Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-17

raise good crop Of onions if the soil is
properly prepared. First of all there
must be no wash; this can be avoided
by under draining, deep plowing and
the repeated use of the harrow. AS the
roots lie so 80 near the surface no crust
must be allowed to form.
Let us examine a moment into the
profit there may be in cultivating
onions:
An acre in onions will cost:
Flowing, wedding and harvesting crop. 100 90
Six pounds seed, 50 per pound. IL 90
Rent or interest on land .............. 3 90
Marketing crop. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS W
The average yield is from 400 to 800
bushels per acre. We will say 900
bushels:
500 bushels at so cents per bushel - $500 90
Cost -----. --...--.-.--..-.-.-......- 17O 20
Gain. $3.50 90
Fifty cents per bushel is a small
price and six hundred bushels light
yield.
1t has been stated that onions want
damp soil. This is a mistake. They
have grown best on damp soil, because
when the soil is damp of itself the soil
is deep, and the earth holds more rain
and less runs off. Thesoil on the top of
the hill will hold Just as much rain if
properly worked asSthat in the valley.
Pulverize the soil deep, make sponge
of it, and onions can be grown on it that
will compete with the markets of the
outside world.-[D. H. Gould in South
ern Cultivator.
FERTILIZING OR ANGE TREES.
A correspondent of the Covina Argus
writes as follows:
In your issue of January 9th you give
YOU what have done. Last winter l
put about twenty pounds common sta
BILE manure (well rotted) around my
orange trees, years old, and plowed it
in; and around other trees five pounds
of fertilizer manufactured in Los An
geles, called phosphate" and find
that during the past year the trees hav-
ing the manure around put on good
grOwths and came out in the fall in a
healthy, good green color, while those
having the manufactured fertilizer grew
about four times as much and seemed
to use the fertilizer all up. Thew
now have rather sickly green color
tending to the yellow. | believe the
manure was the best as it will last
longest. The manure cost nothing, the
fertilizer 10 cents to the tree, and the
oranges are incest on manured trees.
Now have five tons of guano which l
will plow in around the trees using per-
haps fifteen pounds to the tree, and
shall put ip about 80 to 40 pounds of un-
rotted manure around same trees put
manure on last winter. / shall tell you
how they come out if you care to know
next fall.
would like to hear the experiences
of others on this subject; it would be
invaluable to many.
/ forgot to mention that the manured
trees were in very sandy soil, while
the others were in richer sandy loam.
A. f. B.
A TONIC FOR FRUIT TREES.
About two weeks ago Prof. Sachs OF
Wurzburg published a small pamphlet
or the treatment of chlorotic garden
plants and trees, in which he urged the
use of copperas (green vitrioD in the
treatment Of garden plants for chlorosis,
claiming that it was the best remedy
that could be employed. This malady,
which in its advanced stage causes the
leaves of plants to turn white, is due to
a lack OF iron in the soil, or to too rapid
growth. From five to nine kilogrammes
(eleyen to twenty pounds) OF 'copperas
can be entirely absorbed, it is said, by
1000 litres (1056 quarts) of garden earth.
The publication of Sachs has led the
royal institute for fruit and vine culture
at Geisenheim, near here to make ex-
periments with the remedy and in it's
printed report of work done during the
year 1SS9-90 it gives the result thereof.
A large number of fruit trees were sub
jected to cure, not only for the real chlo-
rosis, but for other premature loss OF
color in the leaves. Small trees re-
ceived one kilogramme (two and
one-fifth pounds), large ones two
kilogrammes (four and two-fifth
pounds) of corperas in the manner
was. with very few exceptions, ex-
ceedingly gratifying, and in most cases
the leaves took on again their green
color. Growing trees were more GER
tainly restored than matured ones.
Often the favorable effect of the treat
1nent appeared at the end of eight days.
The general result of the experiments
showed that certain kinds of fruit trees
Others, or incline in greater degree to
loss of color in the leaves.
Applications of the copperas were also
made to see if parasites could not be
dispersed by it also, as it is known that
a change of the ailment plant receives
will sometimes drive them away. Ex-
periments made in the spring on various
dwarf apple trees achieved the desired
effect in the case of certain plant lice,
while applications made in summer to
other trees had not, on any kind of
plant lice, the effect sought. While,
therefore, in this particular nothing pos
tive can be affirmed for all cases, the
experiments are regarded as worthy of
consideration and frequent repetition,
forswhich the spring should be chosen. -
from report of j. HI. Smith, United
States commercial agent at Mayence.