80 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March 
ing it to turn yellow and die. This insect will be found 
in the bulb, originating from eggs laid upon the leaves, 
by a small ash colored fly, the scientific name of which 
is said to be Anthomyia cep arum, (See Transactions of 
the N. Y. State Ag. Society fpr 1843. page 135.) It 
comes to maturity in less than a month; so that there 
may be several generations in the course of the season. 
Their appearance in this vicinity is rare. Pulverized 
charcoal and fire have been found the most effectual 
remedies, against the ravages of this class of depre¬ 
dators. 
The most annoying enemy of the onion is the cut worm 
or grub worm. It probably is the same described by Dr. 
Harris, in his report on the Insects of Mass, injurious to 
vegetation, p. 324, there called “ Agrotis devastator .” 
And in the 1st vol. of Silliman’s Journal of Science, 
“Phalcena noctua devastator though Dr. Harris does 
not mention the onion as among the plants upon which 
it feeds; probably considering it like tobacco, as too 
noisome to be used by any decently civilized being. 
They are said “ to seek their food in the night, or in 
cloudy weather, and retire before sunrise into the 
ground, or beneath stones, or any substance which can 
shelter them from the rays of the sun ; here they re¬ 
main coiled up during the day, except while devouring 
their food, which they drag into their places of con¬ 
cealment.” The remedy for these worms, suggested 
by our cultivators, corresponds nearly with that pro¬ 
posed by Mr. Foote, of Berkshire, 11 to catch them and 
pull their teeth out” This being effectually done to 
all, their operations will be . of a limited character. 
When this is omitted, we have sometimes known whole 
fields almost entirely cut down by these rapacious de¬ 
vour ers. They sweep clean vrhere they go, not suffer¬ 
ing even the weeds or any other herbage to flourish. 
They are more frequently found on old ground than on 
new ; and particularly where the ground has been cov¬ 
ered during the winter with chickweed or other vegeta¬ 
ble substance, on which the eggs from which they ori¬ 
ginate may have been deposited. Hence a benefit of 
clearing the ground of all vegetable matter or other 
obstructions in the autumn, after the crop is gathered. 
This clearing also facilitates the early planting in the 
spring. Autumnal plowing, as it exposes the soil more 
fully to the action of the frost, and disarranges all 
abodes for the winter made by insects, may have a 
tendency to diminish their number. 
6. The time and manner of harvesting. 
When the tops begin to wither and fall, then it is 
usual to start the onions from their bed, and throw them 
together in rows—say eight or ten growing rows into 
one. After they have lain thus about one week, they 
are stirred and turned with a rake, and in about one 
week more, when the ground is dry, and the weather 
fair, they are gathered up by cart loads, and taken to 
the barn. Here they are sorted*and cleared of refuse 
leaves, and then they are in a condition to be bunched 
or barreled. 
It should be remarked, that a large part of the labor 
of weeding, gathering and sorting the onion, can be 
performed by children from ten to sixteen years of age. 
Boys of this age, when properly instructed, will do 
about as much as men. They are more nimble, and 
can come at the work with greater facility. The sort¬ 
ing of the onion is frequently done by girls as well as 
boys. ' From three to five dollars a week, at one cent 
a basket, are usually earned by them during the period 
of harvesting—which includes the months of Septem¬ 
ber and October. After the crop is taken off, if the 
surface is sloping, it is useful to plow furrows about 
one rod apart, to keep the surface from washing. 
Unless this is done, all the herbage being gone, much 
of the soil will be likely to be misplaced, by the melt¬ 
ing of snows and running of water in the spring. 
The inquiry arises, whether the growth of the onion 
is limited to soils of particular character, or whether 
it can be cultivated upon any good soil, with proper 
attention. We know that there is a popular impres¬ 
sion, that there are but few places in which the onion can 
be cultivated advantageously. So far as our own obser¬ 
vation has extended, this impression is in a great mea¬ 
sure erroneous. Like every other plant, the onion grows 
best on very good soils, in very good condition. But 
we have known very fair crops, on plain, light land, 
after the same was well saturated with manure, miis~ 
cle-bed or ashes. A good substratum must be laid be¬ 
fore a good crop can be expected; and this being done, 
a crop may be expected on almost any soil, that will 
support other vegetables. 
If we were asked, what course is best to be pursued 
with land, on which onions have never been raised, to 
bring it into a condition for a successful cultivation of 
the crop, we should say—begin by plowing to the full 
depth of the nutritive soil, and during the first and se¬ 
cond years, thoroughly subdue and mellow the soil by 
the cultivation of crops of corn and carrots, with libe¬ 
ral dressings of manure; then thoroughly incorporate 
with the soil a dressing of strong manure and muscle- 
bed, just covering this dressing; then harrow the sur¬ 
face thoroughly, and clear it of all roots, weeds, or 
othe obstructions; then apply a coating of lively, well 
rotted manure to the surface, and bush harrow it; and 
then it will be in a condition to receive the seed, which 
is to be inserted as soon as the opening of the spring 
will admit of its being done. 
We are aware that we make the raising of the onion 
dependant upon severe labor and vigilant attention. 
We know that it cannot be successfully done without 
these. But it is not labor lost. No cultivation, within 
our observation, better repays for the labor and inci¬ 
dental expenses. We have known, the present season, 
acres that have yielded their owners a net income of 
more than two hundred dollars ; and we know that a 
man with two boys can well attend to half a dozen 
acres of such cultivation. Surely, when as at present 7 
there is no limit to the demand for the article, and a 
ready cash market, those who have acres and are will¬ 
ing to labor, need not be in want of a fair compensa¬ 
tion for their labor. 
As samples of the present years produce in the town 
of Danvers, we state the following that have come 
under our notice: 
Names. 
Acres. 
Produce. 
John Peaslee, 
3 
1,980 bushelSi 
Daniel Osborn & Son, 
1 1-5 
870 
James P. King, 
Aaron C. Proctor, 
1 1-3 
660 
u 
11-4 
600 
E. & D. Buxton, 
6 1-2 
2,750 
cc 
Henry Bush by, 
4 
2,000 
u 
Joseph Bushby, 
3 
1,500 
(C 
Yielding an average of more than 500 bushels to the 
acre. 
Potato Rot.— -Though not always successful, the 
practice of very early planting appears to gain favor. 
The Morris Jersey man says that a farmer planted his 
potatoes earlier than usual this season, which were 
dug and put into his cellar before the rains came on j 
and that they still remain perfectly sound. In Missis¬ 
sippi, the best result has been obtained by starting po¬ 
tatoes in hotbeds, and transplanting slips from them 
when three or four inches long—-the original contin¬ 
uing to send forth fresh slips for a long time. We 
have raised potatoes ten days to two weeks earlier by 
placing the seed in winter in a warm place, so as to 
sprout them two inches by the very earliest day that 
the ground could be plowed to receive them. 
Maple Sugar in Vermont .—The quantity of maple 
sugar mad© iu Vermont in 1840, was 4,647,000 lbs. 
