1864] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
109 
of the thills and walking backward. Some 
weeding close to the rows and thinning with 
the hoe and by hand will be necessary. The 
plants should be left about three inches apart 
in the row. To harvest the crop expeditiously, 
take an iron beamed plow and run it beam deep 
close beside the row. Sharpen a hoe and let a 
boy use it to cut off the tops, and at the same 
time draw them into the furrow. Run the plow 
through again covering the tops, and turn the 
row of roots bottom up. [Carrot tops are good 
feed for cattle, and will pay for saving for this 
purpose.— Ed.] With a potato hook rake out 
the carrots; cut off the tops from another row, 
and so proceed through the field. The carrots 
should be left in small piles three or four days 
before storing, or they are very liable to rot. 
In the above manner, with the aid of a boy 
fourteen years old, I have harvested 75 bushels 
of carrots in 7 hours. By thus plowing them 
out, the ground is left in very nice condition 
for the succeeding crop.” 
Corn Covering Implement. 
The implement shown by the accompanying 
engraving has been for many years in use in 
parts of Pennsylvania, to the almost entire dis¬ 
use of the hand hoe for covering corn. It is 
represented by our correspondent, J. A. Alexan¬ 
der, as easily made, and is thus described. “It 
is simply a small harrow; two pieces of 3x4 
scantling, about 5 feet in length are joined 
by two cross bars; the width in front will be 
about 15 inches, and behind 13 inches. Han¬ 
dles are attached as they are to a cultivator har¬ 
row. For teeth, 6 common harrow pins, and 2 
cultivator teeth are used. These are put through 
the beams at equal distances—the two broad 
teeth being put behind—one in each beam, and 
within 4 inches of the ends. The clevis upon a 
piece of scantling about 4 inches square and 18 
inches long, is attached by an inch and a quar¬ 
ter pin passing through both beams a few inch¬ 
es behind the front cross-bar so as to rest 
across it. It is drawn by a single horse. The 
corn is covered with the fine soil gathered from 
the edges of the furrow. If the ground is very 
mellow, there may be danger of covering too 
deep, and some of the teeth should be knocked 
back, or taken out. The corn may be dropped 
either in hills or drills, for it covers all alike.” 
G. W. Baldoek, Clark Co., Ind., describes a 
much simpler implement for the same purpose, 
which he says is generally used in his neighbor¬ 
hood. It is simply a stone, somewhat in the 
shape of the letter Y. It should be §bout 18 
or 20 inches at the broad end, tapering gradu¬ 
ally to a point, with a hole drilled. near the 
point for : levis or hook to be fastened, and 
also a hoh n the broad end to receive a rope, by 
which to hold it steady, and to pull it around at 
the ends of the rows. Cross off the ground 
both ways, the first way shallow, the other way 
quite deep but not unreasonably so. Drop the 
corn and cover the way the ground was first 
marked off, by having a horse attached to the 
stone and driven after the dropper. This levels 
down the furrows and thoroughly pulverizes the 
clods; it smoothes down the surface ten or fifteen 
inches about the hills and enables the plowman 
in cultivating to get close to the corn without 
covering it with clods. The corn is covered at 
uniform depth and comes up at the same time. 
Onion Culture. 
The cultivation of onions has of late been 
profitable in all places where there was ready 
access to market. In a crop so variable as this, 
the experience of successful growers is valuable. 
We have published "in a 20-cent Pamphlet tne 
methods followed by 17 successful practical 
growers, but as Mr. Theodore Barker, Rockland 
Co., N. Y., has some details of practice differ¬ 
ent from anything we have seen, we add to the 
literature of the subject by publishing his com¬ 
munication : “ I grew last year (unfavorable as 
the season was in my section) from a plot of 
ground thirty by forty feet, seventeen bushels 
of very fine onions. The soil was rather light, 
and I applied broadcast about one load of man¬ 
ure, consisting of well decomposed barn-yard 
manure about two-thirds, and one-third swamp 
muck. This should be done as soon as the 
weather will admit in the spring—still better in 
the autumn—and plowed under immediately 
to the depth of about ten inches; then about 
the middle, or towards the latter part of April, 
give it another thorough plowing, and as soon 
as the surface becomes dry, harrow well with a 
light, close-tooth harrow; then I top-dress light¬ 
ly with well decomposed manure from the barn 
yard—or still better from the privy or pig sty. 
