The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-02

soil, I believe that an application OF
slaked burnt lime once in six years
is the best way to use m
Some Onions.
The expressman left al my hous q
few days ago a box. express paid, all
the way from Colorado. The box
contained six onions Of the Giant
Gibraltar variety. The six onions
weighed slightly over clever pouncs
and a quarter, the largest n weigh
ing one pound fifteen and a hall
ounces or only a fraction short OF
two pounds.
These were grown by sowing the
! seed in a frame and transplanting
them later in spring, n they were
grown under irrigation. Onions as
large as a Rocky Ford cantaloupe,<
are certainly some onions. We had
one OF these cooked, and it made an
abundant dish for six people. In the
same box were samples Of the Yellow
Prizetaker, not SO large as the Giant
| Gibraltar, but without the others
would have looked very large. There
were also some Yellow Globe and
some Red Globe that were very
handsome onions. The climate Of
Colorado is evidently favorable to
onions. But with the same varieties,
grown in h same way here, we
can grow the big onions if we have
the same facilities for keeping them
supplied with water. Dur summer
droughts cut short the size they
would make, and n Of the most i'm
portant improvements our truckers
can make will be to provide means
for irrigation in our dry summers.
Sweet Potatoes Cracking.
"What causes sweet potatoes to
crack? The cracks somewhat re-
semble a deep flesh wound
1t may be from an excess Of nitro
gen in the fertilizer, but generally it
would be caused by rain weather,
following a very dry spell, causing
the potatoes to start a new growth.
Peach Seedlings.
II wish to ask you advice in re-
gard to some peach seedlings l have
of one seasons growth. Will it be
best to bud them next summer or
r~oot-graft them this winter? 1 bud
ded a few last June and they have
done very we'll. but l thought that a
r~oot-grafted tree would grow off
stronger"
I have never known peaches to be
grated on the cots like apples, and
hardly think it practicable. You
should have budded your seedlings
last summer and they would then
have made good trees next summer.
Now, II you carry them over you will
have to cut them down to the ground
to get good shoots for budding, for
by the time h bark will lift next
summer it will be hard to bud. the
two-year shoots properly. Peaches
are always 'budded the first summer,
inserting the buds near> the ground.
and the next spring cutting off the
tops and taking the bud up to form
the new tree. I do not thing that
you can root-graft them successfully
Growing Lettuce.
please give instructions for grow
ing lettuce" You should have ask
ed this last midsummer, for the first
sowing Of lettuce is made early ii
August. The plants started then are
set in frames, and sometimes can be
headed without the sashes, but usual
ly the sashes are needed to get the
: lettuce headed before Christmas
are sown Of the Big Boston, and
, these are set in the frames in late
, November, and are headed in late
, winter or early spring. You can als<
2 SOW seed in September, anu in No
vember set the plants in o u section
in open burrows in heavily-manure(
ground. and they IAN in a usual win
ter, be safely wintered over the heat
\ in the early spring. Then you cal
sow seed as early as the soil can b,
= worked in good order, and set n,
plants in beds outside for heading il
May. and that is about as late as yo,
% can get good heads. To grow lettuc4
! for market. it is necessary to hay,
plenty Of hotbed sashes and frames
q and better to use the double glaze<
4 sashes that I use. as these keep on
all frost, even in the coolest weather
If the frames are we'll banked witt
4 earth outside. But it is always neces
sary to start in time, and not defe
asking information III the plant
should be growing. My fall lettuce i
II now approaching the heading in tn
frames n I hope to have it wei
r headed before Christmas. The sash
n es " it have two layers of glas
n fve-eights Of an inch apart, maxim