30 



IRISH GARDENING 



transplanted box sown, or autiunn sown. Unions 

 are rarely affected by this fly. The fly is of a 

 greyish colour, not unlike the house fly in ap- 

 pearance. It begins its depredations early m 

 suunner by laying its eggs on the leaves close to 

 the bulblet; the larvae from these eggs soon find 

 their way into the Onion, which rots away under 

 their burrowing influence. After becoming fully 

 matured, the grubs change into pu] te, and thus 

 go to rest till next season. The devastating work 

 of the fly goes on all sununer, and the best means 

 of prevention is to destroy all diseased bvdbs with 

 the larvae contained therein, and as early as the 

 middle of May dress the Onion bed frequently 

 with a light dusting of soot, gas lime, or a fre- 

 quent spraying of quassia water, soluble paraffin, 

 or strong garden insecticide. This is sure to ward 

 off attacks. 



A very severe attack of mildew in 1917 brought 

 about the premature ripening of Onions in many 

 places and consequent shrinkage in crop. This 

 mildew is known as Peronospora, and the best 

 method of fighting this really annoying malady 

 is l>y spraying early in summer, as a preventive, 

 using the ordinary potato spray " Bordeaux mix- 

 ture." It is nuich better to prevent than cure, 

 and that can only be accomplished l)y actint' 

 ))efore the mildew appears. 



Varieties are numerous, and for autunui sowing 

 perhaps the Tripoli stclioi i< the best Lemon 

 Rocca is a good sort, wintering well, and 

 maturing early in smnmer. But the newer 

 exhibition kinds stand very well through the 

 winter, and if not sown before the end of August 

 rarely run to seed the next summer. 



For maincrop I prefer the good keeping sorts. 

 " James' Keeping," an old sort, has been re- 

 placed by more up-to-date selections of the 

 ■■ Brown Globe " under many different names. 

 ■■ All the Year Roiuid " is a variety of high-class 

 quality. " Cranston's Excelsior," a well-known 

 exhibition Onion, and a good keeper. " Lord 

 Keeper " is a fine sort of keeping quality. " Mag- 

 num Bonum " is truly named. " Ailsa Craig " 

 and " Stirling Exhibition " are two really high- 

 class varieties, attaining under good cidtivation 

 great size combined with good keeping qualities; 

 while for pickling the small silver-skinned variety, 

 " Queen," cannot be beaten. The above-men- 

 tioned are only a very few of the varieties found 

 in a catalogue of seeds, but they are all reliable 

 sorts, likely to serve the needs of any house- 

 hold. 



In a year, such as the present is, when evei\s 

 square inch of ground is imder crop, inter- 

 cropping may be resorted to in Onion cultivati )n 

 with very good results. Thus a line of Onious 

 may be grown between the lines of first-year 

 strawberry plants. Indeed, I generally grow 

 such a crop in normal years. Lettuces of the 

 dwarf sorts make another good intercrop with 

 Onions, as when planted nine inches apart they 

 reach niaturity without injuring the Onions 

 between, are then cut and cleared off. Early 

 Horn Carrot is another good partner, the scant 

 foliage never interferes with even the tenderest 

 Onion plant, and the roots are gathered early in 

 summer as the Onion bulbs begin to form. Shou'-'i 

 any grower decide to intercrop, he will be well 

 advised to do so by transplanting either indoor 

 spring sown or autumn sown plants. There is no 

 chance then of the intercrop smothering the 

 Onions, which might happen in the case of spring 

 open air sowings, especially where Lettuces or 

 Strawberries were the partners. 



Manure and Fertilizers. 



Wood ashes ciiii be used for any crops that need 

 potash, and they may be applied at the rate of 

 25 to 50 bushels per acre. 



For cultivated crops wood ashes should be 

 applied broadcast after the land has been 

 harrowed and then> cultivated in by a light 

 harrowing. Wood aslies can be used also as a top- 

 dressing in connection with phosphate fertilizers. 

 It is claimed that an average sample of un- 

 leached wood ashes contains about 7 per cent, 

 of potash and 2 per cent, of phosphoric acid. 



Besides the actual fertilising value, by reason 

 of the potash and phosphoric acid contained, 

 there is some value to ashes simply by the power 

 which the potash has to make the nitrogen of the 

 soil available for plant use by its chemical action 

 upon the organic matter and humus of the soil. 

 The potash in wood ashes exists in a readily 

 soluble form, and is thus immediately available 

 for plant food. 



Coal ashes are of little value as plant food. 

 Manure may fail to give good results the first 

 year and show well the next. 3Iuch depends 

 upon the condition of the material. It cannot 

 afford food to plants until its decomposes and is 

 soluble material converted into plant food. 



Stable manures are generally more economically 

 used when aijplied to farm crops than when 

 applied to orchards : yet they can be used with 

 good results, laarticularly in rejuvenating old 

 orchards on exhausted soil. 



The liciuids of manure are alkaline and will 

 neutralise the sawdust if w^ell soaked into it. 



The chemical action in the manure pile is also 

 alkaline, so that sawdust used for bedding and 

 well mixed with the manure is safe to use on the 

 soil. 



Horse manure contains less water than cattle 

 manure, and as the horse has less power to digest 

 cellulose, the manure is more fibrous. 



Horse manure ferments ea.sily, and hence is 

 called a hot or quick manure. 



In fermenting, horse manure gives off ammonia 

 or nitrogenous products, and rapidly deteriorates 

 in quality. c 



Because of the rapid fermentation of hoise 

 manure, it ea.sily becomes dry and fires. 



To prevent fire-fanging and loss through fer- 

 mentation, horse manure, when in piles, should 

 be kept very compact and moist. 



Mixing horse manure with cow manure will 

 aid in preserving it, and contribute to the value 

 of both for general purposes. 



The quality of quick fermentation and heating 

 makes horse manure especially valuable for use 

 in hot beds, musliroom beds, and for cold, wet 

 soils. 



Horse manure is more bulky, or weighs less per 

 cubic foot, than cow manure. 



A well fed horse will produce about 50 pounds 

 of manure per day, about one-fourth of which is 

 urine. 



Manuring Facts. — Professor E. B. Hart, of 

 the University of Wisconsin, says farmers need 

 to be cautioned generally against the use of wood 

 ashes and lime with manuic. The ashes and lime 

 produce an alkaline condition, resulting in the 

 loss of the ammonia which carries off the nitrogen. 

 — British Columbia Fruit and Farm Magazine. 



