286 
April  30 
Irrigation  for  Onions. 
N.  H„  Lkwiston,  Idaho. — My  soil  is 
very  light  and  sandy  here  in  Nez  Perces 
County,  Idaho.  The  wash  of  long 
stretches  of  hill  range  where  cattle  have 
grazed  for  many  years  on  native  grasses 
has  flowed  on  it.  The  soil,  though 
light-colored  and  ashy,  has  proved  to  be 
fertile  so  that  the  manure  problem  has 
never  confronted  me.  I  sow  and  harvest 
and  return  nothing  to  the  land  except 
water  in  the  process  of  irrigation.  In 
this  rainless  region  where  the  heat  is  in¬ 
tense  it  is  imperative  that  moisture 
should  be  furnished  all  crops  by  artificial 
means.  Water  also,  according  to  my 
theory,  has  some  of  the  effects  of  fertil¬ 
izers.  I  act  accordingly.  My  fields  are 
always  mellow — too  mellow  in  fact.  The 
clods  and  cakes  of  clay  the  Eastern  gar¬ 
dener  is  required  to  reduce  at  no  little 
cost,  are  unknown  with  me;  therefore 
my  course  of  preparation  is  simple.  My 
work  is  all  done  in  the  spring.  I  do  not 
even  plow  my  “sand-bars” — a  name  given 
by  some  neighbors  to  my  gardens.  Tho 
horse  hoe  or  the  Cutaway  harrow  loosens 
up  the  ground  and  it  is  harder  to  get  it 
well  packed  again  than  to  stir  it  up.  The 
work  of  leveling  for  the  convenience  of 
irrigation  is  not  a  small  matter  as  the 
grade  must  be  continuous  from  one  side 
of  the  patch  to  the  other  as  the  rows  run. 
It  is  not  tedious  to  run  water  between 
wide  rows  of  large  plants,  but  to  water 
properly  a  row  of  small  onions  calls  for 
skillful  work.  The  better  to  do  this  I 
throw  my  ground  into  ridges  before 
planting  the  seed.  By  working  it  over 
with  the  horse  hoe  in  the  direction  the 
rows  are  to  run  it  is  left  in  very  high 
ridges  with  furrows  30  inches  apart,  be¬ 
tween.  By  working  over  these  ridges 
with  rakes  and  roller  a  compact  seed 
bed  is  secured  with  ridges  about  20  inches 
wide.  Near  the  edges  of  the  ridges  I 
plant  rows  of  onions  with  the  drill.  This 
leaves  a  furrow  between  “  every  other 
row.”  But  sometimes  even  in  March  my 
ground  is  too  dry  to  germinate  the  seeds. 
Unless  it  is  quite  moist  after  the  seed  bed 
has  been  put  in  ridges  and  furrows,  I  run 
water  through  the  patch  before  planting. 
This  has  always  given  me  the  best  re¬ 
sults  as  the  ground  is  then  fine  for  the 
use  of  the  drills. 
I  plant  the  seed  as  deep  as  it  is  possible 
to  run  the  best  Planet  Jr.  drill — nearly 
three  inches  deep.  This  I  believe  is  con¬ 
trary  to  the  practice  in  other  sections  of 
the  country,  and  on  heavier  soils.  I  have 
known  onions  to  sprout  when  planted  too 
shallow  and  then  dry  up  without  striking 
roots  deep  enough  to  reach  moisture.  This 
is  pi*obably  owing  to  the  extreme  heat  of 
our  climate  and  our  light  soil.  But  with 
moisture  and  a  proper  depth  in  planting, 
we  can  show  a  beautiful  growth  of  this 
crop  in  the  early  spring.  For  that  reason 
we  are  not  limited  to  early  or  any  other 
standard  varieties.  The  large  Spanish 
onions  grow  and  ripen  in  this  climate 
under  the  conditions  possible  with  irriga¬ 
tion.  The  growth  of  the  crop  can  be 
pushed  to  a  surprising  degree  in  the  early 
months  and  the  water  can  be  withdrawn 
to  secure  a  uniformity  in  ripening  not 
known  under  other  conditions.  The 
ground  must  be  nicely  furi’owed  and  the 
water  kept  strictly  within  limits.  In  this 
l'egion  of  sand  and  scorching  heat  if  the 
water  spreads  to  the  row  and  “  floods” 
the  green,  growing  plant  it  scalds  it  and 
ruin  is  worked  there  all  that  summer. 
