Complete Text (Part 14)

the intermediate plants. They are - eaten raw or used in salads. Transplanting or Set- ting Out. — Transplant young Onions from hot- r coldfrarae when well hard- ened and the ground is warm, trimming both tops and roots. Ordinary thinnings, if pulled carefully and cut back, are some- times set in other rows. Culture of Onions should be constant, the soil being stirred after each rain to preserve the islure, and to prevent the forming of a crust. In the first place, do not allow the earth to bake over the seeds, after sowing. Cultivation with a wheel-hoe is of great use in the Onion plot; the a bunch of early Oniona. straddle - row cultivator may be used until the plants are very large. But hand-weeding among the plants is always a necessity, and may be done at thinning-time and whenever the weeds grow large. A good deal of this labor may be avoided by using very well-rotted manure, and by putting the crop on land ONION 179 that has previously had clean culture. Cultivation should begin as soon as the rows are visible, if the weeds are at all numerous; if the planting machine has been used, the mark of its roller will usually allow culti- vation even before the plants appear. If the Onions are transplanted, the wheel-hoe should at once be used to loosen the packed soil. Cultivation, except at first, should not be deep, on account of the danger of injur- ing the roots. The earth should always be kept away from the bulbs. Fertilizer. — Onions use up all three of the chief elements of plant- food, which should be generously sup- plied, as Onions require a much greater quantity of food than most other crops. Manure may be applied in great quantities in preparation of the land, some growers using from forty to seventy-five tons per acre ; it should always be supplemented by potash and espe- cially by phosphoric acid for best results. After- fertili- zation should be by chemicals; wood-ashes, unleached and preferably of hard wood (six to eight tons per acre), will supply potash as well as improve the physi- cal condition of the soil. Or use potash salts in fall, winter or early spring, 200 to 300 pounds muriate pot- ash or 800 to 1,000 pounds kainit, per acre. Bone- meal or other phosphates, 300 to 400 pounds per acre, will give phosphoric acid. Nitrate of soda should be given in four equal dressings (the first just before planting) — 200 to 400 pounds per acre. All of these 180 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES commercial fertilizers should be lightly worked into the soil. For ordinary garden culture a good mixed ferti- lizer, liberally supplied early in the season, and followed by occasional dressings of nitrate of soda or waterings of liquid manure, will be enough. At the same time it should be mentioned that ex- periments show that applied in large quantities ferti- lizer may be wasted. "The onion-grower runs great risk of diminished profits when he uses 1,500 and 2,000 pounds of [high-grade] commercial manure per acre." (Farmers' Bulletin No. 149.) Harvesting. — Onions usually show their ripeness by the dying of the tops. When most of the plot have begun to turn yellow, if the others are still green, break them down by rolling a barrel along the row or by twisting them by hand. This should be done if the whole crop remains green well into September. When the tops are dead, pull the crop, laying the Onions so that the sun shall reach their roots, in wind- rows or in heaps. On account of the danger of rain, they are best cured under cover. When dried, the tops are cut off an inch or less from the bulb, and they are then stored. Sometimes the tops are cut off before the crop is pulled, and occasionally the tops are allowed to remain and the Onions are tied together by them. Storage is usually in boxes or barrels out of the reach of frost. Commercial storage is not treated here. Onions may be frozen if they are not again thawed till ONION 181 spring, and not handled while frozen. Storage with- out loss is rare. The "New" Onion Culture. — This is a method intro- duced into this country in 1889, but previously prac- ticed in Europe. As already indicated, the Onions are started under glass in February or March, and set out when the ground is warm. The transplanting seems to benefit the plants, and the crop is always larger and more uniform in size. In the South the plants are started in seed-beds in the open; in the North the expense of sashes and labor is likely to be prohibitive, except in garden culture. In setting out the plants both tops and roots are cut back. Sow thickly, and water till the plants are up; if they crowd, thin. Sets are grown by sowing the seed of a given variety broadcast and very thickly on a plot of sandy ground. The plants, after well starting, presently stunt each other. When the tops die, pull, dry, and store. The sets should be less than an inch in diame- ter. Small Onions from the previous season's crop are not successful as sets. Top onions are grown from their bulblets, Multipliers from their bulbels. Neither seed readily. Seed should always be the best, regardless of expense, as poor Onions are not worth growing. Scullions or Scallions are Onions which, from poor seed or improper conditions, do not bulb but have a thick neck, 182 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Diseases. — Smut may be entirely prevented by grow- ing the Onions in hotbeds and transplanting — an argu- ment for the New Culture. Otherwise, sow in the drills sulphur (one-hundred pounds per acre) and air-slaked lime (fifty pounds per acre) with the seed. One ounce of the mixture equals fifty feet of drill. Special seed drills may be made for the purpose. See