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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1875)
UsEpji. ifiro'vfAT10' Black-Leading Iron. In these days of general diffusion of chem ical knowledge it is scarcely necessary to state that the "black lead " or" "plumbago" of com merce, is not lead' at all, or any compound o( its composition. Neither is it a carburet of lead, and that, it includes no lead whatever in iron, as is sometimes stated. It is simply car bon. Pure plumbago is pure carbon, impure plumbago is impure carbon. Its proper name is graphite, that is, writing stone. We may yenture to describe it as the softest of all true solids, and have often pondered wonderingly upon the apparently unnoticed, but very curi ous chemico-mechanieal paradox that the hard--est and softest of all the solids existing upon the earth are, chemically speaking, the same substanoe, graphite and the diamond being both carbon. It is this wonderful softness, combined with persistent solidity, that enables' us to smear it over any other solid surface, and thus obtain a solid paint, all body and no medium. For the class of castings to whioh it is commonly ap plied where its application can be readily re peated and where it is not exposed to the direct action of water it is unrivalled as a protecting film for iron. Its chemical action, so far as it does act when cold, is reducing, or anti-oxid-izing. Its color and tone are so similar to iron that Mr. Buskin himself could scarcely make any asthetio obj ction to its use, and the film is so marvelously thin that it obliterates nothing. There doeB not apper to have ever been any at tempt to estimate the thickness of a well brushed film of graphite, but it would seem that if a hundred strata of such films could be piled in .contact with each other, their com bined thickness would fall short of that of the thinnest gold leaf. Insect Anatomt. Dr. R. U. Pepir, the naturalist, in giving an account of some micro scopic investigations, in which he has recently been engaged, says: I have managed to make a very careful dissection of the tongue of a bouse fly, and now I can show the so called trachae on the tip of the tongue very neatly dissected by my own hand. I can also show a Tery fine specimen of a parasite from a blowinq flu, with all its organs perfect. I have noticed What I think is a fact that the flies which survive the winter are all, or nearly all, perhaps females; and have just dissected u house-fly, in which I find IOC eggs. I have also demonstrate! what is, perhaps, an ontological discovery that the central lancet of the borse-fl; is tubular. For -what reason, as he has a sucker from which be draws b'ood from the wound he makes? The lancet of the horse-fly the female, for the male bas no biting organs, is a compound instrument. When closed it presents a point; when open it shows several points radiating from its base. The two outside lancets have rows of teeth, 1i1rthniA nn the law of a shark. I sunDOse the creature introduces the lancet shut, like the sticks of a fan. When it is withdrawn it is opened in the process, and thus makes that ugly tormenting wound which these insects inflict UDon horses and cattle. The hollow lancet nerhans carries some kind of fluid to poison the blood or render it more fluid. There is, however, no gland to be found by which this fluid is secreted. That the lancet is hollow, however, I have shown without a question, as I have contrived to make fluid pass through it. Guns Discharged Without Caps. It seems almost impossible that a gun should be discharged without the presence of either pap or flint; yet a' well authenticated ewe of the kind seems to have occurred, recently, near Napa, as narrated by the Register of that place. It seems that Benj imin Bergrin, being out with some companions duck snooting, had just fired one barrel, and hearing the shot loose in the other, turned up the gun into his left hand to Sour out the charge, taking the precaution to rst remove the cap, Notwithstanding the ab sence of the cap, the gun went off and made a bad wound in his left band. It seems almost incredible that a gun could be discharged after the cap is removed, but the phenomena is ac counted for by experts on the hypothesis that the percussive quality of. the cap had the weather being damp adhered to the nipple ot the gun and been sufficient to explode it on being jarred incident to shaking th charge out, the hammer being down. That this theory is a correct one, is confirmed by a similar acci dent which occurred a few days previous to one of the Asylum apprentices, who had been shooting, and having both charges left in his gnn, thought to save them by leaving them in till next day, when he would go out again. To this end he removed both caps, let one hammer down carefully, and was lowering the other, when it slipped from his thumb on to the nip ple, and discharged the barrel The other b ir rel went off at the same instant, as is supposed, by the