138 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Not only the " grasshopper is a burden," even select a very nice spot of ground, and spare no. 

 a feather is oppressive. Yea, the kind caress of pains in properly airan^inj it for the reception 

 Hiy sweet little child is an Hprculean task to re- nf the seed. "But when shall it he sown?" 

 ciprocate. This reminds me of what I had for- | Some elderly people say " in the old of the 

 o-ot to mention, — that dnrinir my mad career re- moon, that they may bottom well." This item 

 course was ha<l to matrimonv, as a (ieraier re- is by no means np£rlerled,and the man conlidenily 

 sort for effeclin? reformation. But, I must ac-! expects a reward for his piinrlilions exactness. 

 knowledo-e, without success. 1 supposed the i But, perhaps, not one seed in a himdred ever 

 delights of the domestic fireside would be more ' vegetates. "The seed is not good, it is mure 

 alluring than the boisterous mirth of a tavern ; than a year old." After a little time many of 

 'and that the smiles of a virtuous and amiable his plants disappear without anv assiifnable 

 wife would overmatch the enticements of the cause, and perhaps some innocent little insect has 

 cup. But alas! Tom, inveterate habits are as its eves nut out with a«hes. &c. What few are 

 adhesive as our skins, and lasting as our lives. 

 In the language of V'irgil, 



Facile est decensus Averni 



. . . sed revocare s'i'adum est.* 



! left standinir receive all possible attention. But 

 observe tbem, and you will find that not one 

 stands upon the surface; on the contrary the 

 stalk rune down to the depth of two or three in- 

 «, . , . ■ . .. ches of an equal bitjness to the fibrous roots, and 



Few inebriates, you may depend on ,f, are won j ,^.^ .^ ^„ |,;^ perfection Ihey arrive at in most 

 by the chaste and dehcate deportment of an a- ._^^,.^^^^^ ,j^'^^, „,„„,.^,| ,|^g conclusion that this 

 iniable wfe, trom the fascinations o( Crce or , ,^^^^ ^^^^^ ^,^^ ^^ ^^^,,^ ,^ produce Onions ! 

 the byrens. The slam is loo deep to he oblite- ^,^^ cultivator is determined not to be decieved 



rated by milk and honey. It requires something 

 more caustic. I certainly found it so. 



When 1 have sometimes turned down glass 

 after glass of the liquid fire, 1 have caugl.t my 

 ivife in tears, though she emleavoured to con- 

 ceal them. This hr.s sometimes excited in me 

 a momentary ))ang. But a little moro of the 

 Lethean water has always stilled it, and 1 could 

 say, " Richard 's Inmself again.'' My deir little 

 children, \vhen they run out with inlantine 

 fondness to meet me on mv return, — perhaps 

 from a tavern, — seize my han<ls, and mount my 

 arms, with all the simplicity of nature, and 1 am 

 melted into tears, at the thoughts of my not only 

 neglecting to provide them a respectable main- 

 tenance, but even wasting their patrimony. 



My old friend, yon must pardon any repeti- 

 tions I may be guilty of in my narrative ; for my 

 senses are all dimmed. Sight, hearin'r, and es- 

 pecially taste, are mach impaired. 1 have no 

 enjoyment, though constantly striving bv art to 

 create some. I cannot long continue ; an<l the 

 sooner 1 lie down in the dust, the better will it 

 be for my relations and friends. My dear old 

 frieid, tell me what I am to do ; or rather what 

 nay friends should do." COMMISEllATOR 



Framinghain, {Mass.) .'Vod. 19, 1824. 



rOR THE NEW EiVGI^AND FAR.IIER. 



ON THE CULTURE OF ONIONS. 



I believe that every [dant has its corrpsj)ond- 

 ing principles in the earth and atmosphere. — 

 Were not this absolutely the c;isp, how is it that 

 they come to a stale uf perfection, each after its 

 kind, throughout the vast variety thai vegetate 

 tipon the earth ? Upon the supposition that 

 every genus of plants is nourished by one com 

 mon principle in the elements, wbydo they re- 

 quire so many diflerent kinds of soil and situa- 

 tion? I'hose prinrip'.es, apjdied to one plan), 

 have a salutary efli-cl,— to another, quite Ihe 

 reverse, and all this while from mere vegetal. le 

 matter. There are some peculiar plants that 

 will not fliMirisfi, be the soil over so rich, until 

 it b(!comps naturalized to their growth, — and 

 among llip-^e the Onion is remarkable. 



Many good people are led to ii!i;igine tiiat this 

 vegetable is hard to please with a soil. They 



retrace your stt-ps a 



I he iiifenial regions is easy, but to 

 Ueiculeaa task. 



b3' it again. 



Now it is apparent that the want of success 

 in the aliove process was not owing to a lack of 

 vegetable siili-lance, although it would have 

 been an indis|iensable ally to those subtile se- 

 cretions which were not as yet concentrated. — 

 These are gradually located by its own influ- 

 enc, verging to greater and greater degrees 

 of nialuritv. Anil for myself I am persuaded 

 that all plants, provided they have their vital 

 support, (he longer they are ciillivaleil in one 

 place, the better thev are; but more observa- 

 bly so in the one under consideration. 



