330 
Maivli (i. 
KILLING OUT WILD GARLIC. 
Control Through Habits of Growth. 
FFECT OX GRAIN AND PASTURE.—There is 
a group of vveeds in ibis. country which, on ac¬ 
count of their noxious characteristics and ten¬ 
acity, cause considerable trouble and loss to (he 
farmer. Among the most noteworthy is, no doubt, 
wild garlic, also known as wild onion in certain lo¬ 
calities. Wild garlic grows in all kinds of crops, 
but it is especially injurious in the wheat crop and 
in pastures and meadows. Wheat growing and 
dairy industries have been given up on its account 
m some localities. The bulblets of the garlic head, 
sometimes called buttons, are about the size, shape 
and weight of wheat kernels and consequently very 
difficult to separate from wheat. Their presence in 
the grain depreciates the market value of wheat, 
interferes in the milling process, and imparts gar¬ 
lic flavor to flour and foods made from garlicky 
wheat. The dairy industry is affected to a similar 
degree, since . ” ♦he dairy products become tainted. 
Even the flesh oi 'hnals, feeding on this weed in 
pastures, does not e. >e the offensive garlic flavor. 
AN ASSISTED I. GRANT.—Wild garlic was 
introduced into this country from Europe about two 
centuries ago. It has been said that some immi¬ 
grants brought it with them for the purpose of 
furnishing early pasture, since it remains green all 
Winter and makes a vigorous growth early in the 
Spring. About the middle of the eighteenth cen- 
mry it was known as a noxious weed in certain dis¬ 
tricts of Pennsylvania. From this State it spread 
slowly but steadily, until now its distribution ranges 
from Massachusetts south to Georgia, and west to 
Missouri and Mississippi. It is most abundant and 
troublesome in Delaware, Maryland, the Virginias, 
North Carolina. Tennessee, Kentucky, 
and along the the southern portions of 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and 
1 llinois. 
REMEDIES SUGGESTED.—Eradi¬ 
cation of wild garlic has been a subject 
of special investigation, in this coun¬ 
try for more than 150 years. Various 
methods of cultivation have been tried: 
many chemicals have been tested; pas¬ 
turing with hogs and sheep has been 
recommended: and other remedies 
have been experimented with, but none 
proved entirely successful. The fail¬ 
ure of the various remedies tried for 
eradicating wild garlic is not to be 
wondered at when we consider its am¬ 
ple means for propagation. Most 
plants of the vegetable kingdom have 
but one natural means, the seed, for 
reproducing themselves; some have 
two, the seed and roots; but wild gar¬ 
lic has five distinct methods for its 
piopagation. it continues its growth 
and propagation throughout all seasons 
except during the hot, dry Summer months, and 
when the ground is frozen. 
HOW IT GROWS.—A mature plant of wild gar¬ 
lic bears at the top of its fruiting stalk a cluster of 
bulblets ranging in number from 40 to 150. The 
underground portion is divided into several bulbs or 
cloves. The central bulb, which is always the larg¬ 
est, is covered with a thin, soft shell. The outer 
bulbs have a very tough, horny shell. The soft- 
shelled bulbs start into growth early in the Fall. 
A small percentage of the hard-shelled bulbs germ¬ 
inate late in the Fall and during the Winter, but 
the majority do not start until Spring; and some 
of them may lie in the soil in dormant condition 
for one or more seasons. The bulblets begin their 
growth in the Fall. During the latter part of No- 
\ember, or so, in the latitude of southern Indiana, 
offsets are started from the growing bulblets, which 
separate within a few weeks from the parent plants 
and grow then as independent plants. In the south¬ 
ern range of its distribution wild garlic produces an 
abundance of seed. It matures in Summer and 
grows the following Spring. The seed, bulblets. the 
soft-shelled bulbs and the hard-shelled bulbs all 
usually have 100 per cent, germination. As to what 
percentage of the growing bulblets produce sprouts 
cannot be definitely stated at this time. 
VITALITY AND DISTRIBUTION.—The vitality 
of wild garlic is remarkable. Both the aerial bulb¬ 
lets and the underground bulbs may retain their 
vitality for several seasons. They are resistant to 
drought, alternate freezing and thawing, and simi¬ 
lar weather conditions and kinds of exposure. If 
a meadow is mowed and the hay put up while the 
garlic heads are still immature, the bulblets will 
ripen in the haymow. Or, if a field is plowed and 
the immature heads are covered with soil, the bulb- 
i ft k. 6"; iAL Nft^xv- Vo'k'w lik 
lets will mature in the ground. The statement, 
sometimes made by farmers, that if a young garlic 
plant is pulled up and hung on the fence it will 
grow and mature there, contains more truth than 
SriiAYiNG To Kill Wild Onion. Fig. 109. 
fiction. The bulblets of wild garlic are the common¬ 
est means for its dissemination. They are frequent¬ 
ly found in the seed of wheat, rye and oats brought 
(Continued on page 3 4) 
CANTALOUPES ON CLAYEY SOIL. 