shuck of the first one both discharging their contents up through the roof. The youth had a narrow escape, and the two accidents confirm the theory of the total depravity of guns, "dangerous without either lock, stock or barrel, because a man once whipped his wife to death with a ramrod." Gum Arabic. This useful product come from Morocco, instead of Arabia, as its name would imply. About the middle of November, that is, after the rainy season, a gummy juice exudes spontaneously from the trunk and branches of a species of the acacia in that country. It gradually thickens in the furrow down which it runs, and assumes the form of oval and round drops, about the Bize of pigeons' eees. of different colors, as it comes from the red or white gum tree. About the middle of December, the Moors encamp on the oorders of the forest, and the harvest lasts a full month The gum is packed in large leather sacks, and transported on the banks of camels and bul locks to the seaports for shipem-nt. The bar vest occasion is made one of ere it rejoicing, and the people for the time being almost live on gum, which is nutritious and fattening. Such is the commercial story of this simple article. Domestic Ecoftbfiy. Care of G'ass and China. It ought to be taken for granted that all china and glass-ware is well tempered; yet a little careful attention may not be rnisplao-d, even on that point; for th ugh ornamental china or glass-ware is not expo-ed to the action of hot water in common domestio use, yet it may be injudiciously immersed in it for the purpose of cleaning; and, as articles intended solely for or nament may not be so highly annealed as oth ers, without fraudulent necligenie on the part of the manufacturers it will b proper never to apply water to wheu beyond a tepid tempera ture. Bnt when fractures take place, the best cement, both for strength and invisibility, is that made from mastic The process, indeed, may be thought tedious; but a sufficient quan tity can be made at once to last a life-time. To an ounce of mastic add as much highly recti fied spirits of wine as will dissolve it. Soak an ounce of isinglass in water until quite soft; then dissolve it in pure mm or brandy until it forms a strong glue, to which add about a"quar ter of an ounce of gum ammoniac, welled rub bed and mixed. Put the the two mixtures to gether in an earthen vessel over a gent In heat; when well united the mixture mav be put into a pbial and kept well stopped. When wanted for use the bottle must be set in warm water and the artioles to be mended must also be warmed before the cement is applied. Tbe broken surfaces when carefully joined should be kept in close contact for at least twelve hours, after which the fraoture will be scarcely percep tible and the adhesion perfect. The broken portion will also be as strong as the unbroken. The same oement may be applied to marble and even to metals. English Etching. Cheap Teleqbaphy. President Orion's re port of the affairs of the Western Union Tele graph company is calculated to inspire much hope in those who believe that the Govem men: can run the lines at cheaper rates to the public On the first of January, 1873, a reduc tion of more than 50 per cent, was made in the maximum tariff between the moBt remote pointB ou the company's line. This, though occasioning a temporary loss of revenue, has resulted, during the last few months, in a large increase. The reduction was from $7.50 and $5 to $2.50. President Orton now adds that, owing to Messrs. Edison's and Prescott's quad ruples apparatus, which is, at the present time, -working successfully between Chicago and New York, and by whioh two messages are sent in the same direction and two more in the oppo site direction simultaneously on a single wire, be brieves it practicable before long to cut Tates down still lower, and ultimately to estab lish but four rates for day messages, namely, twenty-five, fifty, seventy-fivo cents, and one dollar, with half oharges (except for the low est; for night messages. . A New Papeb Boabd. A new method of manufacturing paper board, to mike that a-ti .lo mnm rronflrftllv useful and dur ble, is de scribed as follows: When a sheet of paper is immersed in an ammonical solution ol copper, and thtn dried, it is s lid to be quite imprrgna ble to water, and does not Jose this quality even though the water be boiling. Two sheets of paper thus prepared, and passed through a cylinder, adhere to each other bo completely as to be quite ins-pa'able. If a large number of sheets so prepared be cylindered together, boards of great thiokness are obtained, the resistance and cohesion of which may be increased by interposing fibrous matters or clothes. Th substance so prepared is quite as hard as the closest grained wood of the same thickness. The ammonical solution of copper is prepared by treating plates of r copper with ammonia of the density of 0,880 in contact with the atmos phre. ' India-Rubber TfBES. Messrs. Bird &"Co., f London, have lately