One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture AnsweredWickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Science
One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered
Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Agriculture -- California
General schemes of rotation are hard to work out in California. They
must be locally revised according to the local temperature conditions
and the local market also. We should endeavor to find out what has been
successfully grown on similar lands to those which you have in mind and
arrange the rotation on that basis, from what we knew of the relation of
the different plants to soil fertility, etc. You cannot make out a
satisfactory local scheme for the seven counties in southern California,
because of the widely different behavior of the separate plants in the
different parts of the district. You can hardly work on the basis of
soil character: moisture supply and temperatures are more determinative.
Surely you should make a scheme for irrigated land different from that
for dry land, and it could not only be a longer rotation, but many more
plants would be available for its service.
Berseem?
Berseem has been introduced into this country from Egypt, and would like
to know if it has been used in California, and if it has came up to
expectations.
Berseem is an annual clover supposed to grow only during the summer
time. It has been tried widely in California, but practically abandoned
because it will not grow during the rainy season. It is in no way
comparable to alfalfa, which is a deep rooted perennial plant, nor would
it be comparable with burr clover as a winter grower on lands which have
a moderate amount of water.
Heating and Fermentation.
Please explain why dampness will cause anything like hay, Egyptian corn
or other like products to heat.
Heating is due to fermentation, which means the action upon the
vegetable substance of germs which begin to grow and multiply after
their kind whenever conditions favor them. The earlier stages of this
action is called "sweating," and it is beneficial as in the case of hay,
tobacco, dried fruits, etc., as is commonly recognized - resulting in
what is known as curing - and it is the art of the handler of such
products not to allow the action to go beyond what may be called the
normal "sweating." If not checked by proper handling, which involves
drying, cooling, etc., fermentation will continue, and other germs will
find conditions suitable for them to take up their work of destruction,
and this new action produces higher temperature still, and if not
checked by cooling or drying or otherwise making the substance
inhospitable to them, "heating" will result, and thence onward rapidly
to decay, if they have everything their own way.
Moonshine Farming.
What influence, if any, has the moon on plant growth? Are there any
reliable data of experiments available?
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