ism 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



3;{ 



K'^^JSSli,i^?SSu^^;.SLrS Sr"'^"^ «"^ "^"- field otherwise i.npos- 

 on tho earth bottom of a damp dark c. liar, and - ■ ■ - 



It will bleach out about as nicely as in any wav 

 you cantixit. The slatted potato-boxe/ give 

 ventilation enough to prevent heating and rot- 

 ting, and yet not so much as to injure it bv 

 wilting-that IS, if your cellar is damp and 



EGYPTIAN (OR WINTEK) ONIONS UNDER GLASS. 



_ Friend Rnot:-l have received valuable in- 

 ormation from articles under " High-nres«nrp 

 gardening," and believe there are times when 

 )erhaps even my experience would be of some 

 )enetit to others. Asyousaidin last(}r,EANiNGs 

 Vov 1.5. the bottom onions of the Egyptian (or 

 viut«^r) onion variety, are excellent for putting 

 nto hot-beds. Of this work 1 now wi.h fe 

 peak, and have just been in the field with our 

 lelpers taking those bottoms up. to set in onr 

 lot-beds later on. To do this we use a subsoil- 

 low, which IS held by experienced hands close 



the row vvhich loosens every onion. We 

 ake hold of the onions and lay them side by 

 ide. the entire length of the row. The next 

 Dw IS laid in the same way. but the tops in one 

 3w face east, in the other they face we^t The 

 Dots in each row are just touching. When we 

 ave thus pulled up four or five rows on either 

 de of our row of onions, then we commence 

 ulling, and lay the onions on a board 12 inches 

 ide, with a strip 1x4 nailed on one edge 12 ft 

 mg. The roots are placed next to this strin ' 

 1 will .iiist say here, these are the same boards 

 .VflpH trfn"^ in conveying our onions from 



J Ur°"^ ^°""^ house, where they are 

 eaned. We put two of these boards on a wag- 



1 (which has had the bed laid off); then a 

 •osspiece is put on top of the 4-inch strips and 

 1 these are placed two more boards full of 

 lions, and these make a waeonload When 

 ley are brought to the onion-house the boards 

 e lifted, onions and all, over the low wheels 

 i^agon) and thus carried and titniedoversi\\ 

 , once, thus leaving them straight and even, 

 Id without handling or mutilating the tooV 

 hich IS quite necessary to preserve their good 

 )pearance on market. We will turn them on 

 e floor (the hrst two boards full), then place a 

 lall box, about 10 x 12 inches, at each end of 



M?o""ll'l"\^"'rP^,d'«"don these boxes is 

 Id a ,. X l|-inch plank, about 2 ft. longer than 

 e onion-boards, and on this plank are laid 

 '0 more trays of onions, and so on. maki^S 

 e tier as high as four feet or more; and we 

 ually have four or five tiers, so that in case 

 bad weather, we shall have enough onions 

 hand on the morrow to keep the onronstrip- 

 rsbusy; and unless we have them separated 



lv'tl7«t^l'p ^'^ ^'1' ^^'^"'"^ hPated; and not 

 ly that, the onion-tops next to the floor will 



dl^Sised!'" '''^''''' '' ^"^•^ P'--^''--^- ^"d 

 [have taken some time to tell of the use we 

 Ike of these boards; but those who are -row- 

 /aluSe."" ^" extensive scale will find "them 

 To go back to the field, now. as T have said 

 :use these same boards; fill a board full • 



men work with each board, then carry t 

 ?r to the row of onions and turn them ovej 

 that, lust as we did in the onion-house. We 

 IS put 32 rows in one full length of field 

 Jen completed you will see only on ion -tons 

 ''rKt^l'^?' ^"^'•^^"'' along''as°X"biTd: 



ler hnt .^t ." ""T e'^vf^red over with coarse 

 ■er, but not so as to heat them. The object 



J/t '=f; ?t """'"l"' ^« have your onions so you 



1 get at them when wanted for hot-bed use 

 ranuary or before, at which time the ^rond' 

 sually frozen so as to render the getting of 



Now that we have the onions ready for the 

 hot-beds our next thought will be the c'^mJf 



When\he'soilt^'-^- "'""^'? rnu.' nol\Tlot. 

