The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-06-16
HOW TO ERADICATE
THE NOXIOUS WILD ONION
Directions for Freeing Grain Fields,
Lawns and Pastures from Weed.

-AioilS tiS +NtldllllC coast region, |
from Massachusetts to Georgia and |
as far inland as Missouri the Wild on
ion or wild garlic is found as one of
the most noxious weeds. 1t is most
troublesome in small grain fields. |
lawns and pastures
1t is highly important to know how
this weed grows, because on a knowl- |
edge of its life habits is based the best
methods for its control or eradication.
In cultivated fields the plants are
likely to be scattered, but in pastures,
lawns, and other places that have not
been disturbed for several years the
plants grow in clusters or clumps.
The wild onion ripens in June or July
and produces on the top of the stem
~ to so feet high, cluster or clus-
tiers OF areal bullets. sometimes err
roneously called seeds The under
ground portion contains from two to
six newly formed bulbs located at the
base of the planth The aerial bullets
have soft shells and terminate in the
fall. Some of the underground bulbs
have soft shells and terminate in the
fall while others have hard shells and
remain dormant through the winter
months, terminating the following
spring.
Cultivated Fields
10 rid cultivated field of wild on
ions the work must be started in the
fall. The object of this work is to de-
stroy the plants from the soft-shell
bulbs before they have advanced for
enough to produce new bulbs AS soon
as the new plants are IL to Is inches
high, or during October and November
in the South and November and De-
cember in the North, the owner should
| pillow with a Jointer attached to the
beam will be found convenient for
this operation. Disking the land be-
fore it is plowed will help to get rid of
the tops. This method will get rid of
the plants which have grown from the
soft-shell bulbs.
1t now remains to get rid of the next
crop that may be expected from the
slower terminating hard-shelled
bulbs during the summer Next spring
therefore, the field should be planted
in a cultivated crop, corn in check
rows being best Another shallow
blowing may be necessary in the
spring, but ordinarily disking or two
previous to planting will suffice. From
the time the farmer is able TO go on
his land in the spring he should make
every effort to keep the garlic from
making top growth. The best way to
to do this is to cut off the tops with a
cultivator of the sweep type.
There still may be few plants car
ried over by hard-shelled bulbs which
have been very slow in terminating.
The farmer, therefore, should be pre-
pared to repeat the deep blowing late
in the fall and use a clearly cultivated
crop the second spring. This treat
ment, which can be carried out with
little extra labor and expense, has
proved in practice an almost certain
method of eradicating wild onions in
two years.
Late Flowing of Small Grains
Experience has shown that in the
case O fsmall grain or infested fields
) if pdowing is delayed until late date
in the fall and the land is then planted
to small grain, only few onion
plants will ripen their early bullets
by harvest time the following summer
Since the blowing to be effective
against the onion must be done at
such late date sti interfere with the
best development of fall grains, spring
grains should be planted where it is
, possible. If fall grain must be sowr
the farmer should bear. in mind that
the delayed planting probably will re,
duce the yield.
Grain raisers in wild-onions district:
, should be particularly careful to keer
their seed free from the bulbets Thi.
can be accomplished by thorough dry
. ing before cleaning, as the bulbs wher
dry are lighter than the grain and car
be winnowed out. The safest way
| however is to obtain sed from al
} outside source where no onion exist:
; or to produce seed grain on separate
patch kept absolutely free from thu
= onion.
D Lawns and Pastures
A.; In the lawns the aerial bullets ar
seldom produced because the tops ar
kept cut back with the lawn mower
but the plant propagates bp producini
a underground bulbs and is most oftel
:, found growing in clusters. To eradi
r cate from lawns where the onions ar
d to plentiful, a good plan is to dig GU
}. the entire cluster with the mattoc
when the soil is soft. The hole thu
:, made should be filled with soil an
= planted to grass seed. Another sue
: cessful method for killing onions /
l. lawns is by the use of chemical plan
y poisons, as coal-tar creasote oil c
IS carbon bisulphide. A small amour
of the poison should be applied diil
IT ectly to each cluster. This can best b
y done by using a small spring-butto
n oil can. After the onions are dead tn
W bare spot left should be seedd to gras
l. In pastures where there are anly
s. few clusters, the same treatment re-
re commended for lawns is the most az
E viseable. Where the pastures are ba'
ly infested, however, and cultivaticc
l. is practical, it is often more satl
lie factory to pillow and cultivate as re
commended for cultivated fields, Pa