42-1208—20m TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. BULLETIN NO. 115. OCTOBER, 190a. Fertilizer Test With Onions At the Beeville State Experiment Station. FOUR YEARS EXPERIMENT.» BY S. A. WASCHKA, SUPERINTENDENT, BEEVILLE, BEE 00., TEXAS. POSTOFTIOEI COLLEGE STATION, BRAZOS COUNTY, TEXAS. AUSTIN, TEXAS: vow BOECKMANN-JONES COMPANY, PRINTERS 08. TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. OFFICERS. GOVERNING BOARD. (Board 0f Directors A. and H. College.) K. K. LEGETT, President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Abilene. T. D. ROWELL, Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jefferson. A. HAIDUSEK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .La Grange. J. M. GREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yoakum. WALTON PETEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas. E. R. KONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Austi11. L. L. lVlCINNIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bryan. W. B. SEBASTIAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Breckenridge. ‘STATION OFFICERS. H. H. HARRINGTON, LL. D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director. W. C. WELBORN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vice Director and Agriculturist. J. W. CARSON . . . . . . . . . .Assistant to Director and State Feed Inspector. M. FRANCIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Veterinarian. H. NEss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horticulturist. J 011x C. BURNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Animal Husbandry. O. M. BALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Botanist. G. S. FRAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chemist. G. W. HEnRIon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Entomologist. N. C. HAMNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Chemist. E. C. CARLYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Assistant Chemist. C. W. CRIsLEP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chief Clerk. W. L. BoYETT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clerk Feed Control. STATE SUB-STATIONS. H. H. HARRINGTON, Director. W. S. HOTOLIKISS, Superintendent . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Troupe, Smith county. S. A. W ASCHKA, Superintendent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beeville, Bee county. NOTE.—TlLe main. Station is located on the grounds of the Agricul- tural and Mechanical College, in Brazos county. The posto/jice address is College Station, Teaas. Reports and bulletins are sent free upon ap- plication to the Director. NOTE BY THE DIRECTOR. The manuscript of the following bulletin on onions, While prepared by Hr. Wasehka, has been reviewed by Prof. H. Ness, Horticulturist to the Central Station. . _ The bulletin sets forth some interesting results in regard to the growth, cultivation, harvesting, and marketing of the onion crop. Tests with fertilizers show that barnyard manure, when applied in large quantity, is the only fertilizer that will justify its use. Tests with irrigated and non-irrigated plats give results very much in favor of the irrigated ground. In a test to determine the relative value of irrigation by furrowand by flooding, the results were decidedly in favor of the latter. The most significant result set forth in the bulletin is that onions can be profitably grown at Beeoille without fertilizers, other than a rota- tion of cowpeas, and without irrigation, except “a slight watering at the time of transplanting to start the plants.” . H. H. HARRINGTON, Director. [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] flied. in each plot. id in. dire. - BY s. A. WASCHKA, \ Superintendent of the Beeville Sub-Station, Beeville, Texas. FIRST SEASON-—1904 AND 1905. ~ APPLICATION OF THE FERTILIZERS. BlRTILIZER AND IRRIGATION EXPERI- MENTS WITH ONIONS. A e land, upon which these experiments were carried on continuously four years, is a rather heavy loam with considerable sand, but poor ojhumus. The surface soil is of a dark grayish color, which at 5 es changes to black and becomes quite sticky. The subsoil is met g- at a depth of 11 inches, and consists of a pale, reddish clay, which ages as we go downwards to a deep red color, and makes an ideal dation." A peach orchard existed on this land for nine years pre- p: to these experiments, during which