OTHER ITALIAN VARIETIES. 
The Giant JRocca and Large White Flat 
Italian or Tripoli, are two of the largest 
varieties known, and have been found to do 
well in this country, especially when sown 
in the fall and wintered in the bed, or sown 
very early in spring. We think they are 
particularly adapted to the climate of our 
Southern States, and would recommend a 
trial of them in any section on a limited 
scale at first. 
The question of profitably growing 
onions the same year from the seed in 
the South having been raised by several 
correspondents of Seed Time and Har- 
V; st, we submit some notes recently re¬ 
ceived from subscribers, giving their expe¬ 
rience upon the subject: 
Livia, McLean Co., Ky. March 4, 1881. 
Isaac F. Tillinghast: 
In your number of Jan. 
I notice an article on onion culture, a pat¬ 
ron asking the question if onions can be 
matured in one year from the seed in the 
South. That seems to be a question which 
is frequently asked and in fact often doubt¬ 
ed. I can see nothing to hinder the produc¬ 
tion of the bulb even farther south than 
this the same season, but the seeds must be 
sown early in the season to overcome the 
long dry weather which has, a tendency to 
crisp the young sets or plants. Two years 
ago I sowed the seeds for the first 
time in this latitude. The spring was late 
and I did not get my ground read y and 
seed sown till about the twelfth or fifteenth 
of May. I had good soil for the production 
of onions and I selected the Yellow Dan¬ 
vers and Red Wethersfield. The Danvers 
did not do so well as the Wethersfield, but 
yielded a good crop; I could not ask a bet¬ 
ter yield than of the Wethersfield. Many 
attained the size of two-and-a-half to three 
inches in diameter, and but few small ones 
much to the astonishment of many of my 
neighbors, that a crop could be matured 
from the seed in the same year. I have 
grown several other kinds but not so far 
south as this. The largest growth I ever 
attained was of the New Italian Onion, 
which grew from the seed in four months 
to the monstrous size of six inches in di¬ 
ameter; they were very suculent and tender 
and a good fall and early winter crop, but 
not good keepers. I am imformed by some 
that have grown them in this latitude that 
they do not stand the weather so well as 
some other sorts. The best variety I have 
tried is the Wethersfield, they are of good 
flavor, attain a good size, very hardy, stand¬ 
ing the drouth well and excellent keepers, 
will keep nearly a whole year. Upon the 
whole, as a general crop I prefer them to 
any others I know of and I expect to raise 
them again this year. Some save the seed 
and fail to raise a crop, so condemn theprac 
tice of saving seed except for setts; but if 
sown in season and in proper ground and 
well attended, they will not fail to raise a- 
crop. 
L. B. Childs, M. D. 
Manchester, Mo. March 11, 1881. 
Mr. Tillinghast, 
Seeing your notice as tc 
onion culture I will give you my opinion 
as to the best way. Spade the ground, then 
let the cleaning of the hen roosts with some 
leached ashes be well raked in, then I sow 
thin with my hand in rows, cover thin, 
then cover with a thin coat of straw which 
will keep the wind from drying out the 
ground and the seeds have a better chance 
to come up, the straw will prevent w^eeds 
from growing while care must be taken not 
to get too much on the seeds to prevent 
them coming up. Having age and prac¬ 
tice on my side, this I have found a good 
way to raise onions from seeds. 
From Your Friend, 
Mrs. Sarah Higgins. 
P. S. Your catalogues were thankfully 
received, have distributed some. 
^ — - - -- 
Not Generally Known. 
Nearly every one who is interested is gar¬ 
dening wants to get in a few seeds as early 
as possible but the soil is often too wet. 
Years ago, I discovered that when the 
ground freezes to the depth of an inch, the 
soil, for at least a foot under the crust, is in 
the best possible condition to work. The 
superfluous water being drawn to the sur 
face and frozen. Early in spring, one can 
go out on a frosty morning with a mattock 
and remove the crust, dig the ground and 
putin peas, onions &c., although the same 
soil was too wet to walk on the day before. 
M. Crawford. 
The depredations of cut worms are very dam¬ 
aging in some localities. The young worms are 
bred in the latter part of the summer, and after 
wintering through they are ready to attack and 
destroy the first tender vegetation in spring. It 
therefore follows that if the ground is plowed as 
early in autumn as possible and kept clean of 
vegetable growth, they may be greatly checked, 
as they will have nothing to feed upon. Late 
fall plowing will also subj ect them to the winter 
frosts and destrov many. 
