Newspaper Page Text
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THE RANCH
A Weekly Newspaper
For Everybody Who Wants It.
Price—sl.oo a year, in advance.
Worth—Two gold dollars.
Conducted by E. 11. Libby.
Managing Editor, W. W. Corbktt.
EDITORIAL OFFICES:
NORTH YAK IMA, WASHINGTON.
business offices:
North Yakima, cor. Second and Chestnut Sts.
Seattle, Room 7. Hincklcy Block.
Tacoma. 111«, Pacific Avenue.
RANCH SMALL TALK.
More from the Spjkane convention in Thk
Ranch next week. Its echoe3 will rever
berate for many a day and year.
The women of Spokane, may (Jod bless
them, made the fruit growers' convention
an affair of beauty and spirit. Women
should always liaTe a place in every horti
cultural society and meeting. Miss How
ard's paper on Window Gardening will be
found on another page.
British Columbia sees that her coming
great fruit industry should be on a par with
that of Washington & Co. Perhaps the
Pacific Northwest Fruitgrower*' Associa
tion will help her to ome into the only
union. We are the people. Miss B Co
lumbia really belongs in the family. Come
in dear.
By the bye, why not grow osiers here?
Baskets are too high priced. Osiers would
pay handsomely and bring down the cost of
baskets. Osiers will certainly grow to per
fection in the wet climate of tbe west coast,
and ought to be a profitable crop on the in
land irrigated fields. The borders of
streams and set-back sloughs might well be
thus protected and utilized.
If ycur seedsman cannot give a guaranty
that his alfalfa seed is fresh, the safe way ia
to test it before .sowing. The New York
experiment station found that seed two
years old loses its vitality. This fact may
account for some of the failures that occur
in a "catch." In addition to good seed
have the ground well prepared, and you
will be sure of a "stand."
An Oicgon paper, the Lafayette Ledger,
reproduces an account of the largest apples
erer grown in the Pacific Northwest, of
which there is record. They vrore grown
in 1860 and were sent to the World's fair nt
Paris, France. Three apples weighed 12
pounds 4 ounces. The largest of the three
tipped the scales at 6 pounds 2 ounces.
The tiee from which thpy were taken is
still bearing The name of the variety in
not givan. Perhaps some Ranch reader
may recall it, for the fruit caused much
comment at the time.
Califcrnians ore developing a very "sweet
tooth." Not satisfied with leading off in
successfully growing the beet for sugar,
they now wish to raise cave. To that Mid
THH RANCH.
the University of California aska the secre
tary of agriculture to establish an experi
ment station in that state to determine the
adaptability of the soil and climate to the
cane sugar industry. Mr. Morton looks up
on the proposition with favor. The station
will be located, probably, at the delta of
the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers iv
Sau Joaquin county.
There is too much red tape about our
present fruit pest system. It costs two or
three weeks' time and nearly $100 to make
a man destroy pest-stricken trees. We want
a law that will give the inspector power to
destroy trees if the owner do^s not in a
reasonable time. So said, and wisely, too,
State Fruit Inspector Jesse at Spokane.
The breeders of horses have found busi
ness exceedingly dull ot late. The demand
has not kept pace with production. Let
them take hope. The new settlers will
want one to half a dozen equities each. The
man who has good work animals to sell will
have callers before long. Establish a rea
sonable price list and let 'em slide. A good
time now to advertise horses for sale.
Nebraska sugar beet growers seem per
fectly satisfied with the income from the
crop. The Omaha Bee remarks that after
the first crop of Douglas county shall have
been harvested and sold no further effort
to induce farmers to cultivate the beets will
be necessary. It judges by the way farm
ers feel who reside near the factories that
have already worked up a crop.
The secretary of agriculture has appoint
ed Prof. Ctuleton, of the Kansas agricul
tural college, as a specialist to investigate
the causes of rust in wheat and other cereals
and to determine a remedy if possible. As
Australia offers $30,000 reward for a ptacti
cal remedy of this kind, the professor has
the opportunity to win both fame and for
tune in his new positnn, with the additional
advantage that the government pays the
bills.
Use red leal paint to keep iron work
from rusting. Scientists have decided
this the best coating for the purpose known.
They Hud that the red lead produces a
"skin" of the unoxidizable and protective
bluck or magnetic oxide on the iron itself
under the paint. This is a fact worth remem
bering. About ad much farm machinery
rusts out as weara out. Many portions of
the iron work may be treated to a courne of
red lend without detriment to the working
parts, which should ba oiled when put
away aa wall as when in use.
Many expeiienced fruit growers advocate
the keeping of a few colonies of bees on
every fruit ranch to assist in the distribu
tion of pollen, thus rendering the fertiliza
tion of the blossoms more certain. It is a
well-known fact that some varieties of the
apple arc inferior pollen producers. Among
them are some of our very best sorts; the
Spitzenheig we believe is one of them,
though we have little complaint of it here
ftbooU. But it is a good plan to have the
bees around all the same, except perhaps aa
to the matter of grape*. A little honey
addi to the income, beside* furnishing the
table with a delicious and healthful ewett.
Law giving insect pest inspectors power
to act is essential. Law creating experi
ment stations to investigate and breed in
sect parasites is just as important.
If not already attended to, this is not a
bad time to engage farm help for the sea*
sou. More good men are to be had now
than can be picked np later on, and prob
ably better terms can be made.
How does the summer fuel question stand
at your house ? Have a little care now to
the comfort of the helpmeet who is to look
out for the meals daring the busy farm sea
son. See to the wood pile or the coal bin.
Pestiferous pedlers of trees from distant
states atf worse pests than the insects, for
they too often introduce and spread the in*
sect pests It is as necessary to spiay them
as to spray the trees.
Do not expect to get along without an
noyances and perplexities of various kinds
in this irrigating business, especially if a
beginner. Don't worry over them, either;
none of them are unsurmountable, and
others have survived them. You will.
Watch your would-be legislator* garden
and vineyard. If he keeps them clean of
insects he is your man. No matter about
his politics. The most important thing is
to save your fruits and other crops from the
insect pests, and the state mnst help you
with right laws.
WHAT CHARCOAL WILL DO.
\V. K. Grayson, M. D., Florence, Tex.,
in the Texas Sanitarian, says that, as a
general thing, there is less known among
the laiety and th« public generally about
charcoal and its uses than any other article
that is so common and so useful and so val
uable. Charcoal laid flat on a burn causes
the pain to abate immediately, and by leav
it on for an hour the burn seems nearly
healed if it is superficial. Tainted meat
surrounded with it is swetened; strewn
over decomposed pelts or dead matter, it
prevents any bad odor or stench. Foul
water id purified by ita use. It is a tine
and cheap disinfectant, and will sweeten of
fensive air if put in shallow dishes around
the apartments of the sick. It is so ex
tremely porous in its minute interior that
it absorbs and condenses gases rapidly.
One cubic inch of fresh charcsal will absorb
about 100 inches of gaseous ammonia.
Charcoal forms an unrivaled poultice for
malignant wounds and sores; in cases of
what is called proud flesh it is invaluable.
It gives uo disagreeable odor, corrodes no
metal, hurts no texture, injures no color, is
a safe and simple sweetener and disinfect
ant. A teaspoonful of charcoal iii half a
glass of water will often relieve a sick head-,
ache; it absorbs the gases and relieves the
distended stcmach, pressing against the
nerves which extend from the stomach to
the head. It relieves constipation and
heartburn.