I now proceed to drilling with a marker of my 
own manufacture, made like a hay rake, with 
five teeth fifteen inches apart, which makes 
four drills at a time, one tooth running in the 
outside drill as a guide. Then, with one foot on 
each side of the drill, drop and cover the seeds 
lightly, packing the drills with a garden roller, 
(I consider 'this very important). This done, I 
draw a bayonet hoe through—going before it— 
to loosen the ground packed while planting; 
this prevents a crust forming on the surface. 
When the onions are up so that they can 
be seen, I again draw the bayonet hoe through 
them, and continue to do so occasionally until 
they are up about five inches; I then thin them 
to about three inches—many would object to this 
as being too close, but I have found that by 
crowding each other some, they bottom better, 
and the cousequence is, they form a double 
row, thus making a larger yield. With a small 
garden plow I pass the land-side to them first, 
and immediately reversing I throw a furrow to¬ 
ward them; this is done in order to protect 
from drouth many young fibrous roots which 
lay near the surface. This I consider the great 
secret in onion culture. This, however, should 
not be practised too late, but on the contrary, 
when .the tops are up about twelve or fifteen 
inches, the dirt should be taken from them, as 
the roots have become strong by this time and 
penetrated further into the earth and are better 
able to stand drouth and the onions will bottom 
very rapidly. I am well aware that it has been 
argued that in order to produce good onions, 
the ground must be kept perfectly level and 
hard; on the contrary, I find it needs to be kept 
loose, and a part of the time ridged. I have 
seen my own onions remaining high colored and 
growing through a dry time, while those of my 
neighbors, who kept their ground flat, were dy¬ 
ing. Another absurdity is rolling barrels over 
the tops, in order to make the onions bottom. 
This I neyer had occasion to do, as I find that 
the top becomes reduced and falls of itself when 
the onions bottom. My mode of gathering is 
to pull them when the tops are nearly dry, 
placing them thinly together upon the ground, 
(in this state they remain three or four days,) 
then if dry, I top them with a knife and put 
them upon the barn floor. Care must be taken 
not to have them very thick, or they will sprout. 
I allow them to remain here four or five weeks, 
when they are put in bins, in a cool, dry place.” 
As long as the present large demand continues, 
onion culture on suitable soils will pay well. 
About Leeks. 
Those who do not like onions will not culti¬ 
vate leeks, as they have a flavor resembling 
that of the onion, though quite peculiar. Leeks 
are so highly prized by the Welsh tnat they are 
as much a national vegetable for them as the 
potato is to the Irish. The leek differs from 
the onion in having broad flat leaves, and 
in not swelling out at the bottom. The eatable 
portion consists of tlije lower part of the leaves 
forming a neck which is blanched by earthing- 
up to exclude the light. The engraving shows 
the appearance of the leek. Sow seed in early 
spring in a light rich soil. It may be sown thin¬ 
ly in drills, 15 inches apart, where the plant's are 
to stand; in this case they are thinned out to 
six inches in the rows, and are gradually earthed 
up at the summer lroeings. Some cultivators 
sow the seed broadcast or in drills, and when 
the plants are four to six inches high, they, are 
transplanted to trenches about six inches deep, 
and gradually earthed up as they grow. We 
have found these methods equally successful. 
It is said that occasionally shortening the leaves 
will increase the size of the leek. We have 
never tried it. One ounce of seed will produce 
about two thousand plants. The leek is quite 
hardy and in most localities may be left out over 
winter, and will come out in spring “ as green 
as a leek.” Leeks are used in soups and stews. 
When cut up in soups and thoroughly cooked, 
they impart besides their peculiar flavor, a mu¬ 
cilaginous quality much liked by many. 