 vvnen the soil is too warm, it cause« the onions 

 to grow too fast and slirn. N'.t having time a 

 gather nourishment from , he soi ft simol v 

 ^^ens out, and that is nut altogether dSsir^ 



Our lettuce is now ready to be transnlnntoH 

 iTJ'r hot-bed^; and by the timeiris'^ taken 

 from them I believe the beds will be in better 



Ser'ien-od' '^^^-.^^^ "nj.ons than at any 

 ottPi Pe'iod. The onion which is put into a 

 hot-bed should be of good size, and grown from 



he^field'' P "'"•^ ',°"' ^'a^ '""^t ha^ve room i^ 

 i^ff oo • P^'^jn^mber, the onion does not get 

 .fnt,aswe ca 1 it, in the hot-bed. You put a 



small.''""'" '" ^^' ^'^''^"^ '^^^'11 always be 

 ,J^u ^'g a ditch about four inches deep across 

 the bed, and set onions in it, side and side Is 

 c ose as convenient, full length, then cover and 



of'r^v''Thf,^^"?'"^^'\^h the sam7 length 

 ot 1 ,w. ihen make another ditch as before 

 and soon until completed. I have experiment-' 

 ed by cutting the tops or leaves all off wh ch 



t™''?t^''''" 'i'"^' 'i^/^'^'^ "*««^ about a week or 

 two afterward, and have also trimmed the roots 

 all off but about one inch; but when we mar- 

 keted the onions we could see but little if any 



min""'T;ii"\\"'''^^^"''T ^'^^^" d« ""t''ini^ 

 ming at all I have marketed onions 27 days 

 after being first put into hot-beds. This year 

 being so dry, our onions did not start to grow 

 until very late; and the result is very small 

 onions to put into hot-bed... We i^hallonlybe 

 mT-ket ^"* ™^'"^ ^'^ ^ ^""^h ^h®" ^^^^ t» 



Now, Mr. Root, this may be too long for your 

 use; but you have it any way, and I think it is 

 now your turn to take the stand and give rae 

 some information about onions 



Last spring I set out nearly one acre of White 

 Victoria and Prizetaker, according to the 

 Greiner" system; but I set some of them out 

 late and we did not have a rain to do anv good 

 until very late this fall. I think nearly half of 

 the onions lived anyhow, regardless of the 

 drouth The mostof them made small bottoms; 

 and after the fall rains my onions commenced 

 to grow, and to-day it's a field of qreen onions- 



^!!f^""'''J"^'!uh''''l ^ nianage to get the most 

 good out^of them ? or can I do anv thing wit^ 

 them ? I have thought of letting lihem remain 

 where thpy are until spring, and see if they 

 would not come on and make green bunch 

 onions; or would they winter-kill though cover- 

 ed with coarse manure? I have also thought 

 of taking them up at once and putting them 

 into hot beds, and sell green bunches in that 

 way. It you know that would be a success 

 please drop a card to that effect at once, so they 

 can be taken up before the ground freezes 

 Ihese same varieties which I set out in time to 

 getthe^benefitof early rains made a large and 

 profitable crop, and I shall continue to grow 

 them that way. 

 I also want to get hold of some of those 

 chives ' when you find more than you want 

 as well as potato onions. 



I hope your call. " What do you know about 

 onions? will awaken some of the on ion -grow- 

 ers to relate their experience, especially in forc- 

 ing the onion, as it is now time that we should 

 know whether you keep your onions, intended 

 to force, from freezing, or in the frozen state 

 Do you keep them in the cellar or in pits'' Do 

 you put them into the hot-beds while frozen or 

 how do you manage them ? 

 Kankakee, 111. C. W. Pottengek. 



