18 SUGGESTIONS TO SETTLERS IN COLUMBIA RIVER VALLEY. 



MELONS. 



Watermelons do fairly well on the virgin soil, but cantaloupes are 

 not a success until the soil has been improved with stable manure 

 or green manure, or by growing clover or alfalfa. They are not 

 profitable, however, unless the grower has a market near at hand. 

 It is the early melons, the first to reach the market, that bring the 

 highest prices. Of the many varieties of watermelons, the Monte 

 Cristo seems to give the best results. The Rockyford cantaloupe is 

 a favorite among the melon growers. 



ONIONS. 



If onions are grown on sandy soil they must be well protected 

 from the wind to prevent injury from the drifting soil. On such 

 land large yields must not be expected until the soil has been im- 

 proved. Onions may be sold either in the cured or in the green 

 state. 



Main crop. — The main, or summer, crop of onions is cured and sold 

 in the dry state. The long dry season insures the thorough curing 

 of the bulbs. One of the secrets of onion culture on sandy land is to 

 keep the soil moist from the time the seed is sown until the plants 

 are well established. The Yellow Danvers variety is recommended 

 for the main crop. 



Early spring crop. — The early spring crop is sold when the onions 

 are in their immature or green state. This crop may be grown in two 

 ways: 



(1) During August — not later than September 1 — the ground 

 to be planted is thoroughly irrigated. Furrows are then laid off 3 

 or 4 inches deep, into which the seed is drilled quite thickly. The 

 seed is covered about 1 inch deep. As the onions grow, the soil is 

 worked into the furrows. Later the rows are ridged up. By plant- 

 ing the seed in furrows and ridging the rows up, long tender stems are 

 produced. 



(2) By the second method the seed is sown quite thickly during the 

 spring, and the irrigation and cultivation given are not so thorough as 

 with the main crop. In this way small bulbs are produced. The 

 onions are not gathered in the fall but are allowed to remain in the 

 field. During the late fall, growth is resumed and green onions are 

 ready for the early spring market. The Prizetaker variety is gener- 

 ally used for the green crop. 



GREEN MANURE AND COVER CROPS. 



Green manuring is plowing under green crops. It is one of the 

 best ways of increasing the water-holding capacity of the soil, as well 

 as the quantity of vegetable matter present. Cover crops are usually 

 grown during the interval between regular crops, when the ground 



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