brought into notice a, new and improved wheel, with India-rubber tire, which, is claimed to be capable of wearin? as long as, or longer than an iron tire, and to bave the great advantage of perfect noiselees ness and absence of injurious jr. The draft of the carriage is said to be reduced by the use of this tire nearly one-third. It appears to be simply a tire of solid rubber, fastened on the exterior of an ordinary wheel by bolts, such as are used with iron tires, and it may b thinner than the usual kind, merely serving the pur pose of a bind to bold the wood work firmly together. To Remove Nitbio Acid Spots. The yellow spots produced by nitric acid may be removed from brown or black woolen goods, whileiresh, by repeatedly dipping them into a concentrated solution of permangate of potassa and then washing tbem with water. The yellow spots on the bands may be removed in the same waj , the brown stain prodnoed by the permangate being removed, by as aqueous solution of sul phurous acid. Tbi United Btatea ia now paying over 1 100,. 000,000 per annum for freight and passage on ilinr. uhin. to be carried abroad and expend ed in the employment and support, of other peoples beyond a fair percentage of what abou'A go to foreign vessels, estimating on th tonnage ana travel " " - OixAwwa Oot-Doob Statcabt, Etc.-U if recommended, in elding movered .tat nary in garleis. etc , first to kill the vegetation by the application of petroleum or benzine, which wid not injur, th. .ton, and to remove it when dry by breaking, finally robbing with rag. How to Use a GBiNDsroNK. Common grind stone spindles, with a crank at one end, are opan to the great objection tint the stone will never keep round, because every person is in clined, more or less, to follow the motion of his foot with bis hand, which ciuses the pres sure on the same to be unequal. The hirder pressure is always applied to the very same part of the stone, and will soon make it un even, so th it it is impossible to grind a tool true. To avoid this, put in place of the crank a small cog wheel of 13 cogs, to work into the former. The stone will make about .07 of a revolution more than the orank, and the harder pressure of the tool on the stone will change to anotner place at every turn, aim tne sione win keep perfectly round if it is a good one. This is a very simple contrivance, but it will be new to many of our readers. Cabinet Maker. Poisoned Bctobebs' Meat It is well that all housekeepers, and esnecially all en gaged in furnishing meat for the table should be impressed with the undoubted faot that ani mals ought not to become exoited before they are butchered, because their flesh is injured thereby, and it will spoil quickly. It is fre quently the case that some mUhap occurs when a hog or a fat steer is to be butohered, or when a hurt is given of gre.it or less moment which puts the animal in deadly fear, and he is likely to break away; in which case met), bovs. and does aive chase, which makes mat ters decidedlv worse, and if, finally, life is taken, it is under oltiable circumstances There is no doubt tbat niuoh of the butcher' meat of the large citis is iujured by reason of long j jumeys, inducing a condition ot ear ana tremnliug or a hlnh state of nervous excitement which can but aftVt the flesh. There ought to be special regulations to guard agaiust this in all slaughter-houses, and ou farms the utmost care and deliberation should be taken so that butchering may be quickly and successfully performed. Dr. Cross. Deaths from Lamp Explosions. There are so many clrcumstaoees nnd.r whioh accidents, more or less severe and often fatal, occur from lamp explosions, that people cannot be too studious In informing themselves with regard to such accidents, or too oareful in seeking to avoid them., But a few days since the following case occurred at the house of a friend on Perry street, in this city. A gentle man entered a room late at night in which a k rosene lump bad1 been burning low through th eveuiug, stepped towards it and was in the act of extending bis hand to turn it'down. and out; but just b -tore his fingers reached the thumb-sorew the lamp exploded with a loud re port which sent it in fragments to every part of the room. Fortunately thre was no fire set and no person injured. The next morning a areful examination of the fragments to learn the c tuse of the explosion led to the theory tbat the tube, which was rather' a large one, had been fitted' with a very small wiok, thus leaving a lrge air space by meanB of which, in all probability, the movement of the air in the ro im, caused by the opening of the door, forced the small, flickering flame down into the tube far enough to communicate with and ex plode the gas whioh would naturally, under the circumstances, hive accumulated therein. In this connection it may be interesting, as well as u-eful, to oall to mind the faot that Prof. Chandler, of New York citv. says: "The total result for the year 1869, for the oity of New York, whioh I mvself have cut from news papers, is fifty-two fatal accidents from dan KerouB kerosene, fifty severe and six slight in all one hundred and eight persons, to my knowledge, irom my own reading, nave Deen injured by kerosene in one year." Effect of Wabhtb in Pbxventino Death fbom Cni.oBAL.