time no fertilizer had been he land was, on September 23d and 24th, broken to the depth of gv '7 inches and harrowed. About a month later it was rebroken, rrowed, leveled, and laid off into plots of one-fortieth of an acre, feet 3 inches wide by 150 feet long, leaving a space of 3 feet be- Each plot contained six rows with the plants 5 inches in the row. During the successive seasons the planting and ‘fer- -- were the same for the same plots. The ingredients of each fer- were carefully weighed, mixed, applied broadcast, and har- l the plots were each year, upon the removal of the crop, planted cowpeas, which, after the peas were harvested, were turned under enough to give the vines time to rot before the next planting; i all crops, except the first, received this application of green p ~ 1e following table shows the kind and actual amount of fertilizer Ajplot as well as the calculated amount and price of same per acre: TABLE I. Ilfifigww Amount of each per plot; Amount of Estimated Fertilizer. each per acre-— cost per acre. Lbs. Ozs. pounds. l | Check .............. ..l ...................................................................... .. Acid phosphate 6 4 250 $ 2 87 Muriate of potash 2 4 90 3 06 Nitrate of soda 3 5 133.33 5 20 { Acid phosphate 6 4 250 1 5 87 Muriate of potash 2 4 90 J’ 6 g _ TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. TABLE I—continued. i Amount of i Plot each per plot Amount 0f Estimated N0 i Fertilizer. each per acre—— cost per acre. j| Lbs. Ozs. pounds. l N 't t f d 3 5 133 3 I i 1 ra e o so a . 6 ‘ i Acid phosphate e 4 250 - 8 07 7 Nitrate 0f soda 3 5 133.33 i 8 26 Muriate of potash 2 4 90 8 { Nitrate of soda 3 5 133.33 i 11 13 Acid phosphate 6 4 90 f 9 Check ...................................................................................... .. 10 Stable manure 600 24,000 ' 12 00 1 1 Stable manure 1,000 40,000 20 00 12 { Stable manure 600 24,000 1 13 50 Vgood ashes 75 3,000 j at guano 12 8 500 13 i Bat guano 8 11 348 i 5 00 14 { Acid phosphate 1 12 71 I 7 05 Muriate of potash 2 81 I 15 { Cotton seed meal 12 8 500 I 6 25 Cotton seed meal 7 2 285 j 16 { Acid phosphate 4 12 191 1 8 41 Muriate of potash 2 78 I J Nitrate of soda 6 4 250 17 Acid phosphate 12 8 500 } 21 62 L Muriate of potash 4 8 180 , 18 Check .............................................................. ..| ...................... .. The calculated cost of the fertilizers per acreis based on the price prevailing at the time when this plan was formulated. TABLE II. Fmsr CROP, SEASON or 1904 AND 1905. Weight of Total Calculated marketable Weight of yield yield Plot No. onions— a culls— per plot—— per acre—— pounds. pounds. pounds. pounds. 1 262 10 272 10,880 2 230 12 243 9,720 3 293 11 304 12,160 4 260 4 264 10,560 5 223 19 242 9,680 6 258 11 269 10,760 7 181 1O 191 7,640 8 202 8 210 8,400 9 211 9 220 8,800 10 214 9 223 8,920 1 1 229 8 237 9,480 12 192 7 199 7,960 13 192 10 202 8,080 14 225 7 243 9,280 15 176 10 186 7,440 16 21 1 3 214 8,560 17 188 6 194 7,760 18 201 4 205 8,200 FERTILIZER TEST WITH ONIONS. 7 Owing to the lack of plants of the proper size, only one-half of each plot was planted on December 13th; the remainder was planted 0n the 29th of the same month. The record shows that this crop received in addition to one irrigation 14.87 inches of rain favorably distributed during the period of growth. "The coldest weather sustained was on February 13th, when the mercury ofell to 19° above zero. The crop was harvested May 9, 1905. The variety of onions used for this, as well as the following seasons, was the lVhite Bermuda. SECOND CROP, SEASON OF 1905 AND 1906. The seeds for this crop were planted in the seed beds on October 13th. One-half of each plot was transplanted December 16th; the re- imainder on December 22d, because rainfall delayed the planting. This crop was cultivated ten times with wheel-hoes, irrigated five times, and sprayed twice with whale oil soap emulsion for thrips. Be- sides the five irrigations, the crop received 11.22 inches of rain during the period of growth, but this was badly distributed. The following table indicates the result of the second crop: TABLE III. Weight of marketable l Estimated yield Plot No. onions_pounds. calculartgiinpciag. acre—_ 1 720 a 28,800 2 721 I 28,840 3 694 ' 27,760 4 659 27,360 5 655 26,200 6 626 25,040 7 662 26,480 8 637 25,480 9 666 26,640 10 741 29,640 1 1 775 31,000 12 734 