4 THE FLORIDA AGRICULTURIST. by women who pound it with wooden hammers. In America this is done by special machinery. The seed is press- el. twice cold, three times warm, and is then boiled with water and treated with alcohol. This oil soon becomes rancid upon exposure to the atmos- pliere. It is extensively used as medi- cine. also in pomades, for illumination, for lubricating machinery, in veteri- nary practice, and in China it is said, as a condiment. The uses to which castor oil is applied are constantly in creasing and a large amount is import. ed. inl India castor oil is considered the best lamp oil, giving a white light, vying in brilliancy with electricity and sm.lierior to kerosene and other illumi- nating oils. It burns slowly without danger, and gives off scarcely any soot. Tie railway cars in India are lighted almost entirely with castor oil and an excellent gas made from the oil coke is being introduced into the railroad stations. G(. J. P. 4 * The American Olive. Editor Florida Agriculturist. As a hedge plant or tree there is none to equal it in our climate and soil. It close habit of growth Ibecoming thicker at tile bottom front year to year makes it very desirable. Planted 18 inches apart and well cared for it will be close enough to turn chickens or rabbits in three or four years. Then it is a very stiff wood, entirely unlike the Privet which is soft and willowy. It is decidedly a living green wall as a hedge. A very rich dark green, both winter and summer. It also grows strong enough to nake a practical fence. I have seen a hedge, perhaps at dozen years old. ullpon which a Ian could walk, it was so compact and stiff. As a windbreak tree, it grows quite fast and very thick, and makes a fine appearance. As a single ornamental tree for parks. lawns. etc. it is as fine as the camphor tree, and much like it in form, but a pleasing contrast to it in color, the former Iweing a soft. light green, while the olive is a shin- ing dark color. These trees are much cheaper than Biota or Privet and much more satis- factory. Tke a look at the olive hedge op- posite the Waldo Farm. W. H. Haskell. TDeLand, Fla. * How To Keep Hams. Editor Florida Agriculturist: A difficulty many farmers have to encounter is the prevention of skippers in their hams and shoulders. Old-fash- ioned Southern housekeepers have var- ious methods of protecting their meat from the fly. Packing in wood ashes, slhek'l oats or salt were among the most common. An application of mo- lasses and black pepper was also re- garded as a reliable remedy for the trouble. Of recent years putting the Joints in heavy cotton sacks has been the practice of farmers as it was the most certain preventive. A much simp- ler mode of treatment is now becoming popular. After the meat has taken salt and ;s ready to be smoked, rub well all over the surface with powdered lo- rax and no further Drecaution will be found necessary. The meat may be al- lowed to hang up in the smoke house all summer and will keep sweet and fresh. Eliza R. Parker. 0 * "Razor Back" Hams. One of the best and apparently not the least appreciated of the many im. portant food products which America sends to England and France is the celebrated "Smithfield or razorback" ham,.for about .(5.000 such hams are annually shipped to those countries from New York. says the Washington Star. In England where the domestic hams have a tendency to be fat and coarse, our Smithfield hams have among connoisseurs a very high repu. station for leanness and great delicacy of flavor, both of which qualities are hot thought to be excelled by even the Westphalian hams of Germany. As the British consumer is willing to pay a fancy price for the product, some of our choicest "razorbacks" are- export- ed to John Bull's markets. The name "razorback" is derived from a small town on Pagan Creek, near Norfolk, Va.. where some hun- dred years ago the hams were first cured by a man lllned r Todd, of Smith field. The animal which produces the li:in is a semi-wild hog that is found in the mountains of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. The hog poe culiair to tlese regions is long-nosed, slah-sided and has unusually long legs. It is not a prepossessing animal, but wluen properly fed it supplies a ham that is unexcelled anywhere in the world. Much of the fine flavor which is char- acteristic of these hams is largely due to the care that is exercised by the farmers in feeding the hogs. In sum iler the young "razorback" is allowed to 'run wild in the woods, and his meat tlihreby gains a gamy flavor by fall, vwhlen Ihe is turned into a field from which crops have been gathered in or. der to fatten. In the district which produces the- most Smithfield hams there are large Ilquantities of sweet po. tato,es and lpanullts grown. Roth these foods fatten the animal with astonish- ing r:alidity. but the fat is still soft. So the next step is to pen tile hog up ailnl give him plenty iof water. Witli this diet the, animals flesh hardens quickly to the desired extent. and lit- is then ready to kill. The curing is done with Liverpool salt and saltpeter, after which. thle halinl are washed clean ai.d slowly snlloked for forty days over grl'ee licikory or red onk wood. Many farnlers raise the liogs. but few cure thell. Tin'y are sold to skillful curers who supply tihe iarket.