The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-08-17
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED sY FULTON s. wHlrE

thinning. as the plants are set at once where wanted. Then again, 1t greatly iessens the expense of cultivation. for tnis work can commence at once. and as the plants should be set not less than l three inches apart the onion hoe can be used. working betwAn the plants right rom the start. The crop is produced much earlier, the bulbs grow much larg- CT and are of better quality and keep much better, besides the crop Is gen eraliy free from all disease when grown this way.
 The best variety to grow under this l system is the large yellow Prizetaker, though we have several other good sorts such as Mammoth Silver King and Giant Rocca. It would pay our growers who wish few fancy onions to plant and grow part of their crop this way.
 Bunch Onions.
 Bunch onions are mostly grown from the small bottom sets mentioned above. l though the top sets may also be used for this purpose. Perhaps there Is more profit in growing and selling these in punches in the green state rather than I allowing them to mature for the small green bunch onion frequently sell for more than double what could be realized from them after they mature. and, be- sides, when sold green the land can be used again for some other vegetabl crop. The crop of green bunch onions Is a quick one and if the soil is properly prepared before planting there is but lit- tie more expense required for producing the crop.
 The onion is not so particular as to soil so it Is made very rich. Sandy soil , or any of our lands that will produce po- tatoes, corn, or cotton will make a good crop of onions by using in 1t liberal sup ply of well routed compost-say from thir- ty to fifty tons per acre, according to the condition of the soil. The land should first be broken deep and sub-soiled thus l forming a deep mellow bed for the roots After breaking thus the compost should I be broadcasted over the land and cul- tivated in and the soil made perfectly 1 fine by the ues of rollers or harrows, one or both, as the conditions may re- quire After the soil has been prepared rows may be marked off the same as for turnips or tabagos as given in last weeks issue. and prepared and cultivat- ed Just the same. This is for field cul- ture where large crops are grown for market purposes. But for small gar dens, or where the grower is skilled in the use of the hand wheel hoe and has perfectly fine rich prepared soil he may plant In beds or in rows eighteen inches apart and cultivate by hand. But the truck farmer, growing for market, can make more by horse cultivation, and to use horse hoe to best advantage the rows should be thirty inches wide.
 The Sets.
 The grower can not be too particular in the selection of the sets. These should be of uniform size, or else graded and all large sets planted in rows to them selves, for they will make green onions for punching earlier than will the small sets. The large sets are apt to shoot up seed stalks before they make any bot toms, so that 1t not advisable to use over grown sets The smaller sets make larger, smoother and better onions than do the large ones. Then sets which have headed should never be used for they are not reliable. Neither should sets which have been allowed to grow great long sprouts be used for these have al- ready exhausted a good part of their strength and besides if they grow at all they are very slow in doing so, so this matter of selecting the sets is a very important one.
 We have several varieties of these bot tom sets-red, white and yellow-the yellow and white being the best and the most commonly used. Where these sets are planted for the purpose of grow ing green bunch onions they may be set very close in the row, almost touching. as they are pulled and sold when quite young anyway.
 Creole Onions.
 This onion is very popular on the New Orleans market and is grown largely in the southern part of this country. This Is a very valuable variety as it makes a quick growth and is a remarkably good keeper. I have seen them shoveled around like potatoes. and yet they keep well. The variety Is medium in size and of a large brownish red color. This | .tAw. IL sown both in the fall and winter This would be a good variety for our truck farmers to plant in the fall season, eith- CT using seed or sets. This Creole onion Is a very early, quick growing variety, and I am sure would prove valuable in this section.
 Fall Planting.
 The plan of planting onion seed or sets fin the fall Is becoming quite common in the south. Last fall our weather was wet so late that many growers did not get their crops planted in time. Then our weather last winter was unusually severe. so that many lost their crops and feel a little backward about plant ing again in the fall. But this should not be any Encouragement for it may be years before we have another such winter. Then again, if gardeners ex- pect to make monsy at his business, he must take chances. Gardeners can not afford to consider whether if they expect to succeed. But, when plantings in the fall are made the soil should have care ful preparation and should have good drainage, for, if water is allowed to stand on the onions or sets 1t will soften and so damage them that they can not stand the cold.
 The sets must be covered twice as deep as they should be in the the spring. I saw this experiment fully tested the past season. A field of sets was planted in the fall. About half the field was plant | ed on the spring plan of planting The | other half the rows were furrowed out | deeper and the sets covered several inch 1 es deep. These came through the winter all right, while the cold winter killed the | ones covered shallow.
 Another important matter in fall plant ing is to get the sets planted early so that they may get well rooted before the cold weather sets in. So, just as soon as it rains so the land can be plowed, the mence, and the sets planted out in Sep tember The time is nearly here for planting and no opportunity should be lost in preparing the soil.
 Fertilizer.
 The compost as recommended above will answer for all the many varieties of onions mentioned in this paper. In addition to this, it would be well to use Nitrate of Soda at the rate of 100 to 150 pounds per acre on the growing crop. If lumpy, it should be pounded fine be- fore using. Scatter it over the ground when the foliage of the plants are per fectly dry, as 1t is apt to scorch the leaves otherwise; or still better annlv