New York Bulletin 182. Rotation helps somewhat, but not en- tirely, and it will also help on smutty land to sow more seed. For rust use rotation ; spray with copper fungi- cides, while the plants are young; destroy affected plants. Black mold. — Spray with Bordeaux. Pests. — Onion-fly or onion-maggot eats into the bulb and roots of the plant while young. Sprinkle the earth and the plants with carbolic acid emulsion (one to thirty) as soon as the plants arc up, and at weekly intervals while there is danger; or inject carbon dioxide into the ground around them, a laborious pro- cess. Apply tobacco dust freely alongside the plants; this, besides repelling the fly, will feed the Onions. Rotate, and feed highly; burn all injured plants, and all rubbish of the patch. See also cabbage-maggot treatment. For Onion cutworms dry bran and middlings in equal parts mixed with one-thirtieth of their weight of Paris green, is very effective. Scatter along the rows and around the edges of the plot. Thrips, which attack the leaves, do great damage. Spray with kerosene ONION 188 emulsion, (one to ten), resin wash, tobacco water; drench with cold water. ONION, CANADA, or ONION, EGYPTIAN, is ONION, PERENNIAL. Perennial, Tree, or Canada Oniop, sometimes called Egyptian Tree or Top Onion, is Allium proliferum^ a plant of the Onion family whose root bears no bulb but has several offsets, and whose top bears bulblets. Its tops arc often used as small Onions for pickling, or to reproduce the plant. This is more usually done, however, by means of the root off- sets, which are set separately, usually in the fall, the resulting plants being used in spring as scallions or leeks. Set in the fall, Perennial Onions are among the earliest- yielding plants of the garden. Actual perennial use of the plants is rare, yearly planting being usual. Soil. — Any good garden soil, preferably light, quick, and in good tilth. Distances. — Rows one foot apart, bulbs three to six inches in the row. Depth. — Lightly cover the tops of the bulbs. Sow. — Set the root offsets in the spring, or prefer- ably in fall, in late September or early October. Set the tops in spring, when the ground is fit. Culture should be clean and frequent. 184 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Pull the plants as wanted, when of sufficient size; or allow them to grow and make tops. Protect lightly over severe winters. ONION, TREE, See Onion, Perennial. ONION, WELSH. Welsh onion, or Ciboule (Allium ji.itiUosum), is a perennial plant of the Onion family which does not bulb, and is grown for its leaves, used in seasoning, giving a mild onion flavor. There is also a Perennial Welsh Onion (A. lusitankum), the difference be- tween the two being that the ordinary may be propagated from seeds as well as root di- visions, while the perennial cannot be raised from seed, as it produces none. Both are hardy to frost, but will not always withstand a severe win- ter. Varieties of the Welsh Onion are red and white. Soil. — Any good garden soil, preferably cool and FiK. H. Welsh Onion. moist. Distance*. — Set the divisions, or sow the seed, in rows a foot apart. Divisions, six inches apart in the OPIUM POPPY 185 Depth of seed, one-half to one inch; of divisions, as before. Sow the seed when the ground is fit; in mild climates it may be sown in the fall. Set root divisions in spring. Thin when seedlings are four to six inches high, to six inches apart in the rows. Culture should be clean. Pick the leaves when the plants are well established ; cut for use as wanted. Protection is necessary in northern winters; give a mulch of hay, straw, or leaves. Use the leaves in seasoning, stripping off the dry outer coats. OPIUM POPPY (Papaver somniferum) is the annual plant from which opium is obtained, but grown for use in domestic medicine as yielding from its capsules a decoction used as a sedative or an anodyne application. Its seeds are occasionally used in cooking. It comes in two varieties, the carnation-flowered and peony-flow- ered. Soil should be light and quick. Distances. — One foot each way. Sow in mild climates in fall. Otherwise sow when the ground is fit. Or sow under glass in pots, and set out. Successive sowings are possible until June, Gather the capsules when ripe. 186 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES ORACH, often called French or Mountain Spinach (A triplex hortensis) 9 is an annual plant grown for its leaves, which are used like spinach, and sometimes cooked with sorrel. It is tender to heat and quickly runs to seed in midsummer, when its value as a pot- herb is gone ; the flower-stalk should therefore be pinched off as soon as it appears. Being hardy to frost, it should be sown as soon as the ground is fit, for an early crop, and monthly for succession. Varieties are green, red, white, and copper-colored, of which only the red and white are usually offered in America, though the green is recommended strongly. Soil. — Any good garden soil. Distances. — Drills, two feet apart. Depth of seed, one-half to one inch. Sow as soon as the ground is fit, thinly. Thin when well up, at about six inches, to one foot in the rows. Or Sow in seed-bed rows one foot apart, thin to two inches, and transplant to one by two feet. Pick all seed-pods before they ripen, or the plant will seed itself and become a pest. Pick the leaves as they are wanted. Succession.