The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-08-25
M|[L|ONsLOsT
YEAR[YTHROUGH
THE. G GARLIC PEST.
Federal Department is!Is Far
mers How This loss May
Be EraGicated.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. 25-
The wild onion, or garlic, which
causes an annual money loss to far
mers of millions of dollars q year can
be eradicated by careful methods of
cultivation, according to Farmers.
Bulletin No. $40, of the Department
OF Agriculture. shortly to be issued.
The wild onion is the worst weed
pest in large part or the territory
In the Atlantic coast region from
Massachusetts, to Georgia, and as far
inland as Missouri. 1t not only gives
milk disagreeable flavor and odor,
but when the onion bulblets get IN
wheat they give the -four. made from
1t pronounced garlickly odor and
taste.
On boards Of trade, wheat contain
ing garlic bullets In considerable
quantity is graded rejected and is
then sold only on sample. Such grain
is generally sold at price ranging
from 20 to so per cent lower than
No. 2 Red. Millers often refuse to
handle onion infested wheat. as the
bullets gum the rollers and add
greatly to the cost of grinding.
In the case Of harvested wheat, the
bulbelets become lighter and are
more easily famed ont in from six
months to year after harvest. When
1t Is not practicable to hold the crop
that long, the infested grain may be
artificially dried in an ordinary grain
drier. after which the bullets may
be readily removed by good cleaning
machinery.
How to Get Rid of the Pest.
The measures recommended for
the eradication of the wild onion. or
garlic. pest are based on the growing
habits of this plant It ripens in
June or July. when It has a stem one
and one-half to three and one-half
feet tall, on the top of which are
found clusters OF the aerial bullets.
Incorrectly called seds. The plant
seldom produces true seeds. It null
tipiies by forming two to six new
bmblets. which start to grow after
the leaves and stem die. These
bulblets consist generally OF large
bulb with a thin white skin and
smaller one with a hard brown shell.
The soft shell bulb terminates in the
summer or early fall, and the hard
shell bulbs do not start growth until
considerable later date. A few
! start in the late fall. but most OF
them remain dormant until the fol-
lowing spring, or even later. mas
much as the plants from the soft
shelled bulbs advance far enough to
produce new bulbs before all the
hard shelled bulbs have geminated,
there Is an overlapping OF genera
ltions. which is the secret Of the re-
markable persistence Of this. weed.
To kill the Wild onion. the work
must be started In the fall to destroy
the plants from the soft shelled
bulbs before they produce new bulbs.
The best time is when the new plants
are '12 to Is inches high, or during
October and November in the South
and November and December in the
North. At this stage the land should
be plowed fairly. deep. turning under
all the onion tops. The tops should
be completely buried by the blowing,
and for this reason. a plow with a
jointer attached to the beam will
often be great help: Disking the
land previous to blowing will also
aid in burying the tops. The follow
ing spring the land should be planted
in a cultivated crop. corn in check
rows being best. Another shallow
playing may be necessary In the
spring, but ordinarily a disking OF
two previous to planting will suffice.
In cultivating the corn. the effort
should be to kill the onion plants
that spring up and the easiest way
/ to do this is to cut on the tops. Cul:.
/ tivators Of the sweep type are the
best. On many Of the modern culti-
vators. sweeps 8 to is inches wide
may be quickly attached in place OF
the shovels. Some soils, of course.
are too stony or otherwise unsuitable
for the use OF sweeps.
From the time the farmer is able