-Dr Brunton (who, by the way, has succeeded the lamented Anstie as editor of that excellent medical journal, The Practitioner) confirms the observations of Lie breich and others, and finds tbat the subcuta neous injection of a solution of chloral induces -leep, wuioh is light and easily broken if the dose be small, but passes iuto ooma if Hie dose be large. In dogB, considerable restlessness was observed before sleep came on, and the respiration was at first rendered rapid but sub sequently became slow. A remarkabletdlmi nution of temperature was observed, which aDDears to be nartlv due to ereater loss from the surface, caused by the vessels of the skin becoming much dilated under the influence of the drns. and allowing the blood to be oooled more readily by a low external temper ature. It is partly due also to the diminished production of heat, whioh cessation of muscu lar action alwaj s induces. Dr. Brunton found that an animil wrapped in cotton wool may recovor perfedly from a dose of chloral which is sufficient to kill it when exposed to the cool ing action of the air, mid that .recovery from the narcotlo action is much quloker when the temperature is maintained in this way, and still more rapid when the animal is placed in a warm bith, providing MiU is not excessive. TH ViHbyW "The Cow Theory." Speaking of tho cote theory that is, that a man with five acres of land can maintain him self, bis family and bis cow a writer in the Farmers' Magazine tor last month, bas the fol lowing: . "On Sir Baldwin Leighion's estate in Shrop shire, Eng., pauperism is almost exterminated by means of the cow, it being the rule rather than the exception for a laborer to have sums varying from 20 to 80 put by in the savings bank, out of the proceeds of the sale of butter. I bave seen the books with the sums entered to their crtdit. Most cottages have two or three small fields attached to the holding, mostly laid down in grass. The cow, however, is only a second strlcg to the laborer's bow, and does not in any way interfere with bis giving efficient ser vice to the farmer, as the cow can be looked after by the wife who ma'ses the butter and sends it to market by the carrier. We have frequently called attention to the great boon a cow is to the poor man, and tbe targe profits of a good d liry. This especially the case where only a few cows are kept and are well o itea lor. A friend of ours, with three grade short him cows, bas realized no 1-ss than $90 from tbe product ot each cow in a single season be sides the milk and butter used in tbe fsmlly. But these favocable results depend upon two conditions, on or both of which we frequently aee overlooked or disregarded, to wit: First, That we b ive a good cow good in form that a profitable disposition may be made of the carcass for beef, wh-jn the cow is no longer wanted for the dairy, and a liberal and steady milker; it is incomprehensible that poor cows should ever be used, when good ones can be obtained at so small an advance on tbe common Erica. And this is especially true where feed is igh and the animal i kept with a view of sup fljing milk and butter for the family or market, ndeed, inferior cows should not be kept for auy purpose, but should be slaughtered for beef as soon as their inferiority is discovered. To keep an ill-formed cow or a poor milkwr, for a breeder, is even worse economy thin for the dairy, as in this way we perpetuate and multiply unprofitable stock. The second condition for success with tbe dairy cow, is that she bave plenty to eat and the beat and kindest treatment, All farmers understand the importance of crowding hog dtsigued for slaughter that it takes as much to make an animal "bold its own," as to keep up tbe highest degree of gain, and tbat, there fore, if we only half feed, what Is consumed is a dead loss; so it is when we merely leap alive young cittle or o'her stock,, Bat in oo instauce does lull pisture or a proper supply of other looa in winter, or wnen pasture is snort, pay better than in the management of the dtiry cow the more plentiful tbe feed, tbe greater will be, not only the yield, but tbe absolute profit. T. C. J. in Live Stick Journal. Rolled Hebbino. Herrings having bird roes appear larger and finer fish tbau those with soft roes; nevertheless the 1 itter are to be pre frrred. as thev rrallv have more flesh and are more delicate. Having scraped the flsh, cdt off tbe beads, split open, cleanse and take out tne roes. Take tne herring in the left haud, and wiih the thumb and finger of tbe right pn ss tbe baok bone to loos n it, then lay the fiih flit on the board and draw out tbe bone; it will come nnt whole, leaviuc none behind. Sorinkle