Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-09-20
Plan Eradication
Of Wild Onion Crop
Practice of Fall Flowing
Followed by Intertilled
Crop Most Effective.

(Piepared by the United States Department
of Agriculture.)
Numerous reports received from
farmers who have employed the meth
DDS of controlling and Graduating tie
wild onion, or garlic, suggested Dy
the United States Department of Ag-
riculture, state without an exception
that where late fall blowing has been
practiced followed by an intertilled
crop the next spring, the onion has
been destroyed
One farmer in Ohio reports that he
has had good results in destroying the
onion by thoroughly disking the land
in the fall to destroy all the top
growth of the onions and in the follow
ing spring giving the land thorough
preparation and planting to some in
terrified crop, such as corn. A Vir-
ginia farmer has had success in eradi-
eating the onions by blowing the in
tested land deep late in the fall and
seeding to wheat The following sum-
mer Immediately after the wheat is
harvested, he again plows the land,
this time shallow and seeds by soy
beans. With the two years of such
treatment he has succeeded in de-
stroying all the onions.
start Work in Fall.
To kill the wild onion, says the de-
partment, the work must be started
in the fall. The object Of this work
is to destroy the plants, which grow
from soft-shelled bulbs, before they
have advanced far enough for new
bulbs to form in the ground beside the
old bulbs. The best time is when the
plants are about II to Is inches high.
This is during October and November
in the south, and during November
and December, in the North. When
the plant at this stage is entirely
turned under by deep blowing, it is
killed. If this blowing were put off
until spring, however, these plants
would have formed new bulbs, which
would be able to grow even though
the parent plants were destroyed. 1t
is highly important that the tops be
completely buried by the blowing;
otherwise many Of them would keep
on growing. A pillow with jointer
attached to the beam will often be a
great help in turning under the tops,
while disking the land previous to
blowing will also aid in accomplish
ing this result.
The following spring the field should
be planted to an intertilled crop. Corn,
preferably planted in checkrows, is
best. From the time the farmer Is
able to get on the land in the spring
until the corn is laid by, his efforts
should be directed toward preventing
the onion from making top growth.
This spring or early summer work Is
to kill the plants which have come
up from the hard-shelled bulbs which
lived through the winter. Some of
these bulbs, however. may not start
growth for a year or two, so it is nee
essary to continue giving careful cul-
tivation for a year or two.
Cleaning Un Pasture.
Graduating the onion from pastures,
Il the plants are not too numerous,
may be done by digging up each plant
and destroying. Sheep eat the tops
of the onion, and grazing for few
years often gives the desired results.
The application of poison to each
plant, where it is practicable to do
SO, will destroy them. Coal-tar creo-
sote oil applied to each plant at the
rate of about four thimblefuls is effec-
tive in killing both the plant and the
ungerminated bulbs.
Since the sowing of seed grain in
tested with the onion bullets, which
are about the size of the wheat grain,
is one of the principal ways by which
the weed is spread, it follows that
clean seed should be used as pre-
ventive measure.