The morning news., 1894-11-05
The Bermuda Onion-Its Culture in the
South.

SO0bAs
W. G. Hastings writing in the Florida
Ruralist says: This has become in the
past few years a very important vegetable
crop in Florida and its culture is extending
to all of tho Gulf States. 1t is a crop well
worthy of the attention of both home and
market gardeners.
THE Bermuda onion is not a native of
Bermuda, as many suppose, but comes
from the island of Teneriffe, west coast
of Africa. 1t is largely grown in the
Bermudas and shipped to New York and
Philadelphia, hence its acquiring the
name of Bermuda. So far as we have
been able TO learn, not a pound of the seed
is grown in Bermuda.
THE preparation of the soil for an on
ion crop should be begun at once, and the
Ground thoroughly cleared of all grass
weeds roots and trash of every sort This
is distinctively crop for intensive cut
ture If on pine lands, a ton Of high grade
vegetable fertilizer bToad-Casted is none
too much to begin on a good base for
fertilizing is a ton of pulverized bone and
80 pounds of high grade sulphate of potash
as the application before seed sowing.
This should be well plowed in and tho
land leveled off and let stand fer some
time so that il may become firm. As soon
as the genuine seed can be obtained Gus
ually OCt. IJs II SnOulQ De SONH evenly III
drills sixteen inches apart. Ene SEED
should be covered from one and oHe-haIf
to two inches and the soil firmed thor
oughly. This applies TO sandy pine lands
On low, moist hammock, clay or muck
lands 1t is not necessary to SOW as deep.
With open ground planting it requires four
pounds of seed per acre. The seed may
also be SoWn in beds and transplanted to
the open when as large as an ordinary
slate pencil. There is considerable differ.
ences of opinion as to whether transplant
ing is profitable or not. We give facts on
this point later. In the selection of ground
for market crop the gardener who
wishes TO be sure of acrop must choose
either naturally moist or irrigated ground
This insures a successful termination
and a continuous growth of the crop with
the naturally satisfactory results follow
inS.
LAS soon as the onions attain size
that they can be transplanted, the patch
should be thinned, leaving six inches 10
each plant. The plants drawn can be
used to fill out the rows or may be set in
new ground.
When the third leaf appears cultiva-
ton should begin and be kept up every
two weeks, regardless of whether grass
and weeds appear or not until the crop
natures. The constant stirring of the
soil has a beneficial effect in more ways
lidL OilG' 1 iAc ChlLlN tlOlis AlUNtN u ,
should be shallow, as the roots of The
onion are near the surface
1.-The tops drop over at maturity and as
they begin to mature the earth should
be drawn away until two-thirds of the
bulb is uncovered. When fully maturei
we consider it best to cure them in the
shade instead of laying them in the sun
as many do Within a week after ma
turity they are sufficiently cured for
shipment and should be topped and
rooted and packed in neat busheI cases.
THE best selling size is three to three
and one-half inches i'll diameter.
"As to variety, we would state that so
far as size, earliness and keeping quail
ties we find absolutely no difference
between the white and the red In
northern markets the white is preferred,
bringing on an average 50 cents per crate