The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-27
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO HOUSE
WIFE AND AGRICULTURIST


Talk About Onions and onion Sets
How to Make an OrchRrd-The
Wax Plant. the Most beautiful
of All Vines-Tree Planting in
the SOuth-Law Needed TO Reg
uIate Seed Selling.
Young Trucker wants to know ex-
actIy how onion sets are raised and the
very earliest that the seeds can be
PLANTED for the purpose, and how
much seed and land are necessary to
raise one bushel of sets. and finally
would sets grown in Southeast Georgia
be as good for making a crop of onions
with as those sold in seed stores"
Our correspondent seems to be IN
der the impression that seeds for sets
might be sown in the fall. If so, he
is wrong For 80 years, off and on
the writer has grown onion sets and
1t required several years experiments
TO determine the question as to the
best time for sowing the seeds. With
out entering into details of these, 1t IS
sufficient to say that it was found that
the onions. under no kind of treatment
could be made to continue its growth
into the hot weather of our mid-sum-
mer.
Our July sun brings the crop to
condition of maturity without much
reference to any normal continuance
of growth. That is, a crop growing
from seeds sown in February Cthe
proper time to SOW in Middle Georgia.
will mature "bulbdown" in June soon
er or later, but crop growing from
seeds sown in April, or even May viii
not continue its growth much, If any
longer than the February planted. It's
growth is bounded by the hot weather
lis forced to mature For good rea-
sons an onion set is better just in pro-
portion 10 the shortness of time required
to make it. In planting it, 1t is under
stood that in planting an imma-
ture bulb will renew its growth
and become very much larger. The
idea, therefore, in raising sets is to
SOW as late as possible and have them
mature a little bulb in as short a pc
Rod as possible.
So, instead of sowing the seeds for
sets at the same time one would sew
the same to mature a perfectly grown
one for market. The latter would do
better sown in February, while it
would be better to wait uOtil April to
sow for sets.
The great objection to the use of
onion sets is their liability to throw
up seed stalks when about the size OF
hickory nuts. This is a serious trou-
BILE with all improperly grown sets
Perfectly grown sets are very good
thing to use for making an early crop
of onions to be sold green, that is, If
they can be had at reasonable price,
but for growing merchantable onions
the practice is not to be observed.
BY all odds the best way-should be
almost the only way-to grow onions,
is simply to raise the plants instead
of sets. 1t is not quite so easy to set
an acre with plants as it is with sets,
but. consider ng all the advantages on
the side of plants, it is far more eco
nomical in the end. There is no danger
of any of the plants shooting up to
seed prematurely. -Ninety-fiVe per
cent. of them will make an onion. The
cost of planting an acre is not near
so great with the use of plants.
To come back more closely to your
questions-April Cor March, is the best
time for sowing the seeds. One pound
of fresh seeds will SOW a space three
yards by forty yards (120 square
yards). 1t depends so much upon the
quality of the seeds whether this acre
will make maximum or a minimum
yield it will be impossible to say how
much of a crop in bushels of sets it
would make. Perhaps enough to set an
acre, perhaps not. To set an acre FIVE
bushels of sets are used.
The soil should be prepared in due
time, raking in freely any good old
compost that is free of weed and grass
seeds. AS a rule commercial fertilizer
Is best, working in pint to every two
square yards. After sowing the seeds
evenly cover with half inch of loose
soil and then roll the plat firmly. In
the absence of regular roller use a
heavy barrel to firm the soil. The bed
must be kept free of weeds by hand
picking il necessary.
Sets can be grown in drills If pre-
pared. having the burrows very shall
low and six to eight inches apart. Sow
the seeds evenly along about Is seeds
to the inch: cover lightly and roll. The
spaces between can be kept free of
weeds with a narrow hoe or rake
When cultivated there is danger of
having many of the sets too large. An
ideal set is the size OF a chinqua pin
AS soon as any tops beg in to show vel
low pull the crop and allow the tops
to dry away and then put under shell
ter. II is mice work growing onion
sets, but 1t is really not worth the
trouble unless one has a good market
for them. 1t is much simpler to grow
a crop right from the seeds. Young
onion plants are the easiest thing in
the world to live, and grow off. If our
people, one and all who truck or gar
den. only knew it, we could raise all
our Own onions and expert lot be-
sides