the herring with pepper, salt aud a little chopped green paisley; lay on the soft roe, roll up tightly, leaving the fin and tail outwards, anil bind iound with a piece of tape to keep it in shaiie. Have ready some water well seasoned witn pepper, salt ana vinegar, una wuou iv boils put in tbe herring and let it simmer for ten minutes, or until cooked. Serve it with butter, parsley or egg sauoi poured over. Artificial Cheese. As a suocosaor to arti ficial butter we have now an article of artificial cheese. The experiment of its manufacture has been made in Tompkins county, New York, it is said with great sucoess; and tbe theory is sirnnlv that skim milk cheese, a food material of little value, may be so improved by the ad dition of foreign enriching material as to be much more valuable. The cream is therefore taken from milk and mads into butter, and the skimmed material is made into cheese by the addition of a pure and wholesome, but cheap oil. A Paradise for Bees. A correspondent of the 8. F. Bulletin writes thus sweetly of the bee pastures about Shasta: "The Shasta woods are full of wild bees, aud their honey is cxaotly delicious, At least suoh was the quality of my samphs, and no wonder, inasmuch as it was in great part derived from the nectar bells of a huckleberry bog by bees that were let alone to follow their own sweet ways. The hive was a living pine tree, and the REcrrBocrrr wrrn Hawaii. Dispatches from Washington say that if the negotiators act promptly in settling up tb. details of tbe Hawaiian reciprocity treaty upon such a gen eral character as ia understood to be contem plated, there is no doubt of its prompt ratifici t!?n by tbe Senate. Oxsteb Omelet. Whisk four eggs to a thick brotb; then add by degrees one gill of cream; beat tbem well together; Reason the eggs with pepper and salt to taste. Have ready one dozen nn oysters, cut tnem in nan, pour tne egg into a pan of hot butter, and drop the oysters over it as early as possible. Fry a light brown and serve hot. Qood HeAlTH Scott's Railboas Bill. Effort, are being made in Congress to bave Tom Scstt'a biff amended so as to connect tb. Text Pacific railroad with tb. Central Pacific railroad at at Fort Yuma, and thus leav. tb. latter undis puted control of th. great rout, with California. T Sotro tunn.1 ia in 8,079 feet. Fatal Effects of Filth. X. A. Willard in a late address before tho Connecticut Farmers' Convention discoursed as follows: Many cases of fever bave been traced to the consumption of swill milk; dis eases have been traced to tho milk drawn from cows by tbe attendants of sick persons; alsi to the impure water with which milk-pans wore washed. Cows that drink impure watr give nnwbolrsome miik. Milk becomes impure from particles of dust falling from the cow's ndder, which baB been gathered by passing through sloughs or mud-boles. Farmers do not as a rule appreciate this matter, but if they can dispose of their milk or buttr before any great change is effected, they think all respon sibility is off their shoulders. The fine charac ter of English cheese may be attributed to great car. in all tbe operations, running from tbe conditions of the pasture, as to the cleanliness from slouch-holes, through the stable, the spring-bouse, washing of pans, etc., to tbe production of the cheese. Cesspools or dead animals found upon the premises of English fanners are subjects for prosecution. Putrid water is oft-n tbe only kind by which tbe cow can slake her thirst, and yet it is pro ductive of disease. We have a law to prevent watering milk, and yet a farmer is allowed to permit bis cows to quench their thirst in tbe most filthy and poisonous water. Which is tbe most deserving of punishment? A case of diarrhea in a family was traced to the milk ob tained from a cow confined in a stable without properentilation. While the cow is under a violent excitement, or in an exceedingly nei vous condition, tbe milk b -comes highly poi sonous, aa many case bave abundontly proved. A child fed from tbe milk of a cow that drank from water oozing out of a bog-pen was covered over with sores and pustules. Every factory for milk should have a schedule of questions for its patrons, covering th. whol. ground of cleanliness, treatment of tb. animal under all conditions, while in tb. pasture, at the stible, or in their passage from on. to tb. other; con dition of pasturage as regards grass, etc., and in .very direction affecting tb. product of milk. distance to the boney bells was only a mo ment's buzz. Bees themselves could hardly hold tbe conception of a more honeyf ul plaoe honey-bog to left of them; honey-bog to right of tbem; blooming willows for springtime; golden-rods for autumn; and beside a'tbat and a'that, miles of acres of butteroups and colum bines and rosy chapirral. Regarding Mount Shasta from a bee point of view and beginning at the summit, the first 5,000 feet is clothed in summer with glaciers and rags of snow, and is, of course, almost entirely boneyless. The