPORTS. The question is frequently asked whether the reports that are so often published of tho profits that are realised in the various branches of . Califomian horticulture are not exaggerations. Some people are wont to pass them by with the sneer that they are all " Califomian lies,'* while others are disposed to inquire into the foundation that exists for accounts that it must bo confessed at times appear almost miraculous. With regard to many of the statements that are published the San Francisco Chronicle reports that after personal investigation they have beea proved perfectly correct. It ia a fact that many fruit-growers donot dare or do not wish to tell the truth about their experience, because it is so extraordinary that thoy would be disbelieved. For instance, a case was widely quoted early in the summer in which the owner of 40 acres of apricot orchard sold the crop for £3,200. This story was disbelieved by many, and the writer upon investigation learned that it waa indeed incorrect. As a matter of fact, the purchaser of the fruit paid the fortunate grower £„800 instead of £3,200, the actual figures for some reason being kept back. Another instance is that o a lemou-grower of Riverside who has achieved a remarkable success in handliug and selling* that fruit. It was known that his profits were enormous, and a porson who had the curiosity to aßk what was the sura realised, was answered that it was so large that ho would certainly be incredulous, Pressing for an answer, he wa6 finally told that the profit was £120 an acre. He was unable to repress an expression of incredulity, whereupon the lemon grower remarked : "I know you would not believe me if I told you. But as a matter of fact I realised £320 to the acre." The largest profits realised in any branch of horticulture seem to have fallen to the lot of the orange growers. As high as £300 to £340 an acre baa been realised for several successive years by at least one San Bernardino county orange grower, while profits of £160 to £200 are not uncommon. It is objected that these statements are all exceptional, and therefore misleading. If they are exceptional, then all tho statements made on this subject must be false, for they are all of the samo tenor. It is not, of course, intended to assert that all fruit growers ore equally successful, and all realise equally largo profits. It is, however, designed to point out what is done, with the inevitable conclusion that what is possible for one to do is equally possible for another. There is no secret or mystery about it at all. Fruit-growing has been reduced tomathematical precision over a very wide portion of the State. Given certain conditions, the performance in a faithful manner of certain ficts will inevitably produce certain results. That is all there is of it. The man who plants trees or vines indiscriminately and spends his time smoking his pipe, playing cards or drinking, will certainly wind up by calling the accounts of the experience of successful men falsehoods. But tho man who takes hold with energy, works as he ought and profits by the experience of others will add to the long list of those who make, if not fortunes, at least a competence in some of the many hranches of horticulture which are now removed from the domain of experiment. About the only way in which the dried or evaporated apples can be made palatable is to stew tliem slowly for a long time. Whea ; thoroughly done, ao that there will be no lumps, pass through a colander, mak-. ing a homogeneous mass about the colour and thickness of apple-butter. Add the juice of a lemon, cinnamon and cloves with discretion, sugar with a liberal heart, "regardless of tariff, and by "making believe very hard,"', after the fashion of Dickens's " Marchioness,'* you have a very fair substitute for apple- t ' butter. .'.,.-• „•- V

' • ■ ■ — ■ ■ ■'■■*> ; I Stock. Chicago. *»* ffX »«r,:| Cattle ... 3,484,280 1,472,220 623,000 5,470,509. "n Calves ... 175,025 76,568 — .26VHW Hogs ... 7,663,829 2,865,171 926,104 11j465,1(W " Sheep ... 2,182,667 535,869 283.859 3,(102,425 Horses ... 101,566 1 87,118 J 21,608 180,292..