Connecticut western news., 1920-03-18

prepared by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture)
 Maybe 1t is because of its strong smell. Anyway there is some mag netfc attraction which apparently draws disease of various kinds and conditions to the onion crop. Take, Tor instance, onion smut. It works overtime in trying to snuff out the young seedlings by forming brownish black, elongated blisters which finally split the leaves and expose the pow dery black mass of spores within the interior of the blister. A specific fungus causes this onion ailment, the spores wintering in the ground and again attacking the young seedlings in the spring. .#. #s5
 The onion is susceptible to the fun gus only while in the young seeding stage. After the plants reach height of three to four inches they become immune to further infection. Smut spreads slowly in the soil, but an infested area in field will gradually become larger and more severely dis eased each year onions are grown on such an area. The spores are spread on farm implements, the feet of men and animals, by surface water, and in dust carried by the air. Purchasers of onion sets should use caution that they do not contaminate the soil by planting smutted sets.
 Control is accomplished in home gar dens by changing the location of the onion bed to clean soil, or by planting sets instead of seed. In large com mercial onion districts of the northern states formaldehyde solution is ap- piled in the furrow with the seed, as this disinfectant holds the fungus in check. One fluid ounce of 37 to 40 per cent formaldehyde solution is used with each gallon of water this diluted solution being applied at the rate of POO gallons per acre or gallon to 1S5 feet of row. Farmers bulletin No. 1060, recently issued by the United States department of agriculture, de scribes in detail the apparatus used in applying this fungus-destroying seed protector. As a rule, it costs about 8 an acre to insure the onion crop against smut losses in this manner. It is advised that the tops of diseased onions be burned after harvest in or Ger to prevent the return of infected onion refuse to the soil. The spread ing of waste from onion warehouses is bad practice. "
 A Destructive Plant Disease.
 fe times serious in the cooler and more humid onion districts. The disease commonly starts in the field in spots and spreads to the surrounding areas, its development being greatly aided by moist weather. It centralizes its at tack on the leaves, which turn yellow, become covered with furry growth, and eventually collapse. The disease occurs wherever onions are grown ex- tensively, although the control varies in different sections. A fungus causes the disease, the furry masses on the affected leaves being branches of the fungus, which bear abundant spores. Warm weather promotes spore ger imitation, and hence is favorable to the spread or the QlSeaSc.
 As the spores winter in the onion field, an efficient crop rotation is one commendable method of control, the supplementary growing of cabbages, potatoes, and sugar beets with onions being valuable. Good soil drainage also helps to reduce the blight, since it decreases the moisture in the air near the surface of the soil. Good air drainage of the fields Is also es- sential so that excessive dew and fog may be avoided. Resin fish-oil soap as a sticker, makes the use of Dor deaux mixture effective in controlling onion mildew. The bordeaux mix ture consists of four pounds of cop per sulphate, four pounds of quick lime, three pounds of rosin f1sh-oil soap, mixed with water to make 50- gallon solution. Complete directions for making this spray are furnished in the department of agriculture bull letin.
 Onion leaf mold Is a disease of minor importance except In Louisiana and California, where it occasionally causes large losses. It occurs in mid-season and causes the tips of the leaves to die back. No satisfactory control has been perfected.
 Strict attention to. sanitary meas ures and careful sorting of diseased bulbs at harvest time are the chief means of controlling Fusarium rot, which reduces the roots to a mass of white moldy growth.
 Onion smudge, confined largely to the white varieties, results in smudgy, unsightly appearance of the bulbs and an ultimate reduction in the market quality of the crop. As the disease is dependent largely on abundant moisture, special care Is nee essary In handling the white varieties. The crop should be harvested quickly, avoiding any exposure to rain if pos n k -%r0 0Tr nG 4v~