THE IRRIGA TIOX AGE. 



33 



An analysis made by the Connecticut Ex- 

 periment Station shows that a ton of ma- 

 ture onions contains 2.70 pounds of ni- 

 trogen, 0.92 pounds of phosphoric acid, 

 and 2.09 pounds of potash. This shows 

 conclusively that the soil must contain 

 these elements, and if it does not the 

 crop will be a failure, at least to the ex- 

 tent of their deficiency. The onion field 

 should then be fertilized with some com- 

 mercial fertilizer, using about 1,500 

 pounds per acre, of that containing 6 per 

 cent phosphoric acid, 7 of potash and 4 of 

 nitrogen. 



There are several varieties, but the red 

 Wethersfield, Yellow Danvers and Silver 

 Skin are the favorites of gardeners and 

 truck farmers. The seed should be pur- 

 chased from reliable seedmen who make a 

 regular business of supplying customers. 

 It does not pay to buy cheap seed of any- 

 body. As a general rule it does not pay 

 the beginner in onion culture to try any 

 but the standard varieties but some of the 

 novelties may be planted as experiments. 

 The old plan is to drill the seed in rows 

 about fourteen inches apart, early in the 

 spring, then thin as the plants come on to 

 about four inches in the row. This is 

 hard, tiresome work, and deters many who 

 might be good growers from attempting 

 the work. If the seed is sown in the hot 

 bed or cold frame, and the plants reset in 

 April, the crop will be larger, require less 

 attention, gire more uniform tubers and 

 net more money at less outlay than the 

 old plan. 



The ground should be put in good con- 

 dition, the rows laid off about fourteen 

 inches apart and everything in readiness 

 for planting as early as possible. When 

 the plants are six inches high they may 

 be taken from the seed bed and trans- 

 planted. The best tool for this work is a 

 dibble made of wood about ten inches 

 long, in the shape of a long parsnip. 

 Water should be run through the rows 

 long enough before planting to thoroughly 

 soak the loose earth, so that when the 

 dibble is used the holes will be in moist 



soil. Make the holes about four inches 

 apart and set a single plant in each hole, 

 gently squeezing the moist earth around 

 the plant. In two or three days run water 

 through the rows again and when the 

 ground is dry cultivate very shallow. If 

 barnyard manure has been used the weed 

 seeds will germinate and cause much 

 labor. 



Thorough cultivation and plenty of 

 moisture are necessary requirements for 

 producing good crops. If the onions are 

 irrigated the water should be run through 

 the rows at intervals of probably two 

 weeks, but not be permitted to soak too 

 much, as that tends to decrease the yield. 

 The transplanted onions may be culti- 

 vated almost exclusively with small 

 teethed garden implements. Harvesting 

 should be done when most of the necks 

 turn yellow and are withered. If delayed 

 the old sets will begin to grow again. The 

 bulbs may be pulled and thrown in win- 

 nows for a few days to dry. After drying 

 the tops should be cut off and the bulbs 

 marketed or stored for winter selling. 

 Sheep shears make excellent toppers. A 

 bushel weighs 56 pounds, so that the sell- 

 ing price may be easily reckoned when 

 quotations are in tons. Onions should 

 be sold during the winter or as early in 

 the spring as possible. 



JOEL SHOMAKER. 



CULTURE OF RICE IS A NEW TEXAS 

 INDUSTRY. 



A branch of planting which has lately 

 been successfully carried on in Texas is 

 the culture of rice, an industry which is 

 new to the State and but just developing 

 to notable proportion. It is scarcely ten 

 years since a feeble beginning was made, 

 but as the occupation proved profitable 

 additional acreage was planted. This 

 cereal requires constant irrigation for suc- 

 cessful culture, and can only be carried on 

 where frequent inundation of the fields 

 can be accomplished. 



The success which has attended the 

 small enterprises in rice growing has en- 



