July, 1914 



THE CANADIAN HOETICULTUEIST 



177 



preventing of excessive water in the 

 seed beds either by the exclusion of part 

 or all of the rain. The planting of the 

 seedlings in rows or drills will permit 

 the soil between the rows to be loosened 

 after each shower by a hoe or other tool 

 and so prevent excessive moisture ac- 

 cumulating round the tender stems of 

 the seedlings. The following advice is 

 given by the editor of "Special Crops" 

 for the prevention of Damping Off of 

 Seedlings: "Take off the shade at once, 

 then stir the soil well around the seed- 

 lings and spray well with water to which 

 is added two ounces of common spirits 

 of ammonia to the gallon. 



PREVENT FUNGUS SPREADING 



"If the seedlings are going down in 

 solid patches it is well to dig a trench 

 around the spots where they are going 

 down as the fungus travels in and on the 

 soil and goes from one plant to the 

 next. We allow no rain to fall on the 

 seedling plants until after the isth of 

 luly, and are not troubled with Damp- 

 ing Off." 



Soft Rot is thought to be a bacterial 

 disease. The leaves of plants attacked 

 by Soft Rot lose the dark green color 

 so characteristic of healthy plants and 

 become thin and delicate and tinged with 

 red and yellow as though maturing for 

 the autumn, and finally the leaves wilt 

 and the stems drop over. If the roots 

 of plants showing the early symptoms 

 of the disease are dug up some part will 

 be found to be rotted. The rot may be 

 at the crown or on the fibres and larger 

 rootlets. As the disease advances the 

 whole root becomes soft, ill-smelling, 

 and rotten. This disea.se is usually most 

 destructive during wet periods in July 

 and August, and is especially a disease 

 of ginseng beds which are not properly 

 underdrained. 



All plants showing signs of rot should 

 be removed from the beds as soon as 

 they are noticed. Care should be taken 

 to see that the beds are properly tile 

 drained. If the disease becomes des- 

 tructive in a bed, remove the plants and 

 sterilize the soil with steam or formalin. 



Growing Pickling Onions Successfully 



By J. C. 



DOWN near Leamington, Ontario, 

 where they grow thousands of 

 bushels of tomatoes and melons 

 every year, there has grown up another 

 industry — the growing of pickling on- 

 ions. It is doubtful if the tomato busi- 

 ness or anything else can compete in 

 point of returns for time and money in- 

 vested. 



Several years ago dredges were put 

 to worki and after the expenditure of 

 .several thousands of dollars the huge 

 Pelee marsh was turned into one of tht 

 most productive spots in Canada. The 

 original idea was to drain the grain 

 lands back of the marsh but in doing so 

 it was necessary to drain the marsh 

 itself, and thus the rich black muck land 

 was uncovered. It was found that there 

 was from four to seventeen feet of purest 

 muck. 



SELLS BY OONTRACT 



It is here that onion growing has be- 

 come a noted indlustry. One of the most 

 successful onion growers on the marsh 

 is Mr. John Campbell. He has a con- 

 tract with the Heinz Pickle Company, 

 who have a large factory at Leamington, 

 calling for six and a half acres of pickling 

 onions, no more and no less. They have 

 figured pretty closely just what is re- 

 quired. 



Picklers, as they are called, are plant- 

 ed in loose well fertilized ground, about 

 the same time regular onions are plant- 

 ed and are kept weeded by hand during 

 the few weeks that they are in the 

 ground. Belgian labor is employed by 

 Mr. Campbell the season through. So 

 much hand work is necesary that only 



Inman 



people who are used to the hardest work 

 can or will stand it. One of the main 

 advantages of foreign help is their relia- 

 bility as they do nearly all the work they 

 undertake under the contract system, 

 guaranteeing satisfaction as far as thor- 

 oughness is concerned. 



A HANDSOME INOOMB 



Mr. Campbell's income last year was 

 $4,700. Few people would believe that 

 so much money could be made from six 

 and a half acres, but it must be remem- 

 bered that the land is worth one thousand 

 dollars an acre, and that only a small 

 acreage of such land is obtainable in the 

 whole of Canada. The expense in con- 

 nection with this pickler crop was $1,600 

 everything included, leaving a clear pro- 

 fit of $3,100, for the use of six and a 

 half acres for some sixty days — the time 

 required to raise a crop of picklers. This 

 however was not the only income from 

 th • land as p)otatoes were planted as soon 

 as the onions were off. 



Tomato Pruning 



H. P. Blaachard, Ellerihoute, N. S. 

 All pruning and thinning depends up- 

 on the axiom that 



"Not the branch, but the root 

 Is what bears the fruit." 

 The method I follow is the "Potter Sys- 

 tem," with which I have had good suc- 

 cess. 



The tomato plant in growing throws 

 out from the stem the leaf ; and in the 

 anigle between the leaf stock and the 

 stem, the "armpit," as someone called 

 it ; the branch a little later starts. It is 



by pinching or cutting out these budding 

 branches or suckers that the pruning is 

 done. One should not remove the leaf 

 growth . 



Allow the plant to grow until, in ad- 

 dition to the main stock, there are about 

 three branch stocks. Diligently remove 

 every branch sprout just as soon as it 

 appears in the "armpit," but permit the 

 four main stems to grow in length at 

 their tips. However, pinch off the ends 

 of the stems just beyond the third clus- 

 ter of blossoms. This gives to each 

 plant four main stems, three clusters of 

 fruit to each stem ; twelve in all. 



GIVE PLANTS PLENTY ROOM 



Every plant is at least four feet from 

 its neighbor ; five feet will not hurt in 

 choice soil. This space permits the 

 stems to be supported on small stakes, 

 to keep the ripe fruit from the ground 

 and also to spread the branches to the 

 sun heat. 



In tomato culture - there are some 

 things one may omit and yet succeed. 

 For instance, where the soil is not too 

 dirty, on gravelly soil, the stakes may 

 perhaps be omitted and the vines allowed 

 to lie on the ground. A little fruit thus 

 will be ruined, not as much in value, 

 perhaps as the labor of staking. 



But to crowd the plants; to neglect 

 the pruning; to allow grass and weeds 

 to multiply; these things are fatal. It 

 is unquestionable that two plants on the 

 space proper for one will give less and 

 poorer fruit than a single plant on that 

 space; and the multiplication of blos- 

 soms and suckers robs the roots of just 

 so much food that was required for the 

 maximum quantity of choice fruit. 



