The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-11-02
BERMUDA ONION CULTURE
Florida Grower

The production OF Bermuda onions
in the United States is a comparative
ly new industry, and has thus far been
undertaken mainly in Texas and Cali
fornia, though the growers of Florida
have lately taken the matter up, and
have found this crop to be one highly
profitable; in fact it has become one
of the money making crops of Florida,
being especially well adapted to the
southern portion of the state.
Soils.
SoilS of a silly or alluvial nature are
suited to the production of Bermuda
onions, and those containing consider
able sand are. most desirable. The
Bermuda requires a very rich soil for
the best results, and this can only be
obtained by first selecting good soil
and then manuring heavily. The es-
sential requirements of a soil upon
which to grow onions prof1tably are
high state Of fertility, good mechanl-
cal conditions, in order that the crop
may be easily worked, sufficient drain
age and freedom from weeds.
Sandy loan, especially where under
lain by we'll drained clay subsoti, are
often well adapted to onions. Soils of
this character generally require heavy
applications of fertilizers before they
will produce a paying crop, but the
quality of the product is excellent
orally solid, heavy and Of excellent
keeping quality.
Preparation.
In preparing the soil for planting the
| first step will be to pillow moderately
deep, then harrow, disk, roll and drag
until the soil is smooth and mellow to
a depth of or inches. The land
| should be thoroughly cleaned from
weeds, as once the weeds get started
| ~ greatly
| increased, or the crop may be alto
gether lost. AS the onion is an inten-
sive crop and yields great quantities
of marketable bulbs for the amount
planted, the grower is justified in ma :
nuring heavily. 1t would be dithcult
| indeed to make the soil too rich for
onions, provided the manures are
thoroughly incorporated with the soil.
A heavy application of fresh raw ma
nure Just before planting would have
an injurious effect, but where the ma
nure is we'll rotted and uniformly ap-
piled there is nothing to fear. Whether
manure or comercial fertilizer Is USED
1t should be thoroughly mixed and in
corporated with the soil before plant
| ing The following system has been
| found to produce good results on Flor
i ida soils.
Cultivation.
In cultiavting Bermuda onions, four
| things are very necessary-in fact,
they are entirely essential to success:
First-Genuine imported Bermuda
seed.
Second-Plenty of fertilizer.
Third-Thorough and constant cul-
tivation.
| Fourth-Plenty of water at the right
time.
The method, used by the majority, in
| fact we think all, of the successful
growers Of the state Of Florida is to
plant about two pounds of seed In
bed about 100 feet long by IL feet
wide, with 10 rows in each bed IL
| inches apart; the majoroty use a gar
| den drill for this purpose. These beds
| are made about on q level with the
land. with a small border thrown up
around each, so as to control the
water.
A ditch is usauly dug on the high
part of the land, so that the bed can
be easily flooded, as the water should
cover the whole bed uniformly. Water
should be put on the bed as soon as
the seeds are planted; they will usual
! " come UP in about ten days.
| Cultivation is usually done with a
| double wheel hoe. Water and hoe
again as soon as the ground will work
nicely. Continue every two weeks un-
! til ready to transplant, which is about
so days from the time of seeding.
TRANSMITTING is generally done in the
months of December and January.
They are usually planted in beds the
size of the ones used for seed, but the
plants are put 4 inches apart in drills,
rows II inches apart; this allows
about 100 plants per acre.
Water and work should be kept up
exactly like you would the seed In the
seedbed until about two weeks before
|
fourths of the tops have fallen, it is
time to dig.
Dig them and throw in windrows,
let sun dry from "a to So hours; cut
off the tops and roots, closely pack
same in nicely slated crates "a inches
long and Is inches wide, 7 inches deep.
This will hold about so pounds.
Fertilizers.
Regarding fertilizer used a heavy ap-
plication of good commercial fertilizer
broadcast before transplanting, about
one thousand pounds per acre; then
another thousand pounds put in with
| a drill in the middle about February
when the onions begin to bulb.
Manure of any sort could be used
in connection with cottonseed meal or
any other fertilizer. Do not use cot
tonseed meal unless you place same in
the ground three or four weeks before
the onion is to be planted; it Is en-
tirely too heating.
These instructions, followed closely
will insure an onion crop where irr1-
cation is used. In some sections OF
the country they are grown without
water. If they are to be planted where
water is not convenient, they should
be placed in rows % inches wide and
placed three inches in a row to be
worked with a pillow. The yield would
rot be near so large, but the cost OF
cultivation is less. The greatest trou-
BILE would be in getting the seed W
without water. You could, of course
use a small bed for growing your sets,
then place them in the field.
Phenomenal yields of $4,000 and IS,
900 pounds of Bermuda onions are
frequently made on an acre Of land
but this Is far above the general aver
age, which is in the neighborhood OF
10000 or 10000 pounds to the acre
Many fields, especially when planted
for the first time, do not yield as much
as 10000 pounds to the acre. On land
that has been heavily manured and
planted to onions for several years the
yield averages about 10000 pounds.
Cost and Selling Price.
A man, in planting a crop of onions
should take into consideration the
price he can get for same, and what