29,360 13 688 27,520 14 609 26,760 15 493 19,720 16 606 24,240 17 l! e40 25,600 18 I 642 25,680 The onions were exceptionally fine, of uniform size, culls were not ioticed, hence no notes were made of them. THIRD CROP, SEASON OF 1906 AND 1907. The seed for this crop was planted in seed beds on October 22d and 33d, and watered on the 24th to force germination, as the soil was very lry at the time. By November 1st the plants came up to a medium 8 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. stand. These plants were, while in the seed bed, sprayed with whale oil so-ap emulsion for thrips—and with perfect success, as the pest did not show up during the subsequent period of the crop. ~ On January 22d the plants were transplanted 1nto their various test .plots. The crop was cultivated nine times after transplanting, irri- gated six times, and received in addition 4.7 inches of rainfall during the growth. On January 26th, the thermometer dropped to 35° above zero, this being the coldest day of the winter. The following table indicates the result of the third cropz. TABLE IV. 1 . 1 Weight of marketable Estimated yield Plot No. ‘ Onions—pounds. per acre—pounds. 1 741 29,640 2 709 29,360 3 755 30,200 4 768 30,720 5 714 28,560 6 655 26,200 7 655 26,200 8 643 25,720 9 709 28,360 10 760 30,400 11 785 . 31,400 12 688 27,520 13 7 09 28,360 14 621 24,840 15 627 25,080 16 574 - 22,960 17 554 22,160 m‘ 18 625 25,000 This was an ideal crop, culls were practically none; and it was not necessary to assortthe onions. FOURTH CROP, SEASON OF 1907 AND 1908. The seeds for this crop were sown in beds on November 6th and 7th and immediately watered to hasten the germination, and by the 17th and 18th all beds came to a good stand. On January 27th and 28th the plots were all planted and immediately irrigated to insure a quick start. The crop received ten cultivations with wheel-hoes besides other hoeing and hand-weeding. Seven irriga- tions were applied, in addition to which the crop also received 8.52 inches of rainfall. Most of this rain fell from the 11th to the 13th of April, after the crop had'been thoroughly irrigated on the 10th. The weather continued foggy and damp for several days, producing a con- dition favorable to thrips; in fact, the dampness made it impossible to exterminate the pest, since the remedy could not be properly ap- plied. But for the insect pests, this crop would probably have been the best ever grown at this Station. Not only was the growth of the plants FERTILIZER TEST WITH ONIONS. 9 stopped by it, but the onions were hurried into early maturity, which ruined their keeping quality and caused them to begin rotting as soon as harvested. TABLE V. RESULT OF THE FOURTH CROP. Weight of " Total] Estimated marketable Weight of weight yield Plot N0. onions—— culls— per plot—-- per acre- pounds. pounds. pounds. pounds. r 1 350 9 359 14,360 2 329 2 . 331 13,240 3 332 14 346 13,840 4 345 4 349 13,960 5 348 9 357 14,280 6 366 15 381 15,240 7 336 40 376 15,040 8 324 19 ° 342 13,720 9 388 10 398 15,920 10 470 2 472 18,880 11 582 6 588 23,520 12 465 9 474 18,960 13 362 20 382 15,280 14 328 16 344 13,760 15 231 12 243 9,720 16 240 10 250 10,000 17 264 16 280 11,200 18 356 16 372 14,880 TABLE VI. The following gives the yield of each crop, the total yield for the four‘ years, and_ the average yield per acre: . o. d Plot First crop Second Third Fourth t 01,3? of Average _ crop crop crop y1e Number. 1921111113? 1905-1900 1900-1907 1907-1908 g1’ per acre-—- p ' pounds. pounds. pounds. pogndg pounds. 1 10,807 28,800 29,040 14,300 83,007 20,910; 2 9,735 _ 28,840 28,300 13,240 80,170 20,2074 3 12,107 27,700 30,200 13,840 83,900 20,990 1 4 10,507 20,300 30,720 13,900 81,007 20,401; 5 9,702 20,200 28,500 14,280 78,742 19,0854 0 10,782 25,040 20,200 15,240 77,202 19,3154 7 7,087 25,040 20,200 15,040 73,907 18,4913 _ 8 8,445 25,480 25,720 13,720 73,305 18,3411 9 8,855 20,040 28,300 15,920 79,775 19,943; 10 8,955 29,040 30,400 18,880 87,875 _ 21,908; i3 3333 33333 33333 33333 3333i 333333 13 81087 271520 281300 151280 791247 1918113 14 9,295 20,700 24,840 13,700 74,055 18,003; 15 7,407 19,720 25,080 9,720 01,987 15,4903 t3 » 3333 33333 33333 33333 33333 333333 18 81257 251080 251000 141840 731777 181444;, 10 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. In comparing Table I, showing the amount and kind of fertilizer, with the last column of Table