The herald., 1893-11-12

n sass-
~ SnI~>
Pomona Times: Upon this subject
we give in these columns some practical
information and points of importance
connected with the onion crop.
TRANsPLANTING.
Transplanting onions will be found
good plan for those who have no seed
drills, and is accomplished by sowing
the seed thinly in a bed, and when the
plants are three or four inches high
planting them out at the required dis
tance. They will root much better II
the top leaves are cut off an inch above
the crown (or the part where the leaves
join the main stem) By, sowing thinly
they will be found OF much more vIgor-
ous habit than II crowded. Choose al
ways cool. moist weather to move the
plants, and particularly avoid winds.
MANURING.
Onions, unlike most crops, can be
grown on the came land.without change
or manure sor many years. and expert
ments have proved that there are few
-
addition to the coil likely to prove OF
any advantage 10 slight dressing of
coars. bone dust, stimulating food, such
aa guano, stable and chemical manures,
proving detrimental. On q series OF
plots laid out in the proportion OF 70 to
the acre under various fertilizers, the
largest yield was given by those left in
their normal state (alternate plotH), the
highest on those mnnured being "a
pounds, as against ITO on unmanured.
Land in the famous Bellarine and
Dryedale onion districts of Victoria has
been under onions continuously for 10
to 20 years, the soil being volcanic, on
limestone formation. OF late years the
onion disease has become very aggres.
sive in those districts, but experts can
not agree as to it's cause, whether aris-
ing from continuous cropping or other
wise.
AFTER TREATMENT OF CROP. F'
In four or five weeks after sowing,
varying according to the state of the
weather, the young plants should be
making an appearance above the SUR
face. As soon az they can be hoed
without covering them with soil, hoe
with q six-inch Dutch hoe, walking be-
tween the drills, going upon one drill
and coming back on the next, keeping
the outside drill on each side. You will
thus avoid treading on the land you
have already hoed.
After the shoeing let them stand for q
few weeks, then give a second hoeing
(this time using 61a-inch hoe) and,
when they are in the second leaf, and
three or four inches high, hand weed
them to remove any weeds that may be
between the onions in the drill. After
hand wedding again hoe. and then let
the crop stand until more weeds show,
when it will be again requisite to repeat
the former epesetieRgs Should the land
be fairly free from weeds cue hand
wedding will be sufficient, and the hoe
and pulling an occasional weed will be
all that is required. 1t must be borne
in mind that the earlier they are weeded
when ready the greater probability of
fine yield, the plants thus growing on
without check very short expert
ence will make any person an expedi-
tious weeder, lads especially. After q
couple Of hand weddings and two or
three hoeinRs the crop should be in q
position to stand until they ripen and
are ready for harvesting, which may be
known by the tops changing color and
falling down.
Onions will keep and handle better If
not too ripe when taken out, that is the
tops should still retain some OF their
original snap.
HARVESTING.
When ready the bulbs can be hand
pulled and laid in rows on the land,
pulling two rows and then placing four
rows from each side on top of the same,
they can then remain until such time
varying with the prevailing tempera-
ture) as the tops will part readily from
the onion; they are then stripped off
and the onions are ready for bagging.
Care must be taken not to allow then
to remain too long on the land after they
are ready for stripping or they may sun
rDurn if the heat is excessive.
STORING.
For storing this crop nothing can be
better than pit made by erecting two
panels of three-rail fence or hurdles,
parallel, and ak feet apart, pegging the
rails at the ends into the posts and
bracing across with fencing wire, and
placing rails inside the posts, resting on
side rails, to form ends this is then
foored with any rough timber or logs
and good bed of dry straw placed over
it. and lining the sides with long bum
dles Of straw, reaching to the top rail at
the sides and ends. The onions can
then be poured in loose and piled up at
the top 10 as to form pitch for the
roof, which is made by giving the onions
good layer Of straw on top and then
thatch it over. Choose cool, dry day
for pitting, as if put in on a hot day
they are liable to sweat. or il damp, to
mould. They can also be stacked in
the bags, care being exercised in stack
ing them to be free from damp aris-
ing from the soil. and in keeping
them dry on top but as the bags suffss
by exposure to all weathers we recon-
mend pitting in preference, as the bags
when empty can be stored and are in
good order when required for filing;
further, the conditions of the onions can
sbe noted more easily than when stacked
When 1t is required to open the pit the
end rails can be knocked out and the
straw bundles removed, thus making
tho contents available without any
chance of damage in all weathers. A
pit OF 8 feet rails 6 feet. wide will hold
51a to 6 tons per panel.
-
Removing Tnssels from Corn.
BY D. B. Wier, Trenton, CAL: For
several years q great deal has been writ
ten concerning the supposed increase in
~ q