Some years irgn I saw a piece nf mnift land, 

 consisting of a rich black |o;>m plenl'fnlly ma- 

 nured and sown down with onion*, and the re- 

 sult precisely the sa-r.e as that mentioned. The 

 man, however, still perspveied, and anotlu'r 

 year produced him, perhaps, one onion to 

 twenty scullions. A third year, and nearly one 

 half were tolerably handsome, but rather large 

 top. He can now (after a lajise of eight or 

 nine year*) rear fair onions with as much ease 

 as potatoes. 



The best time to sow the seed, like all otii 

 er, is when the earth has received a goodly 

 degree of warmth. The ground should lie 

 made as level as it possibly can be, and cleared 

 of all inrumbr.ince*.. There is little danger 

 of making it loo hard, as a pressure of the 

 earth will have a tendency to prevent the on- 

 ion lakin? t"0 much root downwards. I have 

 no objection to sowing in hills or drills — they 

 will grow well either way. After Ihe seed is 

 sown and covered to the depth oi" an inch, lake 

 a piece of board two feel lonnr, fisten it to the 

 shoe of the font, and stamp the hills or drills 

 perfectly level ; thi< will press the moist earth 

 upon the seed and cause it to vegetate surer 

 and quicker. 



After the seed is up (which is generally in a 

 fortnight) nothing is to he done till the weeds 

 makp their appearance, unless Ihe flies make 

 depredations, in which case, ashes are lo he 

 sprinkled on sparingly, for in this lender slate 

 ol" the plant, loo much alkali would prove a 

 destroyer. Of late 1 find that Ihe black ani is 

 a foe, for it cuts Ihe lop olT close lo the surface. 

 But neither are so dangerous as the wire wor.m, 

 for it destroys the root and the jilanl perislus. 



By weeding them in season two points are 

 gained. The first is the saving of h;ilf the la- 



bour ; and the second, the plants will not be so 

 likely lo come up wilh the weeds. Carp should 

 be taken not to hill Ihem at all, r.iliier take 

 away the earth from the roots, as the nearer 

 Ihpy grow to the surface, the fairer onions they 

 will be. If any are inclined lo run deep in the 

 earth, ihey should '<p duT round, :ind ibf-ir tops 

 bent ilown to prevent a too luxurious growth. 



When the onion has arrived at consMeralde 

 growth, it receives no su|jji,ip[ /lom its top 

 (resembling corn in this particular) but rather 

 supports it. Tlipn they are to be bent down 

 and as the onion rijiens will dry away leavino' 

 a small stem. 



Wlipn thp fibrous roots no longer a Ihere lo 

 the earth, tlie onion ']< ripe, and ougl.t o i e (lull- 

 ed. Lei them lie lo the sun until the outer skin 

 starts. Then they uv^ lo be taken lo a ch- u\- 

 bei or carrel there to remain till it freezes. By 

 no means carry them immediately into a cellar 

 as the dampness will cause them lo vegelale fc 

 Ihe onion will soon become soft and spongy. I 

 have kept them very well all winter in a garret, 

 'bill they were not permitted to freeze and thaw 

 alternately. 



The method of rearing the seed is Ihe follow- 

 ing. — Select a sufficient spot in your bed and 

 keep it for this sole purpose. Save your best 

 onions, and have not much regard lo color, for 

 il' yoii wish to rear, say the yellow, it will not 

 certainly follow that they will all be so, if you 

 save all of that description. Mark your becfin- 

 to squnres of one fool and sel your onions lo the 

 d.^plh of six or eight iuclies. This will prevent 

 lliejr long slender stalks from t'allins; down be- 

 fore the seed is rijie. A CULTIVATOR. 



P. S. 1 shall be much obliged lo some of 

 Iha curious if Ihey will account for ihe phenom- 

 enon which I h.ive inentioneil above, viz. that 

 the seed of a yeliozu in.iy produce a red union. 



[remauks ey the editor.] 

 Onions are not an e.^haiistinj crop, but improve the 

 land on wliich they are sown for several years in suc- 

 cession. Dr Dtane observed, " I have many years cal- 

 livaled onions on the same spot ; and have never found 

 the land at all impoverished by them. But on the con- 

 trary, my crops are belter than formerly. But the ma- 

 nuring is yearly repeated ; and must not be laid far 

 below the surface." 



ON THE CULTn VTION OF FUl'lT TIIF.F.S. 

 [Concluded from puge 130.] 



[hy the editor.] 



It is a question worth consideration, whether 

 it might not in some cases be best to plant llie 

 seeds of I'ruil trees in Ihe spots where it is in- 

 tended that tliey snail remain. This would save 

 much trouble and expense in transplnnlin','-, and 

 if the young trees are properly delended by 

 strong stakes, or suitable frames, the soil in 

 which il is proposed lo raise an orchard, may be 

 cultivated for any crop which requires frequent 

 ploughing and liooing. It is affirmed lli.il every 

 lime a tree is transplanted, let ever so much care 

 he used, its growth is in some measure retarded, 

 ind its constitution in some degree weaknued. 

 Mr Miller says, '• oaks are best produced from 

 he acorns, in the places where the trees are to 

 lemaiu ; because tlmse Tchich arc trans/itantcil 



vill not 



to so lar^c a si:e., nor remain 