— 4$ow in April, May and early June, and again in August for a fall crop. OYSTER PLANT. See Salsify, PAK-CHOI 187 OYSTER PLANT, SPANISH. See Scolymus. OYSTER, VEGETABLE. See Salsify. OXALIS. See Oca, also Wood Son-el (under S.) PAK-CHOI, or Chinese Cabbage (Braaska .nnertsis), is like Pe-tsai, but does not head. It is grown for its leaves, used for salads or greens, or the midribs may be Fig. ST. Puk -Choi . served like asparagus. Pak-choi matures in about six weeks, but bolts in heat, and is best sown in late summer for a fall crop. Otherwise its management is 188 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES much like that of Chard, which see, under its manage- ment. Soil. — Rich, cool, moist. Distances. — Rows eighteen inches to two feet apart. Depth. — One-half to one inch. Sow in late July or August, where the plants are to stand, and thin, as with chard. Pick when the leaves are twelve inches or more tall, and before the seed-stalk appears. ■' * -»->•- s e-.-.',-3 TOTt-'/ -T— - vr«. •■ Fig. 88. Seedlings of Parsley. Natural size. PARSLEY. (See also Parsley, Tumip-rooted.) Parsley (Carum Petroselinum) is a hardy biennial plant, grown for its leaves, used in garnishing and seasoning, and occasionally in salads. It is a plant of extremely slow germination, requiring four to five weeks, and is difficult to grow (under certain and not very well-under- stood conditions). Once established it does well, and if not too heavily cropped will continue to yield steadily until it flowers, when its value is lost, Parsley may be kept PARSLEY 18< outdoors over the winter in a frame, or may l)e takci into the house to be picked all winter. Use curled • feni-leaved varieties; the Fool's or Poisonous. Soil should be a good, deep, medium, garden earth, well tilled. Distances. — Rows one foot apart. Plants eight to twelve inches Flit- s»- Parsley plant. in the row. On very fertile land, allow eighteen by twelve inches to each plant. Depth. — One-half inch. Sow under glass in March or April; transplant into pots, taking care not to break the taproot. Set out when well hardened and the ground is fit. Or Sow outdoors when the ground is warm, thickly, and do not allow the earth to bake over the seeds, or to dry out. When well up, thin or transplant. Seed-bed cul- ture will give the best results, and the plants should not be allowed to crowd. Fertilise from time to time with nitrate of soda or liquid manure. Pick the leaves as wanted, never all at one time, when the plants are well established, usually not before three months from seed. Cut off' flower-stalks to pro- long the yield. Succession. — Sow for succession in June, and for 190 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES young plants to carry over the winter under glass, in August. Protect in the open under glass. Or mulch. Pot some of the plants for the house. They do well m any warm window. Diseases and pests are chiefly those of Parsnip and Celery, which see. Against the parsley-worm use helle- bore or pyrethrum rather than arsenites. PARSLEY, HAMBURG. See Parsley, Turnip- Rooted. PARSLEY PERT. See Samphire. PARSLEY, TURNIP-ROOTED, or Hamburg, is a variety with large parsnip-shaped roots, for which the plant is cultivated. The flavor is something like Celeriac, and the plant is cultivated like most root- crops. The roots will stand the early frosts, but like carrots should be taken up and stored in sand for win- ter use. Soil. — Any good garden earth, preferably rich and cool, not freshly manured. Distances. — Rows a foot apart. Depth. — About one-half inch. Sow thinly in the rows when the ground is fit, or in mild climates sow in the fall. Plants mature in about three months from sprouting. PARSNIP 191 Thm early to six to nine inches in the rows. Trans- plant thinnings. Dig spring -sown roots after the early frosts. Dig fall-sown in early summer. PARSNIP (Pastinaca sativa) is a biennial plant, grown from seed for its thick roots, used as a vegetable, and in soups and stews. It is a long-season plant, requiring the ground from early spring till fall; it is Fig. 00. Parsnip seedlings. Two-thirds natural size. very hardy to frost, and the roots may be left in the ground through the winter, many supposing that they are improved by the freezing, though Bailey claims that this is an error, since all they need is to be kept from shriveling. As Vilmorin-Andrieux says, when stored under cover they sometimes get "spongy and strong- flavored." Therefore store in sand, or leave in the ground till wanted. Parsnips require deep ground, not recently manured, but rich ; as the seeds are slow to germinate, the ground should not be allowed to bake over them. Once the plants have covered the ground 192 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES with their foliage, they need Varieties are short (or round). Diseases and pests are not trouble- SoU for parsnips should be cool, moist, rich, and deep. It should not bake over the .seeds. further attention. , and long. -^ and at the time of planting must be deeply tilled, that ^ the roots may go deep and straight and not be forced to branch. A M * iL Farsnip - high or a hard subsoil is detri- mental to Parsnip. The soil should not have been recently manured, but may be well enriched with com- mercial fertilizer. Distances. — Rows, eighteen to twenty-four inches apart. Depth. — One-half to one inch, Seed should be fresh, as it loses in germinating power after the first year. For this reason, and because it sprouts slowly. PARSNIP— PEA 193 Sow thickly, as soon as the ground can be worked. Thin when well up, to six to nine inches. Culture, — Weed and cultivate until the leaves cover the ground. Dig in the fall, as needed, and before the ground freezes store the winter supply in sand in the cellar, or in pits. The rest, if left in the ground, will be good in spring. Pests. — For Parsley-worm and Web-worm use arse- nites; apply early as soon as they appear. PATIENCE, or PATIENCE DOCK. See Sorrel. PEA (Pisum sativum). Peas