The Bermuda Onion. — The temperature in Bermuda 

 from November to June ranges from 50 to 75 degrees — 

 never higher, never lower, with never a greater monthly 

 range of temperature than 23 degrees, or a greater daily 

 range than 14 degrees. It is in such a climate as this 

 that the onion grows with that mild and delicate flavor 

 which gives the Bermuda product a special value on 

 account of quality, apart from the advantage it has of 

 coming at an unusual season. The seed of this onion is 

 all grown in Teneriffe Island. The white variety ma- 

 tures from two to three weeks earlier than the red, but 

 is not quite as sweet. No other seed seems to be worth 

 planting in this climate. The seed is thickly sown in 

 rows eight inches apart, in seed-beds three feet wide, 

 these beds being prepared with the most scrupulous 

 care, and enriched with enormous quantities of well- 

 rotted cow or pig-manure. The failure of these seed- 

 beds means the failure of the crop. The first sowing is 

 usually made the last week in September, and kept up 

 with seed of both varieties until the first week in Novem- 

 ber. This gives a succession of plants for transplanting 

 into the fields. Transplanting begins in December and 

 continues until the middle of January. The fields are 

 little pockets of earth scattered here and there over the 

 island, and seldom contain an area of more than two 

 acres. These fields are usually surrounded with olean- 

 der hedges to keep off the winter gales. The soil is pre- 

 pared with great care, by plowing or spading-in stable- 

 manure, sea-weed and every artificial fertilizer known 

 in the market. Beds three feet wide are made by tread- 

 ing paths through the field, and in these beds the little 

 plants, about as large as a goose-quill, are transplanted 

 from the seed-beds. This is a rather slow process, but 

 the onion makes a better growth and forms a better bulb 

 when transplanted, and not two out of a hundred plants 

 are lost by transplanting. Again, it takes from four and 

 one-half to five months for the onion to mature for the 

 market from seed, and from two to two and one-half 

 months of this period, while the plants are in their ten- 

 der growth, is spent in the seed-beds, where one man 

 can weed and care for enough plants for ten acres. 

 Therefore much labor is saVed. 



When the onion is ready for the market, men, women 

 and children, mostly colored, are employed to pull, pack 

 and cart to the steamer, packing the onions in buthel 

 crates, made from box-stuff brought in shooks from 



Maine. These crates, when ready for packing, cost 

 about 12 cents each. In the crop season a steamer is 

 loaded and departs for New York every Thursday. 

 The number of crates harvested from an acre varies. I 

 have known 800 crates to be gathered from an acre, but 

 probably 200 is nearer the average. The price varies, 

 usually opening in January at $2 a bushel-box here, 

 and rapidly dropping to $1.50, and then on down to $1 

 and to 75 cents in May. The average price paid here for 

 the past six years is as follows : 1886, $1.35 ; 1887, $1 ; 

 1888,11.65; 1889, 53 cents ; 1890,11.44; 1891, $1.28. 

 — Cat Jen atid Forest. 



Flavor of Grecian Wine. — A traveler in Greece writes: 

 "The best wine is made from grapes grown on the 

 mountains, and it is the pure stuff — no logwood nor burnt 

 sugar to color it, nor stems crushed to give it a bitter 

 taste — but the pure grapes are put in a vat and stamped 

 with the bare feet (which gives it a fine flavor) and the 



ne, when one year old, is immense." This statement 



11 doubtless tend to discourage California wine-pro- 

 ducers, for we will never be able to compete with the 

 class of machinery mentioned ; and by the processes in 

 use in this state it will be impossible to impart the pe- 

 culiar foreign flavor which our correspondent refers to! — 

 California Fruil-Cro'ioer. 



Propagating the Japanese Persimmon. — Almost 

 any skillful budder or grafter can multiply the Japanese 

 persimmon by grafting on the native stocks, but prefer- 

 ence is given to small stocks, budding or grafting near 

 the ground. When the scions are inserted into large 

 stocks or the branches of old trees, they are not so 

 likely to unite ; besides, the stock in a few years will 

 outgrow the scion, and what is called strangulation fol- 

 lows. Stocks one-half inch to an inch in diameter are 

 preferable to larger ones for either budding or grafting. 

 —A. S. Fuller, in Ne-.o York Tribune. 



Apples in Ontario. — The soil I have to deal with is 

 a marl, with a clay subsoil. The manure I have used 

 is barn-yard and ashes. Thirteen years ago last spring I 

 planted the ground with Oldenburg and Wagener apple 

 trees. The Wageners give me full crops of fine fruit, 

 but the trees are unhealthy and are dying out. This 

 variety does not succeed in any soil in this locality. 

 The Duchess presents an appearance in growth, quality 

 and quantity of fruit not to be surpassed. This year 

 from 53 trees we picked and shipped 146 barrels of No. i 