Sand as an Aid to Germination 
N page 65, in discussing the adaptability of 
clay soils for cantaloupes, the objection is 
raised that it is inclined to bake, so that it is 
difficult to get the young plants above ground. This 
difficulty is not confined to clay soils, but is more 
ui less of a problem in many loam soils that have 
but a slight admixture of clay. Some years ago, 
while trucking for the Harrisburg. Pa., market. I 
had quite a little experience with this difficulty and 
evolved a method of planting cantaloupes and cu¬ 
cumbers that was entirely satisfactory. 
Wild Onion Tops And Roots. Fig. 111. 
The hills or drills (I preferred the latter) were 
prepared in advance, as they always should be any¬ 
way, then a favorable time just after a rain was 
awaited for planting. A few bushels of sand or very 
light sandy loam for each acre were procured. I 
usually got my supply from sand washes along the 
public highway. A broomstick was prepared for a 
plunger to open holes for the seed by tapering the 
thick end to a blunt point, a hole was bored through 
a piece of tough board six inches- square, and. this 
was driven on and secured so as to allow the point 
to protrude about 114 inches. Armed with this in¬ 
strument one man would punch holes for the seed 
as fast as he could walk along the row. Two men 
would be required to follow dropping the seeds, 
three or four in each hole, and a fourth man with 
a pail of moist sand would cover the seed by throw¬ 
ing into the hole a large pinch of sand sufficient to 
till the hole, and with sufficient force to pack it 
well as it falls. After a little practice the work 
can be done very rapidly, rather more rapidly, I 
think, than by any other hand method I know of. 
The principal annoyance is the failure of the plung- 
< r to clean, and it may be necessary to use a twist¬ 
ing motion to remove it and leave a clean cut hole. 
Where a large area is to be planted it would doubt¬ 
less be advisable to provide a steel-pointed plunger. 
The surface of the soil along the row or hill should 
be loosened with a steel rake just before planting to 
retain moisture, or if care is exercised not to rake 
too deeply the raking may be done after planting. 
By this method the seedlings come up vigorous and 
unhampered, and invariably outgrow plants that 
have to contend with crusted soil around their ten¬ 
der stems. I). L. HARTMAN. 
Florida. 
A PEACH ORCHARD ON SHARES. 
N page 90 is an article including a lease for peach 
orchard in Indiana. I would like to get some in¬ 
formation. Probably I may best get it by asking 
the following questions: 1. In this lease who 
furnishes the seed for intercropsV 2. Does tenant plant 
the trees himself without landlord’s help? 
8. What is the land worth before orchard 
is planted and after? 4. How will the 
mature orchard at end of 15 years af¬ 
fect the value of land, if land about it 
remains about the same in value? 5. 
Is it assumed between the parties that 
the trees planted are worth as much as 
the* land was before orchard was planted? 
6. Will the trees bear 15 years after plant¬ 
ing? 7. Is one of tin* reasons for the land¬ 
lord doing half the work the fact that the 
orchard will be his sole property at end of 
15 years? 8. How much more should 
landlord receive if he furnished a good 
six-room house, pasture for cow and 
team, and outbuildings? 9. Is this a 
common form of lien for orchard lands 
in Indiana? w. c. T. 
Lebanon. O. 
In planting a peach orchard on our 
neighbor’s land a sort of partnership 
agreement was entered into. I. the ten¬ 
ant, was already growing good crops of 
peaches on my own land adjoining the 
idle ground of my neighbors. I had 
made a success of it. and was equipped 
to handle a larger proposition, hence 
we had no trouble in getting our neigh¬ 
bor to let us have the land we wanted 
to grow peaches on. Only the details 
or incidentals were lacking to make the thing a go. 
From the number of offers I have had since starting 
this orchard it seems that the land-owners are more 
than willing to pit their land against practical ex¬ 
perience, and 1 have had half a dozen chances to 
plant out peach orchards on some such terms. The 
main point seems to be in securing the confidence of 
the land-owner. If you are successful in handling 
your own affairs it is no trouble to take in a part¬ 
ner and this holds good in any kind of business, 
whether it be farming, orcharding or the mercantile 
pursuits. In this particular instance both parties 
were willing to be liberal in drawing up a contract 
that would suit all around. 
1. I agreed to fit the land ready for planting and 
agreed to furnish all trees for planting and re¬ 
planting. I also agreed to furnish all seed for inter¬ 
crops, also to furnish the spray machine and all 
spray material, and to do all the pruning. 2. Be¬ 
yond this, we both stand an equal one-half of all 
expense and labor, such as planting the trees, fitting 
the ground for future crops, cultivating the orchard, 
purchasing supplies and machinery and every other 
item that is needed. In handling the proposition I 
agree to assume the superintendency and managing 
of same. One-half of all net profits is to be divided 
equally for 15 years. •>. The land lies within a few 
hundred yards of the city limits of a town of 10.000 
people, and is valued at .$150 per acre, without im¬ 
provements, that is the raw land; $100 per acre is 
a fair increase in value after the orchard has been 
planted one year. 4. Aside from the expense of 
clearing the land at the end of 15 years the land 
will be worth as much as or more than surrounding 
land for grain and hay crops, for the land will be 
lested and also increased on fertility from turning 
( Concluded on page 336) 
