Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-05
Can't. Simons' Onion Field.

During the Autumn we had the pleasur
of visit to Capt Simons' celebrated onio
fields, in Williamstown, where we endeavor
ed to take notes of the manner in which h
raised from five hundred to one thousanC
bushels of nice silver skin onions each year
The past year he raised one thousand bush
els, and disposed of them at a market pric'
of about seventy-fve cents per bushel.-
While in nine cases out of ten the attempts tt
raise onions has for the past few years prov
ed entire failures, it is matter of interes
to know hon it is done but in this item We
fear we shall fail to discover. The soil il
peculiar-of kind of warm, black mari
which seems to have washed down and form.
ed from the butternut hills. N>>is not level
but uneven, and is a strip varying IN width
from few rods to a mile, and extending
several miles, through portion of the towns
of Blrre and Williamstown. Capt Simons
has nearly three acres entirely devoted to this
crop, and to look upon thousand bushels Of
nice onions spread out upon the fields, is GER
taiuly a feast. Mr.. Simons' success in rails
ing onions is, perhaps in great measure due
to soil, but much depends upon the manner
Of preparing the ground, nanuriug, sowing,
wedding and harvesting.
Ia the first place, there is sorupulous
care taken to save every shovelfull of any
and all kinds of manure. Tais is housed
and muck added and mixed, as was we'll des.
cribed in the omnentIy able and practical ad-
dress published few weeks since The ma
nure is spread on in the Fall, and the ground
ploughed as early in the Spring as the soil
will permit and then narrowed and thorough
ly pulverized. Tie soel is sogn the last
week in April, if possible, in drills eleven
inches apart, in abundance, 50 as to allow the
maggot generous share, and coverel half
an inch deep. The amount OF seel to the
acre is about four pounls. Csrsful mi la
borious attention is paid to weeling. This is
done five times during the Sumner, and
thinned out so as to allow sufi3ient room for
each plant. Mr. s. commences pulling those
nearest ripe for use and customers, in August
and sometimes earlier About the 10Th of
September, he commences pulling, leaving
them upon the ground to ripen. Elrly in
October cone, the process Of cutting the tops
off those nearest ripe, Au1 getting them under
cover in airy plAces to dry, who're they are
soon ready for market.
Mr.. Sin)ns his had teen years expert
ence in raising onions from these grounds,
and he his tried a large nu nber Of expert
ments to prevent the ravages Of maggots, but
has found them Of no avail. It is his opin.
ion that the magyot does not pass from one
onion to another, but remains in the plant
upon which the egg is laid. Mr.. s. fields
have not entirely escaped the magsot, but the
new grounds were almost entirely free during
the past season To all the olllirje3 further
than the a5ovo, the most that Gull DO said
was, that it requires care and attention to be
successful, and it seemed to Us, rs in all ag-
ricutural pursuits, that it require, good
natured, clever man to suc3e91. 1t seems
that mans hogs fatten better and don't
squeal, his COWS give more milk, there is no
breaking out of pasture into fields, and the
very dog grows fat, kind and sleek under tho
care of kind, good-natured husbandman.-
Isn't it so ?