The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-12-03
Vegetable Culture in Bermuda.

Consul Allen says that onions, pota.
toes, and tomatoes comprise almost the
entire production of Bermuda, and give
employment to the greater portion OF
the inhabitants, and the prosperity of
the colony depends largely upon the
success OF the crop and the demands of
the markets. In onion growing the seed
used is grown in the Canary Islands,
and September; it is sown in the months
of September, October and November,
thicklv in beds, the ground having been
heavily MANFRED with stable manure
two OF three months before sowing. The
white seed is sown first, and produces
the earliest crop, the shipment of which
commences in March. When the plants
are sufficiently large-about six to eight
inches high-they are transplanted into
beds about four feet vide. the plants be-
ing set about seven inches apart each
way. The plants from the white seed
are transplanted as soon as they are
large enough, but those from the red
seed are not usually transplanted until
the beginning of January, and the ground
requires to be only moderately lnanured.
If transplanted too early, and the soil
is too rich, the bulb is likely to split into
several pieces, and is Worthless After
transplanting, the soil requires to be
lightened once or twice, and the weeds
removed before they mature. As soon as
the top begins to fall, the onions are
pulled and allowed to lie on the ground
for two or three days, when they are
cut and packed in boxes of fifty pounds
each and sent to market. All the onions
are delived at the port of shipment in
boxes, ready for the market, and for the
past two years the producer has been
compelled by law to place his name or
initials conspicuously ON each package.
1t is estimated that a large profit ON the
outlay is realized, when the crop is large
and the market good, an acre of ground
sometimes returning as much as f120 to
e170.
For the cultivation of potatoes the
seed was formerly nearly all imported
from the United States, but of late years
has come largely from New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia and Prince Edwards Island.
The ground for potatoes is usually plow
ed or broken up with the spade and
raked, the seed cut into pieces with one
or two eyes, and planted by forcing into
the ground with the fingers to the depth
of about four inches, in rows about TWEEN
ty inches apart, and about eight inches
in the rows. From six to eight barrels
of seed are used to the acre. When the
plants are a little above the ground, the
soil is lightened between the rows with
a fork, and when about six inches high
the earth from between the rowsis hoed
round the plants, only one hoehig being
required. For growing tomatoes the
seed is imported every year, and is sown
about October, and transplanted in De-
cember, into rows about six feet apart,
and the plants are put about four feet
apart i'll the rows. As soon as trans
planted, the ground round the plants is
covered thickly with bush--chiehy the
wild sage which grows over the hills
not only to protect from the wind, but to
keep the fruit from the ground. The
brush is usually raised once by running
a stick under and lifting it enough to
clear the soil OF weeds, no other cultiva-
ton being required. Six or seven quarts
of fruit from the hill is considered fair
crop. The fruit is rolled in paper, and
packed i'll boxes containing about seven
quarts each. Consul Allen says that
the price of land i'll Bermuda varies from
ESQ to e40 an acre, and in some cases
not more than one-eighth is susceptible
OF cultivation. 1t is estimated that there
is an annual export OF so, 900 boxes of
onions, the box containing about fifty
pounds, and OF potatoes $1,000 barrels.