News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-04-26

Onion Culture on the Farm.
Levi P. Warner, of New Hampshire,
| says in the american Agricultrri%t: The
writer has had thirty five years expert
! ence with the onion as field crop, and
! has not been able to discover any change
| in those fundamentals principles which
are indispensable to its growth and Ter-
feet maturity. 1t requires a fine firm
texture. of soil, drainage, rainfall (or
irrigatiOn) at suitable intervals, and If
the soil has been exhausted of its fertility
By repeated Groupings it will refuse to
yield a harvest even in these modern
times, because the onion has nothing in
itself to made a crop of. In the matter
of rotation we have increasing evidence
that, with proper tillage and fertiliza-
tion, onions may be grown upon the
same field for long term of years, with
reasonable prospect of success. But
methods and systems have changed. Ii
was formerly said that the man skilled
with the hand hoe who would start early
and work hard and long would be sure
to succeed with this crop. While the
hard work has not been eliminated,
something more Is required now. New
and improved implements have been in
troduced, whereby labor has been very
much abridged. Chemical fertilizers
are more generally used The demands
of the market are constantly changing,
and there is competition on every side.
The successful onion grower of the pres.
ent time must be not only a willing
worker, skilled in the use of improved
implements, but he must be a well-read
Crrettrt observer.
The soil upon which our onion crop
has been grown is alluvial, heavy loan,
but easily cultivated, nearly level, and
absolutely free from stones. The recent
practice has been to plow in autumn,
after applying Embarrassing of farm
yard manure, to be supplemented with
chemical fertilizers the ensuing season.
In early spring we apply to each acre
two hundred pounds of high-grade sui
phate of potash, an equal amount of
plain superphosphate, and one hundred
pounds sulphate of ammonia; harrow,
| drag and mandrake until the ground is
very fine, firm and free from all rubbish
| that would obstruct the seed-sower or
| push hoe. We SOW four pounds per
acre of yellow Globe Danvers onion seed
| in drills fifteen inches apart. The de-
| mands of the market must, however,
| regulate, to some extent, the variety and
amount of seed used. The after-culture
| consists in keeping the crop free from
| weeds, and thorough but shallow cult
walton oft repeated until the crop is
nearly grown. We usually apply one
| hundred pounds nitrate OF soda broad
east early in July, and if the crop seems
| to re Iuire it, repeat the dress after an
| interval of week or ten days. During
| the last half of September the crop is
ready to harvest, when we pull the onions
and allow them to remain on the ground
| to dry, four or five days before and per-
haps as long after removing the tops.
! Then, if the weather has been favorable,
! they are in fine condition to store or send
| to market. We invariably prefer the
latter, because it gives more time to at
| tend to other farm work, which always
| crowds at that season of the year, and
also saves cost of storage and re-sorting,
| though others prefer another course.
Our loss from smut, blight, or mag
gots has been quite small, and we regard
| the crop as reasonably sure. Still, there
is an occasional shortage which amounts
| to twenty, thirty, and sometimes even
| fifty per cent. of the crop. 1t comes
! alike on the well-cared for and the neg
/ lected fields in the locality, and some
! times over wide extent of country
This result occurs, perhaps, not more
| frequently than once in decade of
| years, and we have not been able to trace
! it to any well defined cause.
| Farm and Garden Hints.
The safe way to get good milk cows IS
! to Iaise them.
Remove the seeds before feeding
| pumpkins to cattle.
Dampness is great producer of dis
ease among poultry.
Water cattle freque ntly or let them
! have free access to it.
For growing calves, oatmeal may have
scaded milk added to it,
Dirty boots are as much out of place on
! the hay as on the carpet.
Keep the poultry, old and young, ont
of the spring slop and slush.
Poultry are fond OF milk and butter
milk, and they promote laying.
earn how to make frst-class butter
and you can easily get first-class prices.
The best authorities claim that cream
! should be kept at a temperature of about
fifty degrees, OR between this and sixty
| degrees.
skim milk of dairy is worth more to
he fed TO calves III winter than in sum
mcr, but it should be fed warm and
sweet, ard with little oatmeal. Never
destroy CATS digestion with cold
mix.
The chief use of commercial fertil-
izers, guano, phosphates, bone, potash,
salts ami special fertilizers prepared
by formu &c for different crops is to
supply nitrogen, rhosphoric acid and
potash.
Butter takes nothing from the soil that
affects It's fertilization as do crops Of
cereals. It is almost wholly carbon, which
is derived By the plants from the air.
Butter. though sometimes high in price,
is really produced from the cheapest
clements known.
The creamery system IS the only one
for managing milk and making butter
that does not make slaves of women. 1t
is tine great cmaucipator of the house
wife. besides making more butter and of
higher average quality. Az Il measure Of
economy EC good farmer Should be- with
out n creamery.