54 THE LAND 



noniially yields onions of diflVrcnt sizes. Actual has been properly prepared, only one weeding is 



counts in a number of iabloves show that there nnpiired; otherwise two. Watering is done as for 



are about 5,000 to a standard all-onion iablon. onions, except that after the plants reach the 



The proportion of onions of different sizes was surface they are not watered for 3 weeks; after 



carefully worked out with a reliable farmer and that, every 3 or 4 days. Preparing the harvest 



checked against other data. The yields per for market is a long task, often saved for evenings 



onion bed (1/45 acre) result as follows: and rainy days, when the greens are carefully 



Good harvest 3,333 large onions. braided into bunches for market.^* 



I,tjti7 iiu'diuin onion.s. ot^atmc 



Fair harvest 2,500 large onions. 



l,G67 medium onions. Bcatis are the third important tahlon crop of 



833 small onions. Panajachel. Both vine (pole) and shrub beans 



Poor harvest 1 ,667 medium onions. ^^_^ ^^^^^ ^ j^^^ ^^^^^^ Y>^^ni<iA in January and 



3,333 small onions. ,^ , , • . , , 



, ,. , ^^„ tebriiary where a corn crop is harvested, beans 



Since there is no reason to believe that 1930 was . • T i t i . * • o a 



, ., . , ... not picked green for market mature in 3 or 4 



an abnormal vear, I am supposmg that vields on .i m i i i i r 



-, ' ■ ^ ^ ~ n montlis. 1 hc garden beds are prepared as for 



Indian omon lands approximated these figures. . ■• , ,, r u 



' ' ^ onions or garlic, and three or four beans are 



We also calculated that about pj^^^^^ ^^ intervals of about 9 inches. Since 



10 percent of all tahlones yield nothing. ^^ ^^^ j,^^ ^^^^^ i^^ ^^^ ^j months, 



20 percent of all lablones yield poor harvests. ■ . -^ 



30 percent of all tablones yield medium harvests, and watering must bo frequent and regular; they are 



40 percent of all tablones yield good harvests. weeded once. Shrub beans require considerably 



Using these figures, which I believe are as good as 1l>ss labor than vine beans, both because the grow- 



could be had except with enormous efl'ort not worth mg season is shorter and because ])oles have to be 



the possible difference, it may be concluded that gathered and set for the vines to climb, 



an average acre of onions (containing 45 tablones) OTHER VEGETABLES 



-' ' Other vegetables of relatively minor importance 



Large onions ',)3, 7,")0 ji i. • u ■ i i i i u • 



,, J. , ., .„_ that are grown in ranajachel are huskcherries. 



Medium onions d/, .:jOO ,- , i , 



Small onions 11 250 cabbages, radishes, peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, 



turnips, kohlrabi, inetabel (a beetlike plant), and 



Total 202,500 swiss chard. Occasionally part or even a whole 



GARLIC tablon is occupied with one of these crops. More 



often they are grown along the edges of beds of 



Garlic, the second most important truck crop, ^^^^^^^ „^^^^^^ or beans, or (for their nurseries) 



IS grown (in this region) almost exclusively at interspersed among these other plants, thus 



Panajachel. It takes about 6 months from the ^^^^^.^ iucidentally and involving no easily sepa- 



Ijeginmng of November to April for garlic to grow. ^^^^^^ expenditure of effort. Huskcherries actually 



Since garhc is supposed to thrive better in land g^.^^ Yvko weeds and are allowed to mature during 



that has been at rest, a greater proportion of ^j^^ ^^^^^ g^^s^^ -^^ the -arlic beds. The other 



tablones than in the case of onions are probably vegetables are planted from seed imported from 



made m new land. Garlic also requires consider- ^j^; United States. Cabbages and beets are 



ably longer use of the land, for not only is the pi^.^t^^ -^^ n^^e^.^ ^eds and transplanted like 



growing season longer, but the land is usually o,,,^,^^ Cabbages are planted either 18 inches 



prepared several months ,n advance to allow the ^,,^,t ;„ ^ b^j, or at 54-inch intervals along the 



wtM.^ds and other vegetation to rot thoroughly. ^jg^ ^^ ^ ^ed of another crop. A cabbage bed is 



Smce garhc is planted not with seed but with ,,,^^j^j ^^j^^, beets only once; swiss chard and 



sections of the bulb, neither nurseries nor seed „^^^^j^^ ^^^ ^1,^ transplanted, but I have no 



beds are involved. The growing of garlic thus ^^,^^-^^^ ^n their culture. Radishes, carrots, and 



corresponds to the growing of onions from onion ^^^^^:^^^ ^.^ pl^,^t^,j i„ nurseries, weeded once, 



seedlings. After the beds have been prepared, and thinned only as they are harvested.^ 



the sections of garlic are inserted at 4-inch intervals \ 



with the fingers, and left uncovered. If the soil •< For esUmawrot yields of these vegotablw, see intra, p. lU. 



