The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-10-15
TO THE FARMERS
Of TENNESSEE
BY CAPT. T. f. PECK,
Commissioner of Agriculture.
Eradication Of the wild Onion.

come to the department of Agriculture
as to the best methods of Graduating
the wild onion, or garlic, which has
caused great loss to the farmers of
the country. A recent bulletin issued
by the United States department of
agriculture treats on this subject, and
contains some very valuable advice
and suggestions.
The measures recommended for the
eradication of the wild onion, or gar
lie, pest are based on the growing
habits of this plant. 1t ripens in June
or July, when it has stem / " to 31s
feet tall, on the top of which are found
clusters of the aerial bulblets, incor-
rectly called seeds. The plant seldom
produces true seeds. 1t multiplies by
forming 2 to new bulblets, which
start to grow after the leaves and
stem die.
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
10 to Is inches high, or during Octo-
Der and November, in the south, and
November and December in the north.
At this stage the land should be ploW-
ed fairly deep, turning under all the
onion tops The tops should be COM
pletely buried by the blowing, and for
this reason pillow with jointer at
tached to the beam will often be a
great help. Disking the land previous
to blowing will also aid in burying
the tops. The following spring the
field should be planted in cultivated
crop, corn in check rows being best.
Another shallow blowing may be nee
essary in the spring, but ordinarily
a disking or 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 off the tops.
Cultivators of the sweep type are the
best. On many of the modern cultiva-
tors 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 to
get on the land in the spring until
corn is laid by he should direct his
efforts towards preventing the onion
from taking top growth, with the idea
of killing the plants that come up
from the hard-shell bulbs. II this is
well done, most of the onions will dis
appear by the end of the summer
Some of the hard-shell bulbs, however,
may delay termination for year or
two, so that by fall few plants may
again be in evidence. The farmer
therefore, should be prepared to follow
the same plan of deep blowing late In
the fall, succeeded by a carefully cul-
tiyated crop the next spring. In two
years this treatment is almost sure
death to all the wild onions in the
land, and the work can be carried out
with but little extrajabor and expen-
Sc. The aerial bulbs terminate in the
early fall, but the plants are weak and
readily destroyed by fall blowing
Many farmers have tried the method
outlined here and have found 1t to be
entirely satisfactory.
If grass lands are quite full OF the
onions, the easiest way of disposint
of them is the cultivation method
In fields where there are only few
plants, the most feasible method is t
dig the plants or clumps with mat
took. Four thimblefuls Of coal-tal
creosite oil put on plant will kill thu
ungerminated bulbs. Still, the mat
took method is the best, as one well
directed stroke, when the soil is mois
and soft, will take out the entire cluml
by the roots. These should be carriet
off where they can give no furthe
trouble. It Is then a good plan to I'll
the hole with soil and sprinkle littl
grass seed on the surface. Sheep ca
the tops of the onion, and grazing TO
a few years is reported as an eficien
remedy for the pest. Sheep apparent
ly eat the onion most during the win
ter and early spring, when there is lit
tie other green vegetation, or in poo
pastures where there is little to ca
but the onion. On the better pastures
1t may be necessary to salt the onion
occasionally to give the sheep tast
for them sufficient to overcome thei
natural dislike.
AS the aerial bulblets are PRACTICAL
the only means by which the ONTO
pest is distributed from field to feel
and farm to farm, 1t is highly impoI
tant TO prevent their formation. Cut
ting the tops of the onion plans befor
they are ripe will prevent the forms
ton of these bulblets.