VI, showing the average yields per acre for four years, one becomes struck by the fact that none of the commer- cial fertilizers have in any appreciable way increased the yield, but that the yields of Plots 10, 11 and 12 which received stable manure were greatly increased in the second year, after the first year’s application had become fully available for the crop. Especially is this noticeable for Plot 11, which received this fertilizer at the rate of 20 tons per acre. It is evident that, in the application of 12 to 20 tons of stable manure per acre, larger quantities of plant food were given to the crop, than in the case o-f any of the plots receiving commercial fertilizers; yet the increase in yield is, most likely, more due to the humus added to the land through stable manure than to the extra amount of direct plant food. This conclusion is strongly corroborated by the action of Plots 1, 9 and 18, which were checks, receiving only a crop of cowpeas as fer- ztilizer. The increase in the yield of, second and third years, on the part of all jplots, is evidently due to the increased humus of the soil, due to the green manuring from cowpeas. The decrease in the crop of the fourth year was, as before stated, due to insect pests upon that crop. The best and, perhaps, only result that this experiment with fer- tilizers furnished is that a yearly application of a crop of cowpeas, such as here followed, will reduce or, perhaps, entirely suspend the necessity of the commercial fertilizers. This statement holds good for the soils of Beeville, which seem to be well supplied with mineral plant food, in- asmuch as these did not increase the yields. In parts of East Texas, applications of phosphoric acid in addition to cowpeas would be highly beneficial, as revealed by our experiments at the Troupe Station and pot culture tests with soils from that region carried out by our chemical de- partment. . IRRIGATION EXPERIMENT WITH ONIONS, 1903 AND 1901.. Two 1-20-acre plots were laid off and planted with Bed Bermuda A onions. Plot I was irrigated and cultivated when necessary, while Plot II was not irrigated, but cultivated the same as the irrigated plot. This test was made for the purpose of ascertaining the difference between irrigation and dry culture. The land was prepared as in the case of the fertilizer tests, but no fertilizers were used. Plot I received irrigation on dates as follows: February 11th, March 10th, March 25th, and April 16th. The rainfall during the growth of the plants while in the plots, from February 3d to May 10th, was as follows: February 20th, .37 inches; April 2d, .57 inches; April 3d, .16 inches; April 6th, .83 inches; April 20th, 1.22 inches; May 2d, .43 inches; May 4th, .78 inches; May 6th, 1.03 inches. The total rainfall during the period of growth was 5.35 inches. The crop was harvested on May 10th. This amount of rainfall would have been sufficient to make a good crop had it been more favorably distributed; but it will be seen from. FERTILIZER TEST WITH ONIoNs. 11 the, above dates that most of it fell during the latter part of the period, when the onions had almost reached the point of maturity; hence did not increase the crop to the extent that it might, if it had occurred earlier. TABLE VII. l I Estimated ‘ Marketable Weight Yield per yield per Plot N0. onions— 0f culls-t plot— acre- pounds. pounds. pounds. pounds. ‘ I 1 Irrigated ’ 1,926 2 1,928 28,560 2 Not irrigated 975 12 l 987 19,740 Difference .......................................................... 941 18,820 ' l IRRIGATION EXPERIMENTS, SEASON OF 1905-1906. FURROW IRRIGATION VS. DRY CULTURE. Two 1-20-acre plots were planted with White Bermuda onions for the purpose of repeating the test of 1903 and 1904, except that the plots were fertilized with bat guano at the rate of 500 pounds per acre. The irrigated plot received five irrigations by the furrow system on dates as follows: January 5th, February 2d, March 12th, March 19th, and April 11th. The rainfall during the period of growth from the time of transpanting was as follows: January 10th, .42 inches; February 6th, .70 inches; February 10th, .20 inches; February 11th, .02 inches; February 12th, .40 inches; February 13th, .03 inches; February 19th, .60 inches; February 20th, .03 inches; February 24th, .01 inches; March 6th, .36 inches; March 28th, 2.92 inches; April 12th, 1.77 inches; April 16th, .72 inches; April 