The  water  should  be  applied  below  the 
growing  plant  and  so  far  from  it  that  the 
ground  will  not  become  saturated,  at 
least  to  the  extent  of  wetting.  At  no 
time  should  an  excess  of  water  be  used 
on  an  onion  crop.  Just  how  much  can 
be  determined  only  by  observation. 
I  have  thought  sometimes  that  a  patch 
needed  water  every  week  for  two  months 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
and  at  other  times  I  have  grown  better 
crops  with  only  one  watering  during  the 
summer.  A  little  water  and  much  culti¬ 
vation  is  a  good  axiom. 
The  value  of  irrigation  in  onion  culture 
cannot  be  over-estimated.  Water  seems 
to  bring  a  complete  fertilizer  with  it  and 
a  big  yield  of  onions  (given  a  good  stand) 
is  an  absolute  certainty.  It  is  surely  a 
great  satisfaction  to  be  free  from  all 
anxiety  about  climatic  conditions,  and  the 
farmer  who  waters  his  crops  artificially 
in  this  unvarying  climate  holds  the  key 
to  the  secret  of  large  yields. 
Does  it  Pay  to  Pull  Corn  Tassels  P 
•  G.  W.  McClure,  Illinois  Experiment 
Station. — In  a  recent  issue  among  other 
things  a  reference  was  made  to  the  in¬ 
creased  yield  of  corn  as  a  result  of  pull¬ 
ing  out  the  tassels,  as  shown  by  an  ex¬ 
periment  at  Cornell,  N.  Y.  No  notice 
appears  to  have  been  taken  of  a  more 
recent  statement  from  the  Nebraska  Ex¬ 
periment  Station  where  the  opposite  re¬ 
sult  was  obtained.  [Yes,  notice  was  taken 
of  it.  Of  many  such  trials  those  men¬ 
tioned  here  are  the  only  unfavorable 
ones.  Eds.]  This,  the  Illinois  Station, 
last  season  pulled  out  tassels  from  both 
sweet  and  dent  corn.  The  dent  corn 
gave  a  slightly  decreased  yield  and  the 
sweet  corn  a  decrease  of  nearly  10  per 
cent.  The  male  or  staminate  blossoms 
were  kept  picked  off  two  hills  of  pump¬ 
kins  and  four  hills  of  cucumbers,  leaving 
others  as  checks,  and  the  result  showed 
no  advantage  either  way.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  production  of  pollen  is  an 
exhaustive  process,  but  it  is  a  question  if 
the  mutilation  of  a  plant  from  emascula¬ 
tion  is  not  as  exhaustive  as  the  natural 
development  of  pollen.  I  do  not  believe 
any  one  argues  that  the  steer  or  gelding 
makes  a  larger  or  better  developed  ani¬ 
mal  as  a  result  of  castration,  though 
there  is  no  doubt  the  form  is  changed  in 
many  important  respects.  If  it  can  be 
proved  that  pulling  out  the  tassels  of 
corn  or  taking  off  the  staminate  blos¬ 
soms  of  pumpkins  increases  the  yield,  it 
would  go  a  long  ways  towards  settling 
the  question  as  to  whether  the  pistillate 
strawberry  is  or  is  not  necessarily  more 
productive  than  the  one  with  perfect 
flowers.  It  would  also  be  in  order  then 
to  produce  a  variety  of  corn  bearing 
smaller  tassels. 
A  letter  from  C.  E.  Walsworth,  of 
Marshallton,  Iowa,  the  originator  of  the 
Iowa  Beauty  Strawberry,  states  that  The 
Rural’s  note  is  the  first  intimation  that 
he  has  had  that  its  name  has  been  changed 
to  “  Childs.”  The  amount  of  money, 
could  it  be  estimated,  that  first  and  last 
has  been  spent  by  the  public  for  the 
same  novelties  advertised  under  different 
names  would  probably  reach  an  astound¬ 
ing  sum,  while  it  would  show  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  laws  to  punish  such  offenses . 
