Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-04-22
CBy r. B. RUsHING)

ibE Il b NJ SftANG.3
While my own county of Johnson
grows a great amount of apples, some
peaches, great amount of blackber-
ries, lots of sweet potatoes and few
Irish potatoes, / believe | could count
en- both hands the number Of men that
grow as much as so bushels of potato
onions, and really do not know of %
farmers who make practise of grow
ing enough of them for their own
family the year round. At the same
time, believe from my own expert
ence 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
have been up against the real thing in
raising them and l have never been
able to commence to go around with
what I could raise.
Not all of the around home, how
ever. This year I found market in
ST Louis at 81 per bushel, F. o. B. my
station in bags. as soon as cured, and
the sets readily sell for 50 per 49,
pound bushel. But this is the latter
part of my article first. Really, like
the marketing end so well that can
hardly keep off it to tell the FIST.
always select a rich loan soil, and
one that is well drained but will hold
moisture enough to push them to ma
turity, IL possible. This year proved
an exception, however, to my rule, for
the extreme lack of rain cut my yield
considerably, not being arranged TO
irrigate.
This year l plowed up some old pas
ture land that had become improbable
for grass growing to some sage grass,
which grew very rank unless kept
well 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, doubt
If it would be interesting to the aver
age reader. 1t would seem like out of
reason. But this old sod had to be
reduced to a fine, loose bed of soil.
Nothing but working could do it that
know of. Never be afraid of getting
the land too well pulverized for onions.
prefer planting my onions in the
fall. as they have always done better
planted in the fall for me. However,
they can be successfully planted in the
early spring. But if spring planting
must be resorted to, I should surely
pillow the land this winter some time
and let the freezing weather of the
winter act on the soil, thus producing
a better seed bed, and the planting can
be done much earlier in the spring.
Remember this, that the onion is a
cool weather loving crop and does its
best growing in early spring, thus
making It very necessary that the
planting be done either in the fall or
the land so handled that it can be
done very early in the spring.
AS it happened, ] wished to plant
this land in blackberries this fall, %
when ready to plant late in October,
the pillow was brought out from the
tool house and the land laid off eight
feet apart for the berry rows. When
this was done two burrows were run
between the berry rows, dividing the
distance as nearly as possible, thus
leaving room enough to work them
we'll with the horse cultivator.
The onion sets Il always plant sets)
were set by hand with the root emo
down, about eight inches apart in the
rows, and covered with the hoe. One
could cover for two or three Planters.