17th, .54 inches; April 19th, .11 inches; April "20th, 1.61 inches. Total rainfall, 10.44 inches. The following table shows the result of the test: TABLE VIII. Estim atcd Marketable Yield per yield per Plot No. onions~— Gulls. plot- acrc-— pounds. pounds." pct? nds. 1 Irrigated 1,1721}- None 1,172r} 23,450 2 Not irrigated 1,0684 None 1,0687} 2 1,370 This table indicates that the irrigation was beneficial, although the rainfall was fully sufficient to produce a good crop. Attention is also called to the fact that these plots were planted with second-class plants. Owing to the irregularity in the vigor of the plants in the seed beds, it became necessary to divide them into three 12“ TExAs AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. classes. First-class plants being the strongest, and being insufficient in number for all the experiments, were used only for the fertilizing test. Second-class came next in vigor and were used for these irrigated plots. Third-class were culls, and were used in other irrigated plots. IRRIGATION BY FURROW SYSTEM VS. FLOODING, 1905 AND 1906. Two l-AO-acre plots were planted with White Bermuda onions for the purpose of testing the above modes of irrigation. These plots were not fertilized and were planted with third-class plants, or culls. Plot No. 1 was irrigated by furrows; No. 2 was flooded. Rainfall was the same as for the preceding experiment. The following table indicates the result: TABLE IX. Estimated How Marketable Culls-— Yield per yield per v lot No. irrigated. onions— pounds. plot- acre— pounds. pounds. pounds. 1 l Furrow 365 i None 365 14,600 2 1 Flooding 54o ; 15 555 i 22,200 l a 1 Plot No. 1 produced much smaller onions, which reduced the weight of the yield to a great extent, but they were all smooth, of uniform size, and all were marketable. * Plot No. 2 produced much larger onions, as the result of the flood- ing, but also some culls, consisting of bottle-necks and ill-shaped doublets, unsuited for market purposes. There can be no doubt but that the excessive amount of moisture pro- duced this result. Although there were 15 pounds of culls to be dis- carded from this plot, there is still a difference of 7000 pounds, when calculated per acre, in its favor. The next season, 1906 and 1907, the above experiment was repeated with the exception that the plots received a crop of cowpeas for green manure. The plots were planted with the same variety, namely, White Bermuda, but the plants were first-class, although it had become neces- sary to spray them three times for thrips while in the seed beds. Trans- planting took place on the 31st of January, and the first irrigation was given the next day to insure a quick start. The crop received eight cul- tivations with wheel-hoe. The six irrigations were given on the follow- ing dates: February 1st, February 9th, February 20th, March 26th, April 8th, and April 16th. The rainfall during the growing season was 3.87 inches. The coldest day was January 26th, when the ther- mometer dropped to 35° above zero. The crop was harvested on May 11th. ‘ The following table gives the result: FERTILIZER TEST WITH ONIONS. 13 TABLE X. t Estimated How Marketable Culls— Yield per yield per j Plot N0. irrigated. onions~— pounds. plot— acre—~— pounds. J pounds. pounds. I I » 1 Furrow t 580 3 f 583 t 23,320 2 Flooding i 664 24 I 688 I 27,520 The yield calculated per acre gives a difference of 4200 pounds in favor of the flooded plot. , Similar experiments were carried on with beets, turnips, carrots, and other vegetables, and were always in favor of flooding. This method requires, however, something like double the amount of water. No notes were taken on the cost of irrigation in these experiments, as that test is reported in Bulletin No. '77 of this Station. IRRIGATION VS. DRY CULTURE, 1906 AND 1907. On September 6th, previous to this experiment, a crop of cowpeas were turned under and rotted, after which the land was put in excellent tilth and laid off into two 1-20-acre plots. The plants were trans- planted from the seed bed into the plots January 31st. Both plots were cultivated eight times, and Plot No. 1 was irrigated on the following dates: February 1st, February 9th, February 20th, March 26th, April 8th, and April 16th; in fact, planting, cultivation, irrigation, rainfall, and temperature were the same as reported for the preceding experiment. The following table