Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-05-08
tBy n B. RUsHINGl

tHN X Bs hGStANAt.t
While my own county of Johnson
grows a great amount of apples. some
peaches, a great amount OF blackber.
ries. lots OF sweet potatoes and few
irish potatoes. ! believe ! could count
IN both hands the number of men that
grow as much as so bushels OF potato
onions, and really | do not know OF 20
farmers who make a practise OF grow.
Ing enough OF them for their own
'amily the year round. At the same
lime, | believe from my own expert
snee that right here in,the hills of old
Johnson county we can grow as good
potato onions as Mr.. Anybody. This
/ tell from my own experience, for
nave been up against the real thing In
raising them and have never been
able to commence to so around with
shat could raise.
Not all of the around home. how
aver This year ] found a market In
St. Louis at 81 per bushel, +. Q. II. my
station Ia bags. as soon as cured, and
the sets readily sell for 81 per S2-
pound bushel. But this Is the latter
part Of my article first Really, like
the marketing end so well that ! can
hardly keep of It TO tell the first.
always select q rich loan soil, and
one that is well drained, but win hold
moisture enough to push them to ma.
| turity. II possible. This year proved
an exception, however, to my rule, for
the extreme lack Of rain cut my yield
considerably. not being arranged q
lrrigate.
This year plowed up some old pas
ture land that had become Improbable
FOR grass growing to some sage grass
which grew very rank unless kept
we'll clipped. This blowing was done
very early in August, and the harrow
Ing and disking that this land received
until planted. to tell in detail, ] doubi
IL It would be interesting TO the aver
age reader. 1t would seem like out o.
reason. But this old sod had to b.
reduced to fine. loose bed Of soil
Nothing but working could do II tina
know Of Never be afraid Of getting
the land too well pulveriEed for onions
prefer planting my onions in tn,
fall as they have always done bette
planted in the fail for me. However
they can be successfully planted in thu
early spring. But II spring planting
must be resorted 70. should surel
pillow the land this winter some tim
and let the freezing weather Of th
winter act on the coil, thus producinI
q better seed bed. and the planting ca
be done much earlier In the spring.
Remember this, that the onion is
cool weather loving crop and does IL
best growing in early spring. thu
making It very necessary that III
planting be done either in the fall o
. the land so handled that 1t can b
done very early in the spring.
AS It happened, wished TO plan
! this land in blackberries this fall. >
when ready to plant late In Octobe
the pillow was brought out from th
tool house and the land laid of eigf
feet apart for the berry rows. Nhe
this was done two burrows were 70
between the berry rows. dividing tn
!, distance as nearly as possible. thu
leaving room enough TO work thei
!, we'll with the horse cultivator.
The onion sets Il always plant seti
I we're set by hand with the root en-
!. down, about eight inches apart in u
= rows, and covered with the hoe. On
could cover for two or three planter