172 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
I have worked many such cions as carefully as I could, but not one of them 
has ever grown to my knowledge. I infer that plum cions should never be 
cut less than one-fourth inch in diameter. 
Some of my most successful attempts have been with cleft grafts in- 
serted in limbs three-fourths inch or more in diameter. If the branch is so 
slender that it does not exert considerable pressure on the inserted cion, I 
wrap it tightly with grafting cloth. 
Sometimes I have succeeded well with the whip graft, but by no means 
always. 
I have tried grafting very early in spring, and at various times until the 
leaves on the stock have well started, and have succeeded and failed at all 
of these periods. I do not regard very early grafting as at all necessary to 
success. 
I have used both fall-cut and spring-cut cions, and have succeeded and 
failed with both. I think fall-cut cions as likely to succeed as any, pro- 
vided they are kept so as not to swell or shrivel at all. But as it requires 
considerable care to’keep them in this manner, I now prefer to cut them 
in the spring. 
Several good varieties of the Americana plum are such irregular, 
scraggy and drooping growers as the trees acquire age, that it is necessary 
to top-work them if we desire respectable looking trees. Certain other 
varieties on the other hand make fine and regular trees. One, in particular, 
on our grounds, of which I regret to have lost the name, grows almost as 
straight and upright as the Tetofsky apple tree. The fruit is a perfect free- 
stone, and of good size and quality, but the tree does not appear to be pro- 
ductive.—‘‘The Fruitman.” 
BEST TWO KINDS OF ONIONS AND HOW TO GROW 
THEM. 
JOHN ZELLER, NEW ULM. 
Onions are the most profitable crop to raise. I give my own experience 
for the last two years. In 1898 I planted one acre with onions. I used four 
pounds of seed, three of Red Wethersfield, one of Yellow Globe Danvers. 
From this one acre I harvested 600 bushels of nice onions. The land had 
acrop of oats on the year before. I plowed the land just as early as the 
ground was in shape to work good. Two boys followed the plow and raked 
all the stubble into the furrow, which was all eight to ten inches deep. I 
used a twelve-inch plow. After the land was plowed I spread wood ashes 
and slaked lime over the surface. Then I harrowed it thoroughly and hand 
raked it very fine. Then I used a Planet, Jr., drill and wheel hoe combined 
to sow the seed—the rows sixteen inches apart—at the rate of four pounds 
per acre; the rows as straight as possible. Just as soon as the onions were 
out of the ground I commenced to work the cultivator between the rows, 
continuing this as often as necessary, and when the onions were from six 
to eight inches high hand-weeded them. This crop was hand-weeded three 
times, and cultivated about eight times. 
The crop of 1899 was sowed just as soon as the ground could be worked. 
Before so#ving I spread with good rotten manure in place of the ashes and 
lime and harrowed it fine; then hand raked it, so I could work the drill. This 
crop was only hand-weeded once and cultivated six times; not one-half the 