gives the result: TABLE XI. Estimated How Marketable Yield per yield per Plot (N o. grown. onions— Gulls. plot-— acre-- pounds. pounds. pounds. l 1 Irrigated l 1,245 None 1,245 24,900 2 Not irrigated f s80 None s80 17,600 I . Although we have a difference of 7300 pounds per acre in favor of irrigation, this table indicates that _onions can be raised with no other fertilizer than a crop of cowpeas, and without other irrigation than a slight watering at the time of transplanting to start the plants, as 17,600 pounds of onions per acre were raised with a rainfall of only 3.87 inches during the time of growth. The land upon which this test was made wonsisted of a black, heavy mesquite soil. l 14 Texas AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT Srarrons. CULTIVATION OF THE ONION. Planting of the Seed.—In every case, whether for seed beds or for planting in open field, the soil should be thoroughly pulverized and clean from weeds. _The seed bed and transplanting system has been generally practiced, but the Writer finds that planting seeds in drills in the open field is the cheaper method, since it gives good results and saves the slow and costly transplanting. Care should be exercised that good seeds be planted, and that they be placed no deeper in the soil than 1 or 1.1; inches. _ For hand culture the drills may be laid off 14 to 16 inches apart, and seed dropped in an evenly thin row. One seed to every inch should bring forth an ideal stand, provided the germinating power of the seed be perfect; otherwise, more seed must be used. The Iron Age planter is found to be a good machine for planting, having adjustable seed plates. The aim should be to secure a good, even stand. A too thick standwill retard the growth from the very start. and produce culls. When panting in open field, where the crop is to mature, the plants hould be thinned in places where too thick, and the best plants transplanted into places where too thin; any plants remain- ing over from this operation may be transplanted into plots kept ready for the purpose. Transplanting the Onionsa-Jllhe onions should be transplanted as soon as they reach the size about equal to the thickness of a pencil. The tops should then be cut to about 2 inches above the bulb and the roots shortened back to about half an inch in length. The plants shoull be planted to about the same depth that they had before transplanting. and the soil pressed firmly about the roots. The cutting of tops and roots ought to be done with a sharp instrument, so as not to tear the iissues. The distance at which the plants are left in row may be from 3 to 5 inches, according to the fertility of the soil, the amount of moist- ure to be given, and the size of the bulbs desired. Irrigation-if the crop is intended for irrigation, whether by furrow or-tlie flooding system, the land should be leveled, so that the surface will be perfectly smooth, because the water can not be controlled upon an uneven surface. Too much slope will cause washing. For flooding" the land ought not to slope more ‘than 1 inch to 100 feet, so that tho water may flow slowly’, and thoroughly soak into the soil. Thorough. cultivation should followeach irrigation and each rainfall to prevent loss of moisture through evaporation and baking of the soil. By this constant cultivation, which keeps the soil covered with a top layer of loose mulch, it is quite possible, as shown by the last experi- ment, to raise a fair crop of onions without irrigation. Water for irrigation is at this Station obtained from i‘ “Yell 6 inches in diameter and 147 feet deep. The lift of the water is about 65 fee! v and is accomplished by means of a siX-horse-power Fairbanks gasoline engine. For irrigating purposes, it is necessary to have a reservoir for accumulating the water so as to have sufficient on hand for rapid and continuous irrigation. The reservoir made use of at this Station has a. FERTILIZER TEsT WITH ONIONS. 