Vol. III. No. 63. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



295 



^ 



CONTROLLING SOIL MOISTURE IN THE 

 ORCHARD. 



This important subject has been referred to at 

 various times in the publications of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture, particularly in the West 

 Indian Balk-tin (Vol. II, p. 96; Vol. IV, p. 17G), and 

 the Agricultural News (Vol. II, p. 187). It is further 

 dealt with in the Repurf of the Fruit Growers' 

 Association of Ontario, 1902, by Professor J. B. Reyn- 

 olds. We give the following short summary of this 

 interesting paper : — 



The first point to consider is the proper jireparation of 

 the land before planting. The drainage of the land must 

 receive attention ; if the land is naturally well drained, 

 artificial drainage will not be necessary. Then the soil must 

 be thoroughly loosened so that the roots may be encouraged 

 to go deep instead of keeping to the surface. 



Next, let us consider the various methods of treating the 

 soil after the trees have been planted. One method is to put 

 the orchard down to permanent sod. This method, which 

 has obvious advantages, is not to be universally condemned ; 

 its advisability will depend upon the locality. East of 

 Toronto, where the rainfall is greatest, the sodding of 

 orchards is not found to be unfavourable to the pro- 

 duction of fruit. To the west of Toronto, on the 

 other hand, this practice is rather objectionable from the 

 point of view of soil moisture, and it is a question whether 

 we can afford the withdrawal of the moisture from the land 

 occasioned by the growing grass. The diminution of the 

 water su}iply causes the apples to ripen earlier in the season, 

 and therefore sodding cannot be approved in districts where 

 moisture is scarce. Cropping is also a question of local 

 climate. The orchard may be profitably cropped where the 

 soil is rich enough to stand it, and the soil moisture is plenti- 

 ful enough. It appears to me that, subject to the excepitions 

 mentioned, the safest plan is not to sod an orchard nor to 

 crop it, in the ordinary sense, but to use a ' cover crop,' that 

 is to saj', a crop sown late in the summer, or early in the 

 autumn, allowed to remain as a cover to the land during the 

 winter, and ploughed down the following spring. 



It must be clearly understood that no particular system 

 of soil culture for orchards can be reconnnended without 

 a particular stud}' of local conditions. 



THE DATE PALM IN INDIA. 



In the Report on the Botanical GanJens at 

 Hahaixmj)ur and Mussoorie, the Superintendent gives 

 the following summary of his experiences with the 

 date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) : — 



It has been conclusively proved that date palms under 

 ordinary care thrive well at Saharanpur. When the trees 

 have attained to some age, ten years and over, they flower 

 and set fruit profusely : but only a very small percentage of 

 the fruit ripens in normal seasons, and even in our abnormally 

 dry seasons, one or two small sliowers of rain are sufficient 

 to destroy the bulk of the crop*. Date palms may, therefore, 

 be successfully grown for ornamental purposes anywhere in 

 the province : but for food, in seasons of late or light rain- 

 fall, the quantity of fruit that may be counted on to ripen is 

 so small as not to be worth taking into account. 



ONION CULTIVATION IN EGYPT. 



The following account of onion cultivation in 

 Egypt is taken from Bulletin No. 62 of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 entitled : 'Notes on Egyptian Agriculture': — 



Onions are grown to a considerable extent in Upper 

 Egypt (not less than 15,000 acres), largely on the islands 

 which appear after the fall of the Nile and on the banks of 

 the river. They are also grown on ordinary soils under 

 perennial irrigation. Although two or three varieties are 

 recognized, that known as the Saidi forms the bulk of the 

 export trade. The crop grows to the greatest advantage on 

 cleep, loamy soils, inclining to sandy, and possessing a con- 

 siderable amount of humus. 



Seed is sown in a manured seed bed in September. 

 About one-ninth of a bushel of seed .sown on 350 square 

 yards of land provides sufficient plants for 1 acre. 



The land for onions should be well prepared by two or 

 three ploughings, reduced to a friable condition, and made 

 into ridges about 2 feet apart. The seedlings are pushed in 

 the sides of the ridges (both sides) by the fingers and are 

 left about 6 inches apart. 



On the islands and river banks the land is not ploughed 

 at all, but the seedlings are sown ou the flat, either singly in 

 rows about 14 inches apart, or in bunches in rows 20 inches 

 apart. In this case the crop is not watered during growth. 



The operation of transjjlanting is done in November and 

 December on the islands and river banks, but later on 

 ordinary lands even up to -January and February. 



The crop requires careful cultivation to prevent the 

 growth of weeds, and a small hoe is employed to keep the 

 land well stirred. During the first month after transplanting, 

 the crop must be hoed and weeded, and this must be repeated 

 during the second month. 



Onions respond to liberal manuring. Barnyard manure 

 is employed, and on the alluvial deposits this is put under 

 the plants at the time of transplanting, but on other land it 

 is applied from one to one and a half months after trans- 

 planting and as a rule before any water is applied. Small 

 quantities of coiifri are sometimes used, though barnyard 

 manure is in greatest favour. 



On ordinary perennial irrigated lands six or seven 

 waterings are given during the growth of the crop. These 

 should be light and not sufficient in amount to soak the soil. 



About five months after transplanting, the bulbs have 

 attained full size and the leaves become yellow. The crop is 

 now read}- to lift, and no water should be applied for nearly 

 a month before harvesting ; otherwise a second growth 

 commences. 



The bulbs are removed and exposed to the sun for two 

 days, the tops being then removed, and another day allowed 

 for drying. 



Early in A[iril the onion crop arrives at Alexandria for 

 export, the first arrivals realizing the highest price. The 

 product per acre amounts to 5 to 6 tons, on an average, on 

 good soil. Care has to be taken in storing. If not 

 thoroughly dried many of the onions will sprout, and those 

 which have been injured or bruised will decay. The average 

 price is from £2 to £.3 per ton. 



The following figures indicate the export trade : — 



1899, 76,568 tons to the value of £236,498. 



1900, 76,034 „ „ „ £157,670. 



1901, 64,935 „ „ „ £133,986. 



1902, 49,933 „ „ „ £103,842. 

 The bulk of the crop is sent to England, and the rest 



chiefl}- to Austria. 