-Exchangte. 4 4 Cooking Feed For Hogs. My experience ill cooking feed for stsck is rather limited, yet I consider that bulky foods, such as potatoes, roots, puIlltlkins etc., are far more val- uable for stock, especially for hogs, whlen cooked, than when in their raw state. For several years I fed my hogs rlaw feed. and I have had moder- ately good success, but during the last year or two have been feeding more cooked feed. and I see a great improve- nient in my hogs, and at the same time I think there is a good saving made by cooking tlhe majority of their feed. 1 have tried, says a writer in Rural New Yorker. various kinds of cooked feed, and I can obtain the best results from the following: Corn and oats, equal parts: corn and pumpkins divided, three parts corn and one part pumpkin; corn and potatoes, equal parts; corn, oats and potatoes, equal parts. I also tlink that corn alone well cooked is good. and ian occasional feed of all po. tatoes or all pumpkin will add fesh and strength to tile hogs, but in feeding cooked feed to hogs it is not good pol- icy to give it to them too hot; better be entirely cold than too warm. After cooking a supply of feed it is a very good plan, I think, to add about two or four gallons of cold water to the bar rel of feed. but if it can be done, luke- warm feed is preferable to either hot or cold. I would advise not to cook too much of the feed at any one time, as it will soon become sour, and I think that feed of any kind, when it becomes too sour, Is injurious to the logs. I have also noticed that in feed- ing hogs cooked feed 1 am able to mar- ket them from two to three weeks toon- er than 1 could when fed on raw feed; that is, they will attain the same weight two or three weeks earlier by using cooked feed. It would be im. possible for me to say much in regard to cooked feed for any other kind of stock. as I deal principally in hogs, yet I think that cooked feed of different kinds is good for any kind of stock, land would say that I think it would lie profitable to any one who raises logs, either in large or small quantity, to use more cooked and less raw feed. -Prairie Farmer. * Some Animals That Beasoned. The following instances that have come under our observation go to show that the lower animals have reasoning powers. Our little Morgan mare Dolly Pet was driven by my husband from Waukegan to within four miles of Mar- seilles, Ill., a distance of 120 mies. A week or so after h. drove to Marseilles, from there crossed the bridge over the Illinois River. and over the bluffs, go- ing down the river to Ottawa. Dolly' or myself had never been in tills section of country before; all was new and strange. She often looked about and whinnied; when we would speak to her she seemed to feel that her old friends were with her. After our visit in Ot- tawa we recrossed the river, going back to the other side. Dolly wished to be turned and go the way she came, aiind she would not drive free as usual, until we got out of the town, when she took a sharp trot and kept it up. We were on the Chicago road, and when within three liles of our uncle's we turned to the right. At every cross road she would turn her head and look, but always looking to the right. My hluslland noticed it and remarked, 'Wonder if Iolly will turn right?" At each cross road lie gave her the lines, but she still trotted on, when all at once she gave a little snort of satisfac- tion and whirled us around tile corner. "Is sile right?" I exclailned, as I did not know one road from another. "Yes, slih is. and how did she know?" Yes, will sonlll one tell how she knew? Born land brought up in Nebraska, nev.- er inl that part of the country before, shle took the right road and when we (-alne to Uncle's house from the op- posite direction from which we left it she turned lpl the drive with a whin- ny of joy. Another case: My husband was walk- ing longg a ravine, and crossing tbli brook was a foot bridge. As lie came to oilln end of it lie saw ai cow starting to cross at tie other side. Slhe looked iup. stopped, I.backed off, and stepped up o1ii tile side of tile I:ank anid waited until Imy husband had crossed, then sihe went over. She reasoned that two could not cross at one time. v'hen in the Rocky Mountains I saw one morning a little burro on thle railroad track, just below my windo,7o. I thought nothing strange as burros are so numerous. Soon a large black uog sprang out from the rocks and began jullping around the