next 1,000 feet of elevation is a brown zono tufted and matted with bush penstemon and bryan thus. next comes the silver-fir zone, about 2,500 feet in night, containing few sweet flow era, bnt rich in honey-dew and pollen. Next the zone of honey-bearing chaparral or Shasta heather, forming the smooth, sunny slopes of tbe base. This last is six or seven miles wide, and bas a circumference of more than 70 miles. Companies of spruce and pine break aero is it in well-watered soctious; yet, upon tbe whole, it is remarkably regular, and contains all the principal honey-grounds of tbe mountain. The form ition of the Shasti bee lands is easily understood. Shasta is a flre-mountain, oreated by a succession of eruptions of ashes and molten lava, which, pouring over tbe lips of ihe craters, layer over layer, grew outward and upward like tbe trunk of an exogenous tree. During tbe glacial period tbe whole Shasta cone was capped with ice, which by ero sion degraded it to some extent and remodeled its flanks. When at length the glacial period began to draw near a close tbe ice-cap was gradually melted off around tbe bottom, and in rooeding and breaking up into its present con dition, deposite i those Irregular heaps and rings of moraine matter upon which the Shasta forests are growing. Tbe glacial erosion of most of tbe Bhista lavas gives rise to soils oom posed of rough bowlders of moderate) siz, and a great deal of light, porous, sandy debritiu, which yields very re sdily to tbe transporting power of running wat-r. An immense quantity of this finer material was sorted out and waslied down from the upper slopes of ths mountain by an ancient flood of extraordinary magnitude, and redeposited in unootb, delta-like beds around tbe base. These form tho main boney grounds. The peculiar vegetation for which ibey were planned was gradually acquired, huckleberry bogs were planted, tbe seasons be came summer, tbe chaparral bee una sweeter. until h'iney distill i like dew. In this glorious boney zone tbe Sbasta bees rove and revel, clambering in bramble and bookie bloom, ring ins and singing, now down among buttoronps, now out of sight in the rosy blossoms ot tbe buckthorn. Tnev consider the lilies, and roll into them; and like lilies they toil not, for bees are run by sun-power, lust as mill-wheels are by water-power, aud when tbe one bas plenty of water aud tbe other plenty of sun they bum and quiver alike. I bave often thought in bright, settled sun weather, that I could tell tbe time of day by tbe enptrative energy ot Dee movements. Gentle and moderate in the cool of the morn ing, gradually increasing in fervor, and at high noon (billing aud quivering in wild sun estacy. Bees are as directly the outcome of bright light as flowers are. Be. death and flower death are also alike merely a sun-wlthering and evaporation. Shasta bee appear to be better fed than any others I know of. They ar. dainty feeders and enormously cordial withal. Mint moths and humming-birds seldom set foot on a flower, but reach out and suck through long tube, as through straws; but bees bog and clasp and rub their blunt oountenancsM upon them like round, awkward children upon ihtsir soothers." Grape Culture. From the Pacific RonlPreet. Editors Pbesb: This branch of business is every year becoming of more importance to the people of California, and hundreds of men are now looking to raisin grape onlture aa being the best business forthem to engage in. Many of these, having no experience with the grap, every naturally look to the agricultural books and papers of the present day for infor mation on that subject. Agricultural books are mainly written by scientific men, who have gained their information more by reading than by actual experience, consequently their modes of doing things are so expensive that men of small meanB oannot follow their ad vice. This leads me to speak of the RobalPbiss, whose pages are filled with tbe experience of the praotical men of this State, and from the reading of whioh farmers may obtain more praotical ideas in one year than can be found in all the books in existence I do not say this to flatter the editors, but becanse I have never found book nor paper, so filled with com mon sense ideis as is the Bubal -Pbiss. Farmers, try it for one year, and my word for it, you will no longer do without It. There are certain natural laws governing the growth of trees and vines which should be un derstood by all fruit growers. On. of whioh is, that all things being equil, the roots and branches will grow in the same proportion. Wide-spreading tops will s e wide-spreading roots. A tall, slender tree, with but few brauohes, 'will bave a deep tap-root with but few side roots. Cut off the top of this tree and it will soon make a spreading top, and you will invariably find that its roots will grow cor respondingly. Then again, take a well bal anced tree, ana out on ine greater portion oi its top and branches, and it will make a tre mendous growth the