Oct. 1, 1902. J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
225 
lliese vegetables and foodatnffa to call for our attention 
are ; ouions, potatoes and other table vegetables, caoao, 
ginj^er and honey. 
' NioNS. — Ldat year Feed waa obtained from Ten- 
eriffe, bat a sufficient quantity was not available to meet 
the demand. Many of those engaged in the indostry 
lost their first sowings owing to the heavy rains of 
September and October. All, however, who have 
reaped and are reaping have every cause to be fully 
satisfied with the results, both as regards quality and 
qaantity. When establishing their onion industry 
Bermuda had for many years to struggle against far 
more adverse circumstances than those experienced 
in this islsnd, and we have the advantage of starting 
strengthened by the experience of others as to the best 
methods of cultivation on which I venture to give a 
few hints. 
Onions require a light, friable, well drained, and 
well manured soil. When planted, they should be care- 
fully weeded and watered, and when pulled they should 
be carefully 'aid out on the floor, for 10 to i4 days, 
away from the sun and rain, both of which are likely to 
injure the bulbs. Crates forshipping theonions are ob- 
tained from Halifax bv tlie Canadian boats, (a) The 
size of the crates is: — Ends, 16 in. loi g, 7in.wide, | inch 
thick, planed one side, 3 ends to a crate • slats 2i in. 
wide, 3-8 in. thick, planed one side 14 slats to a crate, 
One bundle of ends and 2 bundles of slats will make ten 
crates complete, (b) Cost ; §6.00 (£1. 5) per 100, free 
on board. Freight: $3 00 (12/6) per 100. With re- 
gard to onions, a merchant in New York writes advis- 
ing shipping as soon as possible in December. "That 
is the right time to start if you can possibly do so, 
80 as to have everything marketed before Bermuda 
starts- When she starts, prices are apt to drop very 
suddenly. This drop usually occurs in April, about 
the middle of the month. Do not forget to have your 
onions packed immediateh/ before the sailing of the 
vessel bringing them : always have them freshly packed 
and _ the crates tightly filled. They always lose 
considerably in transit, consequently every care must 
be taken to ensure their arrival in good condition — 
everything depends on this.' Thus it is a case of the 
early bird getting the worm. I should like some of you 
to experiment in keeping onions. Prom July to the 
end of the year, onions at times command what 
may be called fancy prices in these islands. The 
seed should be obtained direct from Teneriffe, for 
it is cheaper, costing about 43. per lb. landed here, 
and is moro reliable. Six pounds of seed are suffloient 
for an acre, 
English Potatoes. — From the experience of those 
who have grown English potatoes within the last two 
years, it seems to be difficult to obtain reliable 
resnlts except at an elevation of 800 to 1,000 
feet. Excellent potatoes have been obtained at low 
elevation but the results are by no means so certain 
as in the case of onions, Further experiments are 
being made and it is hoped soon that we shall be 
better qualified to speak on this vegetable and offer 
recommendations of a practical character. 
Other Vegetables,— A large number of Boer pri- 
soners are shortly to arrive in Antigua, and this 
may afford an opportunity for a temporary market 
for the disposal of green and other ve|;etables. It is 
not to be expected that any of the usual articles of 
consumption, such as meat, will be directly obtained 
from these islands, but there is a likelihood of a de- 
mand for vegetables and ground provisions which 
could be grown in Montserrat. In selecting the kind 
of vegetable to be planted, it must be borne in mind 
that Montierrat is without telegraphic communication 
and that steam and other opportunities are rare and 
nncertain. Only such vegetables as will keep for, at 
least, a week after being gathered should be planted. 
Lettuce, for instance, may be regarded as out of the 
question. Among those to be selected should be 
squashes, carrots, turnips, khol-rabi, radishes, egg- 
plant, pumpkins, melons, beetroot and, of course, 
onions and potatoes. The following hints as to the cul- 
tivation of each of the plants uamed bavf been takeu 
from reliable sources of information. On the cnlti- 
vation of such plants as ochros, pigeon peas sweet 
potitoes, etc., I need hardly speak. As a general rule 
bulbous vegetables should be sown in the open ground 
at once, but non-bulbous plants should first bo sown 
in boxes and then transplanted in showery weather or 
after rain. 