Annie  L.  Jack,  one  of  The  Rural’s 
oldest  contributors,  favors  us  with  the 
following  bits  of  sterling  advice  : 
Do  you  want  to  teach  the  youth  of 
this  generation  to  respect  the  farm  and 
to  hanker  after  it  as  a  means  of  ob¬ 
taining  a  livelihood  ?  Then  influence  the 
literature  of  the  day  to  respect  the  farmer, 
and  to  cease  the  caricatures  of  his  foibles. 
In  purchasing  land,  let  it  be  after  a 
heavy  rain.  Then  you  will  see  if  the  soil 
is  porous,  or  if  it  bakes  badly,  also  how 
the  water  runs  on  it.  In  regard  to  a  clear 
title  be  sure  : 
That  no  woman  doth  to  it  lay  claim, 
By  dowry,  jointure,  or  some  other  name . 
Make  your  children  shareholders  in 
your  profits.  They  will  not  fail,  and  will 
pay  you  the  best  interest . 
Encourage  them  to  search  for  insects, 
and  to  distinguish  friends  from  enemies.. 
Color  is  no  object,  a  good  horse  can¬ 
not  be  of  a  bad  color . 
The  writer  of  these  notes  has  been 
looking  over  the  analyses  of  fertilizers, 
not  for  the  first  time — not  for  the  hun¬ 
dredth  time — of  the  “  leading  ”  and  lesser 
manufacturers  of  the  country,  as  shown 
in  the  annual  report  of  the  Connecticut 
Experiment  Station,  whose  statements 
go  without  a  question  as  to  their  trust¬ 
worthiness.  They  show,  as  they  (and 
like  reports)  have  shown  for  years  that 
the  profits  of  most  of  these  firms  are  ex¬ 
cessive.  The  station  reports  are  made 
upon  the  retail  values  of  the  raw  mater¬ 
ials.  Thus  potash  as  muriate  is  reckoned 
at  4%  cents  per  pound;  as  sulphate  at 
5%.  Phosphoric  acid  soluble  in  water 
is  reckoned  at  eight  cents;  in  fine  bone 
at  seven  cents,  in  coarse  bone  and  tank¬ 
age  at  three  cents.  Nitrogen  in  nitrates 
is  reckoned  at  14%  cents  the  pound. 
At  wholesale  muriate  of  potash  is  worth 
about  3.60  the  pound  instead  of  4%  at 
retail.  Sulphate  of  potash  is  worth  about 
4.40  instead  of  5%  at  retail.  The  man¬ 
ufacturer  buys  his  goods  at  these  or 
similar  prices.  lie  then  grinds  and 
mixes  them,  bags  or  barrels,  then  stores 
and  transports  them  to  dealers  or  agents, 
Dong  credits,  interest  on  the  investment 
and  bad  debts  add  to  their  cost . 
Now  let  us  take  the  first  page  we  come 
to  (72)  and  see  what  per  cent  of  profit 
based  upon  the  retail  valuation  of  the  raw 
material  some  of  the  manufacturers  make. 
On  page  72  there  are  13  analyses  of 
“special  manures.”  The  average  cost 
(price)  is  $39,90  per  ton.  The  average 
estimate  of  value  as  made  by  the  station 
is  $32.36  per  ton,  estimating  the  profits 
upon  the  retail  value  of  the  raw  material. 
Here  is  an  average  profit  of  about  24  per 
cent . 
( Continued  on  next  page. ) 
f  /  p. 
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AND 
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When  famished  with  Grnphlt©  Bearing*,! 
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other  Mills  that  are  oiled.  Truly  a  GEM,* 
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strength,  durability  and  simplicity  to  the! 
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erected  than  a  tower  made  of  wood,  r 
We  al«»o  manufacture  the  Celebrated! 