burro, nipping his heels, and seemed to be trying to get himl off the track. Soon a whistle and a train came around the curve. The dog was frantic; he tried to push the burro from the track with his paws against the animal's side. He barked and finally took hold of the donkey's tail, which set him to kicking, and at last, just as the train was almost to them, the dog got the burro off the track. The train came almost to a stop and the trainmen gave a cheer as the dog stood one side, panting with the ex- ertion. After that I saw the two often, -and was told that they were insepar. able, but the dog seemed to care more for the burro than he for the dog. When in Nebraska we had a little dog we called Chub. We delivered out- ter to private customers in the city every Saturday. Chub generally went when the team did; he knew where each customer lived. Instead of going with us from one street to another he would cut across through an alley or yard, and when we got there Chub was waiting. He was known about town as the "butter dog." Some animals have more brains and reason about them than some humans.-Mrs. F. C. Johnson in Rural New Yorier. 4 * Items of Interest. Florida Oranges.-Florida oranges have been coming in better shape this week. It is probable that shipments will be much lighter from this time oi, as the men who have the fruit will, now that the holidays are over, prob. ably lang on to it as long as possible. Gilt edge 126's would bring $4.50, and ordinary grades are bringing $2.50 to $3.00 for brights and russets. There is a better feeling in grapefruit this week with a good call for strictly gilt edge stock in sizes running from 40's to 54's, which range from $6.00 to $6.540. Smaller sizes run from $4.00 to $5.00. There are plenty of tangerines on the market. Strictly fancy fruit ranges from $6.00 to $6.50, and runs down to $4.IK>.--Fruitman's Guide. Frost in California.-A dispatch from A XLE, Slight loads. for everything that runs oi wheels. Sold Evorywhre. MM Ud b STANDARD OL QO.M Los Angeles. Cal., of .Jin. 2, says: "Frost is reported over a large section of Southern California last night, th tl'hriinllnter registering 2 5 degrees I i :iny Iplaces. The damage to frul is so far reported very light, but re, sults will not Ie fully made known until the fruit is marketed. The Indi. nations are that tilet cold snap will con tinue folr a few days more, if so the re. suit will le more serious.-- x. Florida Oranges Again.-ln discuss- ing I'lorild orailiges a prominent receive er said yesterday: "Real good fruit sells well, lut the trouble is so muc litls been wasty. Tie average condi tion lis been so bad( that the fruit hl received a Iblack eye with the retailers andl this. has hurt it. "I think more than two thirds of th crop lnas come. Probably more th 2(m1.(1I4 boxes now are left. It looks a if tle early estimates of 800,000 box ;are about correct. "Fruit is beginning to come in its old way, and is as good as ever. Bu it will take consumers some little tim to till tils out, as they are already lpr'judlicd against the fruit. And I' afraid that by the time they do find I out the season will be over."-Frut 'Trade Journal. Perfume Farming.-There Is about to be started in Monrovia, California. the first perfume-farm and perfume manufacturing plant operating on an extensive scale that has ever been established in the United States, some thousands of acres having been bought for this purpose in Southern California. Expert German and French chemists have already been engaged, and this spring the plant, it is said, will be in operation. Several New York and Chi- cago capitalists have the matter in hand, and it is intended to organize a stock company, Incorporated undeo the laws of Illinois. The wonder ia that there is nothing of the kind in In- ida!-Planting Opinion, May 5. Notes on Strawberries. In a bulletin issued more than two years ago by the Alabama agricultural experiment station fall planting of strawberries was recommended for Southern Alabama, but the difficulty of securing a supply of well-rooted plants as early as August or Septem- ber and of getting freshly-set plants to live during the hot weather prevail- ing at that season was mentioned. The suggestion was made that moving the plants with a ball cf earth by means of a transplanter would serve to ob- viate this difficulty. This plan was tried successfully at the station dur- ing the summer of 1899. Fully 90 per cent. of the plants moved In this way during August lived and grew, al- though showers were so light and in- frequent that where the plants were shaken out and planted in the ordi- nary way, nearly all died. The following plan is suggested nl another bulletin by Prof. F. S. Earle as being a cheap and practicable one for establishing a strawberry plant tion in South Alabama: "Plow and harrow the land thor- oughly in February and lay off every Afth row of the propoad plMattlm