Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-10
THE BERMUDA ONION IN TExAS.

Do you think the famous Bermuda onion,
raised on the Bermuda islands, and now so
common on the early Northeastern markets,
could be made to succeed IN this southern
portion of Texas, If SO, please tell Us all
about it and how they cultivate il up in
the Bermudas l suppose it is unnecessary
for me 10 offer an apology for intrudng
upon your time and patience. since | see
that everybody is after you for uforna-
ton. and that you are not kicking in the
traces about II. q. {. STOKES.
Cameron county. Ten.
No kind OF apology is due Us-the more
the merrier
The Bermuda onion, so called. gets the
name from being extensively grown on the
. Bermuda islands and thence shipped to this
country; but the name IS missioner, fsr il
is really a French onion, known in that
country as the Madeira. No onion seeds
are raised or the BermudaS, and all the
onions raised there are from seeds of the
Madeira variety imported from the south
of France (Oemler). So then, as you see,
the famous Bermuda onions are nothing
more nor less than Bermuda-grown French
Madeira onions
We are satisfied that the MADEIRA onion
(or Bermuda onion, if you prefer to call it
by that nance, would succeed TO perfection
in Southern Texas, and we are by no means
sure that ii would not succeed in all parts
of the state, especially cril1'igation. In
the southern part of the state the crop could
doubtless be grown TO put upon the market
in full competition with the crops from
Bermuda. We can see no kind of good rea-
son against this. Florida is making sue
cess of the variety. and certainly South
Texas, with her decidedly better soil advan-
taees, and with equal climatic advantages,
could do more with It than Florida is doing.
1t would be best to order seed direct from
France, as the seed of the onion is Of short
life Seed more than one year Old would
be rather unreliable, and hence unless the
grower got his seed direct from head
quarters he would stand very fair chance
of finding himself monkeying with unreli-
able seed.
Fall would be your time for sowing the
seed-say in November-but you might get
good crops by sowing as late as January.
The soil best adapted to the crop is deep,
rich, friable mould, full of vegetable mat
ter. The river and creek bottoms of Texas,
where naturally well drained, would suit
the Madeira onion to the highest degree.
Heavy land, deficient in decomposed veg
etable matter, is not well adapted TO the
crop, as the bulbs would be comparatively
small, and would have Il more pungent or
fiery taste.-fOemier.)
no o,io, I'D
plant il requires that the land for it should
be deeply broken and thoroughly pulver-
lied Sow on narrow lands ten or twelve
feet wide, drilling the seed in rows fifteen
inches apart. Roll lightly after sowing. In
fair weather the plants ought 10 be up in
about two weeks
The thing indispensable for success with
the onion is clean but shallow culture. Go
over the ground often with rakes or other
suitable implements, and keep the surface
mellow. Never allow weeds or grass 10
start in the rows-pull them out by hand as
soon as they appear. When the young
plants are established thin down 10 about
four inches apart in the row, if you desire
large and fine bulbs-three inches apart
would give a heavier yield but the bulbs
would not be so large. -(Oemlerp. The
plants taken out in thinning may, if the
weather is favorable, be transplanted TO
other beds, where they will do almost as
well as those of the original sowing. The
roots should be put down straight and the
plants set little deeper than they were
growing before removal.
In harvesting, the onions are simply
pulled By hand at ripeness. and left upon
the ground day or two to dry, after which
they are gathered and the necks cut off
with a sharp knife, when they are ready TO
pack for market