HALLADAY  Standard  _  Pump-J 
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GENUINE  PHILADELPHIA 
Lawn  Mower. 
HAND  SIZES  10  TO  20  INCHES. 
1JOTH  OPEN  AND  SOLID  CYLINDERS. 
PONY  AND  HORSE  30  AND  3G  INCHES. 
LAWN  SWEEPERS  and  GRASS  EDGERS. 
GRAHAM, EMLEN  &  PASSMORE, 
631  Market  St.,  Philadelphia,  Penn. 
^tUjsrcUuttrousi  Advertising. 
If  you  name  Thk  It.  N.-Y.  to  our  advertisers  you 
may  be  pretty  sure  of  prompt  replies  and  right 
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Now 
Is  the  Time 
To  purify  your  blood  and  fortify  your  system  against 
the  debilitating  effects  of  spring  weather.  At  no 
other  season  Is  the  bitter  taste  in  the  mouth  more 
prominent,  the  breath  so  offensive,  the  drowsy  dizzi¬ 
ness  so  frequent,  or  that  extreme  tired  feeling  so 
prevalent.  Hood's  Sarsaparilla  Is  just  the  medicine 
to  build  up  the  system,  purify  the  blood,  cure  bilious¬ 
ness  and  headache,  overcome  that  tired  feeling,  and 
create  a  good  appetite. 
Hood’s  Sarsaparilla 
Where  other  preparations  fail.  Be  sure  to  get  Hood’s 
Sarsaparilla.  It  is  Peculiar  to  Itself. 
Hood’s  Pills  cure  Sick  Headache. 
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,  V*  ORIGINATED 
For  INTERNAL  as  much  as  EXTERNAL  use. 
JOHNSON’S 
Anodyne  Liniment 
Dropped  on  Sugar,  Children  Dove  If. 
Every  Traveler  should  have  a  bottle  of  it  in  his  satchel. 
Acts  promptly.  Always  ready  to  use,  for  Coughs,  Colds, 
Sore  Throat,  Tonsilitis,  Colie,  Cramps  and  Pains.  Re¬ 
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Cures  Croup,  Asthma,  Catarrh,  Bronchitis,  Cholera- 
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Stiff  Muscles  or  Strains.  Inhale  for  Nervous  Headache. 
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MANUFACTURERS  OF 
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THRESHERS. 
(D ingee)  Woodbury  SweepPowers, 
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Saw  Mills, 
Portable,  Traction  and  Skid 
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Catalogue  Mailed  FREE. 
The  ROCKER  WASHER 
has  proved  the  most  satis¬ 
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ever  placed  upon  the  mar¬ 
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wash  an  ordinary  family 
washing  of  100  pieces  in 
One  Hour,  as  clean  as 
can  be  washed  on  the 
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prices  and  full  description. 
AGENTS  WANTED  ON  SALARY 
“  or  COMMISSION,  to  handle  the  New 
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Liberal  Inducements  to 
live  agents. 
1892. 
jgp 
iSATALOfiy 
1892. 
For  Over  Thirty  Tears 
have  always  had  very  pleasant  dealings  together,  the 
mblic  and  myself,  and  I  again  have  the  pleasure  of 
presenting  to  them  my  Annual  Vegetable  and 
Flower  Seed  Catalogue.  .  It  contains  .the  usual 
immense  variety  of  seed,  with  such  new  kinds  added 
as  have  proved  to  be  real  acquisitions.  Raising  many 
of  these  varieties  myself,  on  my  four  seed  farms, 
and  testing  others,  I  am  able  to  warrant  their  fresh- 
_ nd  purity,  under  such  reasonable  conditions  as  are  con¬ 
tained  in  my  Catalogue.  Having  been  their  original  intro¬ 
ducer,  I  am  headquarters  for  choice  Cory  Corn,  Miller  Melon. 
Eclipse  Beet,  Hubbard  Squash,  Deep  Head,  All  Seasons  and 
Warren  Cabbage.  Etc.,  Etc.  Catalogue  FREE  to  all. 
J,  H.  OKEliOKY  as  SON,  Marblehead,  Mata. 
