Ho-w to Start a Plantation of Onions 



To grow onions successfully, it is 

 necessary to have a good loam or 

 sandy loam soil. It should be 

 made rich by the application of well- 

 rotted stable manure, at the rate of 40 

 to 50 tons an acre. I do not use any of 

 the onion fertilizers, but use a large 

 amount of wood ashes and salt, from 

 400 to 600 pounds to the acre, applied 

 after plowing and sometimes just before 

 sowing. 



Plow as early as possible in the spring 

 to preserve moisture. Prepare the seed- 

 bed by rolling with a heavy roller (unless 

 it is clayey, when rolling should not be 

 done). Then put on your planker, as 

 it gives a nice, mellow seed-bed. 



Last year a few growers plowed early 

 in the fall and worked the ground well, 

 and in the spring top-dressed with man- 

 ure, but of course it was well-rotted 

 and fine, so that it would not interfere 

 with cultivation. Out of four experi- 

 ments, three appeared to produce a bet- 

 ter crop than by plowing in the spring. 

 The one had the appearance of being 

 an exceptional good crop early in the 



£. C. Malcolm, Scotland, Ontario 



season; but, from some cause, the 

 onions did not "bottom up" well. They 

 were small in size and contained a great 

 amount of picklers. The previous year, 

 this piece of ground produced the best 

 onions in the vicinity. So great a 

 change I am unable to account for. 



The choice of the variety or kind of 

 onion to grow has to be determined by 

 yourself, as some markets seek one kind 

 and some another. In our section we 

 grow mostly the yellow varieties. Some 

 Southport, but a greater amount of 

 Globe Danvers. There is a growing de- 

 mand for Red Globes. For our market, 

 I would recommend the Yellow Globe 

 Danvers and Red Globes. 



After choosing the variety comes the 

 buying of seed. In that, a person should 

 be very careful ; for, upon the seed, de- 

 pends the crop to a great extent. The 

 very best seed that can be procured is 

 the cheapest in the long run if it does 

 cost more. Poor seed is dear at any 

 price. Get seed that is sure to germinate. 



Do not be in too great a hurry to get 

 the seed in the ground. The soil should 



be thoroughly warmed up before sowing, 

 or the weeds will get started before the 

 onions. 



We use hand-drills. Little Giant Iron 

 Age, and sow in rows 14 inches apart. 

 When the onions make their appearance 

 through the ground, start harrowing. 

 By that means, you will loosen up the 

 ground and kill weeds. The more you 

 work the harrow the less weeding you 

 will have to do by hand. The harrow 

 that is used is made from light material, 

 pine or elm strips, three-quarters of an 

 inch by two inches. It is three feet by 

 four feet in size and has common spike 

 nails for teeth. A strap or rope is at- 

 tached to pull it with. One man will go 

 over a couple of acres in a half or three 

 quarters of a day. For horse-power, have 

 the harrow 12 to 15 feet long and 3 feet 

 wide. One would think that this way 

 would be injurious to the crop. A few 

 onions would be destroyed by the horse, 

 but the amount of time saved far ex- 

 ceeds the loss. When the crop is ready 

 to harvest, you would not know that a 

 horse had been on the ground. 



TKe Culture of Late Cabbage 



HAVING been gardening in the 

 vicinity of Toronto for a number 

 of years on soil varying from Hght 

 sand to the stififest clay, I beg to offer a 

 few suggestions on growing late cabbage 

 from my experience and observations. 

 I usually select a high, comparatively 

 poor piece of land for my seed bed, and 

 sow the seed rather thickly about May 

 10,' in rows about 12 inches apart. I 

 keep the soil clean until ready. The 

 first week in July should find them in 

 good shape for planting. Should any 

 part of the bed show too much growth, 

 I insert a fork imder them, give it a 

 sharp lift, and let it fall back. This will 

 check them. 



My idea of a good plant is one rather 

 slim, drawn up six inches in the leg and 

 of a dry, hard appearance. My reason 

 for this is that, when planted out with 

 the crown well out of the ground, the 

 ease of working, especially with a cul- 

 tivator, is a very great consideration. 

 My observations for over 25 years has 

 convinced me that such plants will make 

 equally as good heads as the short ones. 

 Preparing the ground is a matter that 

 dependsalmost entirelvon circumstances. 

 It does not matter when or how as long 

 as the ground is in the condition required. 

 My own plan generally is to set apart 

 the piece wanted, give it a good coat of 



S. B. Courtis, Toronto, Ont. 



manure and plow twice. The method 

 of treating land that has been cropped 

 to something else, by just turning it 

 over once for late cabbage, is accountable 

 for such a large amount of rubbish 

 brought in by our gardeners. Occasion- 

 ally, I have raised a good second crop, 

 but every condition must be favorable, 

 and for the average gardener, it cannot 

 be depended upon. 



The time to plant is, say, from July 

 10 to 15. Prepare the land and mark it 

 30 inches from row to row (in the case of 

 a large patch, mark it both ways). 

 At this date, the weather is usually hot 

 and dry. I never wait for showers, but 

 plant right ahead until finished. In 

 case the plants need water, I put three 

 or four barrels in a wagon, drive in the 

 patch 50 or 60 feet , and water before put- 

 ting in the plants. Plant about two 

 feet apart in rows. 



As to varieties, the following are best : 

 St. Denis, German Brunswick, Danish 

 Bald Head, and Chester vSavoy. These 

 can be bought at any seed store. The 

 St. Denis is a fine all-round cabbage. It 

 requires land in good condition to de- 

 velop it properlv. The German Brims- 

 wick will form the largest and most even 

 heads on poor soil of anv variety that I 

 know. The Danish Bald Head is one 

 of the best for rich, sandy soil. It 



grows rather long in stem, but the solid- 

 ity and good qualities are perfect. The 

 Chester Savoy is good in every respect. 

 The object of the grower should be (at 

 least it has been mine) to have, by the 

 middle of November, a healthy, clean, 

 medium-sized, compact cabbage. That 

 is what the trade requires. I think 

 these are the most profitable to the 

 grower as they are usually sold by the 

 dozen and not by weight 



I would sav to a farmer who intends 

 to plant a patch for the first time that 

 ground that will grow a good crop of 

 potatoes will produce a fair crop of 

 cabbage. Gardeners are aware of the 

 fact that Canada is made a dumping 

 ground for the whole continent, and the 

 way matters stand to-day they cannot 

 help themselves in many lines. I see no 

 reason, however, why every winter 

 cabbage that is used in Toronto cannot 

 be raised in the vicinity. There are 

 hundreds of acres of land in easy dis- 

 tance of the market that is second to 

 none for the market gardener. With 

 the abundance of manure that can be 

 obtained for nothing, the good roads, 

 and the splendid prices prevailing I 

 think it is a pity that so much money 

 should be sent out of the city and in some 

 cases, out of Canada, that could be 

 easily kept here if an effort were made. 