Squashes.— A light, rich soil deeply worked is best. 
Plenty of stable manure will be repaid by increased 
yields. They should be planted in hills 4 feet wide and 
covered to a depth of I to 3 inches. Que ounce of seed 
will plant 25 hills. Weeds should be kept down and 
the hoe usod as soon as the vines begin to run. As a 
rule, the squash may be gathered in 50 days. Some 
of the scalloped or ' p:ittypan ' varieties are excellent 
and suitable for shipping. 
Carrots. — Carrots require rich, deep soil ot a friable 
character. They should be grown in rows 1 foot apart. 
The seed should be covered lightly and pressed down 
firmly. If radish seed be sown in the same row it will 
break the surface and mark the rows so that relief will 
be given in case the ground should bake. Thin out to 4 
inches in the row. One ounce will plant a row of 100 
feet long and may be gathered in 70 to 120 days. Gar- 
rots are best eaten when young. 
Tomatoes.— A clayey soil is liked by some, sandy by 
others. The land should be deeply dug, and plenty of 
manure will make good tomatoes on almost any sail, 
S3W the seed in boxes, and when the plants are two to 
three inches high transplmt 3 feet apart in rows 3!i 
feet apart. Thorough cultivation, loosening the soiT, 
and killing the weeds will be required until the plants 
begin to cover the\'round. The soil should be moulded 
up 3 to 4 inches. Sjme support, trellis-work or sticks, 
is necessary to keep the fruit off the ground. One 
ounce ot seed will produce 1,500 plants and they take 
3 to 4 months to come to perfection. Great care should 
betaken in preparing the fruit for the market. It 
should be fully grown but still green, if to be shipped. 
It should not be bruised, and each fruit must be wrapped 
in piper. 
Turnips. — Rich and finely powdered, sandy or gra- 
velly soil is best. Turnips are sown in drills i foot and 
I inch deep. Water freely, and cover with straw to 
prevent them being scorched. The plants should 
stand at least 3 inches apart. When gathered, the 
tops may be cut off and sold separately for greens. 
One ounce ot seed is enough for 150 feet of drill, and 
turnips mature in about two months. If kept too 
long they become pithy and hot. 
Khol-Rahi. — This vegetable, as its name implies, is 
apparently a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. 
It is usual to sow the seed thinly in boxes or nursery 
beds and, when sufficiently strong, to transplant tho 
seedlings into well manured ground 9 inches apart in 
rows 18 inches distant. At the ' iVIeadow' it has been 
treated as a turnip with successful results. It comea 
to maturity in two to three months, 
Radishes. —'RxAishe.^ require little space, should be 
grown on a nice rich soil and sown thinly on a bed, 
the drills being 13 inches apart, and the plants 3 
inches in the drill covered 1 inch deep. The plants 
should be thinned promptly, watered well and covered 
with litter if exposed too much to the sun, Kadishes 
should be eaten young ; otherwise they become 
tough and indisgestible. The young leaves make au 
excellent salad. One ounce of seed will sow 100 feet 
of drill. They are ready for use in 20 to 40 days 
according to the kind. 
Cucumbers. — The great thing to bs guarded against 
in growing cucumbers is the attack of grubs and in- 
sects. As » rule cucumbers and squsshes do best on 
newly dug land, that is, where no crop has recently 
been planted. The seed should be sown li inches 
deep in a warm, light, sandy soil, in a mixture of 
cow manure and wood ashes, on hills a foot high, 
4 to 5 feet wide, and 6 to 8 feet apart, which have 
been thoroughly prepared by digging, raking and 
mixing with stable manure. There is a tendency to 
an escess of leaf to the detriment of the fruit by the 