15 capacity of 100,000 gallons. This reservoir is excavated on the top of a mound raised several feet above the surface. To make this water-tight it is lined inside with a mortar of the following composition by weight: Seventy-three per cent dry, sifted sand, 25 per cent coal tar, and 2 per cent of air-slaked lime. In applying this mortar the tar is heated, mixed with the other ingredients, and the whole applied with trowels while hot, beginning at the top and working towards the bottom, and using 50 to 55 pounds per square yard. Owing to small crevices which arose in this lin- ing of our reservoir after cooling, it was found not to be completely im- pervious to water. This defect was, however, entirely remedied by giving it a moderately hot coating of the tar, which had previously been boiled for twenty minutes. Labor being at a very high price at that time, the lining of our reservoir cost us $175. For the best results the sides, which should not be steeper than 45°, should be allowed to- settle before ap- plying the lining. After a couple of years, the reservoir may be stocked with fish, earlier the presence of the tar is liable to kill them. Insect Pests.-—The prevailing pest upon onions in this region seems to be the thrips. This is a minute, dark colored fly, which deposits its eggs on the young and tender sprouts of the onion, especially before the formation of the bulbs. The larva is a small, green worm, and feed by sucking the juices of the plants, giving them a mottled, pale, and wilted appearance. The remedy for this pest is Whale Oil Soap emulsion, made as follows: One pound of the soap is sliced into one gallon of hot water, which is thoroughly stirred, when enough water is added to make four gallons. The mixture is again well stirred, and applied with a spraying machine, while warm. Six gallons of Water to 1 pound of soap is also effective, while some stations recommend 1 pound of the soap to two gallons of water. We find that one to four gallons gives very satisfactory results. This spray should be applied several times to insure eradication of the pest, as the eggs are unaffected by the spray and hatch at intervals of a week or ten days. Onion sets.bought in the market are frequently a source _of this pest. Whale Oil Soap can be bought from all WIIOGSHIG druggists and from many retail drug stores. HARVESTING TI-[E ONIONS. The planter readily knows when to harvest his crop by the falling and withering of the tops. When 80 to 90 per cent of the tops have fallen, it shows that the crop has reached a sufficient degree of maturity to be harvested. Left in the field after maturity the onions are liable to injury from both sun and rain. Since the onions are sensitive to bruising, great care should be observed in handling them, for rough handling will cause decay. Onions are usually pulled by hand, but when the ground is hard, it may become necessary to use a trowel or even a grubbing hoe. IXfter pulling, the onions should be left in win- drows (three to six rows being thrown together) to dry for a few hours. As soon as dry enough for the dirt to crumble off, they should be trimmed with a sharp knife that does not tear, as tearing injures the keeping quality. The trimming consists in cutting off the roots 16 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. smoothly, and the tops back to half an inch from the bulb. They are then crated or sacked, but preferably crated, and storediin a cool, dry place. If they are expected to be held for a- considerable time, they will keep best by being spread out thinly on dry soil, such as on a dirt floor, under sheds, or under floors of buildings, where these are high enough to permit of free handling and free ventilation. In crating, standard crates, holding 50 pounds each, should be used, and these stacked in rows of no less than six inches apart, so as to permit of ventilation. Onions are poor keepers in warm weather or in warm places. METHODS OF MARKETING. Some market may demand very large onions, but the fact exists that there is a greater demand for onions of medium size, and they are also better keepers. The condition in which the stock arrives on the market has greatly to do with the price. Packing and shipping in crates is, therefore, preferable to the use of sacks, though these are cheaper. Onions in the crates will get more ventilation, less bruising, and be handled with greater advantage; hence, secure a better price. For the ibest results, it would pay to grade the stock into three classes according to :SlZ€, whether they go in the same shipment or not. In this way they make a better appearance and are perferred by the market. It should lbe remembered that. a few culls, such as bottle-necked, ill-shaped doublets, and onions that are too small will ruin the price of a whole shipment, even if the greater part be choice stock. ‘av.