DIYISIOX OF EORTICULTl'RE 



883 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Cultural experiments. — The seed was sown in the garden April 20, and the follow- 

 ing 5'ields were obtained from a row 33-3 feet long in each case. In the last column of 

 the table is given the yields obtained from plants started in a hotbed and transplanted 

 into the garden on June 5, 3 inches apart. 



Yellow Globe 



Large Red Wetbersfield 

 Extra Early Red 



Thinned to 

 1 inch apart. 



lb. 



64 

 51 

 37 



Thinned to 

 2 inchesapart. 



lb. 



68 

 50 

 36 



Thinned to 

 inches apart 



lb. 



46 

 40 

 32 



Transplanted 

 from hotbed. 



lb. 



50 

 68 

 49 



Starting the seed in a hotbed and transplanting is a more expensive way but the 

 onions produced were more uniform in size. Another advantage of this method is that 

 the crop is more certain, for, in a dry season, the seed sown in the open may not 

 germinate well. We are not prepared to recommend the practice, for the advantages 

 obtained will scarcely compensate for the additional trouble and labour required. If 

 onion seed is sown in the spring as soon as the land is freed enough of frost to be 

 worked, any one of the above varieties will give fairly satisfactory results in a favour- 

 able season. Our seasons, however, are short and difficulty in getting tiie onions to 

 mature by fall is often experienced. 



Onion sets were planted 2 inches deep and 3 inches apart in a row 33i feet long 

 and produced 84 pomids. This method of growing onions is the safest, as one can always 

 be sure of obtaining a well ripened crop. The sets may be raised at home by sowing 

 the seeds very thickly in rows so as to keep the plants crowded and limited in size. 

 In the late stimmer they should be pulled and dried out and then stored for tlie winter 

 in a dry place where they will not be subjected to severe freezing. A row each 100 feet 

 long of Yellow Globe and Extra Early Red onion seed was sown for sets and produced 

 218 and 226 pounds respectively. 



Parsley. — Double Curled was the only variety tested, and made splendid growth, 

 the leaves being large and well curled. 



Parsnips. — Parsnips as usual did very well but should always be sown where some 

 of them can be left in the ground all winter as they get very soft when out of the 

 ground a short time unless covered with sand in the cellar. Thinning experiments were 

 carried out. Three rows were thinned out to 2, 3, and 4 inches respectively. The 3-inch 

 test yielded the heaviest, giving 100 poTinds from a 334-foot row. 



SEED PRODUCTION. 



It is probably easier to raise seed of the parsnip than any other of the garden 

 roots. When left in the ground they keep perfectly till spring when they at once 

 start a seed stalk if left undisturbed, and usually produce an abundant crop of seed. 

 A 250-foot row of Hollow Crown planted in 1914 was left for seed and yielded 180 

 pounds of seed, although it is estimated that one-sixth of the crop was lost by 

 shattering out owing to the fact that the stalks were allowed to get too ripe before 

 cutting. 



Peas. — Seventeen varieties were under test. The Thomas Laxton and Gradus 

 were the earliest, being sown with the other varieties on April 17 and ready for use 



Lethbridge. 