following year; and this simply to gain an equilibrium or an equal bal ance between the roots and its branches; but so soon as tnts Is done tne tree Is cneoked in its growth, and then grows more moderately. This is tbe main cause of well cultivated fruits being better than those in a natural state. Fruit trees in a natural state do just what na ture intended them to do; that is, produce seeds after their kind. But when trees are ju diciously pruned and thinned out. this gives their roots an over supply ot sap in the pro portion to their branches, so that when they commence to grow, there being a less number of fruits, they receive a greater share of sap, and consequently grow larger and better. I have neon led to make the foregoing and followina remarks by reading a letter on this subject in the Rural Press of December 16th, 1874, written by W. S. Sanders. He seems to think that in planting cuttings tbe more vine is bnrled in the ground tbe-more roots it will produce. Now, Messrs Editors, judging from my own experience, I think he was never more mistaken. A cutting is not a rooted vine, and one planted twelve inches deep, perpendioular, will produce ns many roots as ten feet of vine buried in a trench, simply becauso the roots and the branches must grow in the same pro portion. v Mr. S.mders says of pruning: " Prune so as tt lave three or four primary buds on eaoh bunoh," oto. In following this advice there is no provision made for a renewal of wood tor next year's crop. Not only that, bnt it will so spread the tops of the vines that in a few years they will meet between tba rovB. To avoid this cut bait of the branches to two buds eaob, and tbe remainder to five or six buds each, or as many of them as are required to procure a full crop of fruit. At the next pruning time cut off the long stems of the previous year close up to the main stalk or vine. At this time there will be found two branches on each of the short spurs; of these cut half to two buds and tbs remainder to long stems or spurs, as before, and so ou from year to yecr By this plan of pruning the vino is kept within due bounds, and still has plenty of the best buds left to produce bountiful crops of fruit each year. Mr. Banders says ot planting the vine: " Make each cutting at least three feet long. All of this, except one bud, should be buried under the ground. Each vine so buried will throw out a sprangle of roots, thereby giving the vine a much greater growth than by the old way of using short cuttings, only half buried in the earth, etc. Now, Messrs. Editors, this plan of cutting tbe vine is as "old as tbe bills," and has beou practiced by European vinegrow era for centuries. But tbe Americans are a pro gressive people and bave long since learned better unit cheaper ways of planting tbe vine. In an experience of 10 years with tbe vine in California and having rooted and taken up thousands of vines, I have failed to see wherein long cuttings, buried in tranches, bud any ad vantage of short outtinga'properly planted. On the other hand, I have invariably found tbat cuttings plauted perpendicular, from 12 to 15 inches deep, had better roots and more of tbem (because they stood upright) than when planted h Mr. Bandar's advises in irenches, I have also failed to sue roots produood from the bud of the vine. Cuttings of any kind, whether of grape or other wood, do not tike root from their buds, but from the bottom end of the out ting. Mr. Sanders' plan of p'anling tbe'vine is tedious and expensive, not only in planting, but vines thus p'anted must be staked to in duce them to grow upright, and must be kept tied to tbe sttkes for four or five years. Their roots being all on one side, their tops hsv. a tendency to fall over in tbe opposite direction unloss tied to stakes. The better and cheaper way to plant vines is to take cuttings about 20 inches long, plant tbem perpendicular, from 12 to 16 inches deep, leaving five or six inches above ground. The latter is to form tbe bead of tbe vine; by this way of planting, there is no ned of takes. Tbe vines being purpendicular will root even all around like a tree, aud will stand alone much better than when burisd in a trenob, while the expences will not be' more than one fourth as great. In tb. years 1883-6-7, I superintended th. planting of Lone Hill vineyard, of BanU Clara county, owned by D, M. Uarwood, and they all were planted In tbe manner I am L.r. de scribing, and to-day, it bas tb. nam. of being one of lb. dne-st vineyards in th. Btate, and there never was a stake in it. At Riverside w. have thousinds of vines planted in this way, all doing well and yieldlog tba second year from planting irom four to aix pounds ot iruit to lb. vine, (variety muscat Alex indr.) W. have plenty mors land of the same sort, and plenty of water so tbat others may com. and do likewise. P. B. Bessxix. Riverside, Jan. 7tb, 1875. Tub Sacramento sugarie hit just erected a large two story building for a distillery and potash factory.