This bulletin deals with a variety of topics. Mr. Green conducted, during two years, an experiment to determine the relative values of plowed and unplowed land for onions. An old onion patch was selected for the experiment, half being plowed in the spring and half harrowed. In 1888, a very wet season, the unplowed area gave more onions and fewer green necks. In 1889, a very dry season, the test was reversed with the areas, the portion which was plowed in 1888 being harrowed. Again the unplowed portion gave best results. "The results of the experiments for these two very different years show that the land not plowed, but which was only harrowed, was in the best condition for a crop of onions. This is true of this individual case, and would probably be true of any similar soil, or of any that is lighter. There has long been a feeling among onion growers that fall plowed land is better for the onion crop than spring plowed land, and I have frequently known of onion land that was simply raked over in the spring following the harvesting of the crop, and which, without further preparation, produced good crops.

This experiment confirms us in a belief in the efficacy of a rather compact subsoil for onions.

" Another point of interest and value lies in the fact that both years the weeds were much the most numerous on the half which was plowed. It may be questioned if I would advise the planting the land to onions continuously without plowing ? To this I would reply that it would probably be best to use the land two years without plowing, and then to plow as soon as possible in the fall after gathering the crop. By plowing thus early, the land would have an opportunity to become compacted by the fall and spring rains and snows".

Western N. V. Horticulture.

Onions on Plowed and Unplowed Land.

A number of varieties of cabbages were tested at the Minnesota station last year. The following cultural points are interesting :"The past season, at the time we thinned out the plants in the hills, the weather was very favorable for transplanting, and we set out a piece of about one-fourth an acre with the surplus plants. The soil of this piece adjoined that on which we had sown the cabbage seed. It had had the same amount of manure and cultivation as that first mentioned, and been planted with the same crops for several years. As a result, the cabbage was very nice on the field where the seed was sown in the hill, while on the land to which the plants were transplanted, the crop was uniformly poor, and many of the heads did not harden up at all. The results in this case were very apparent to the most casual observer. I lay the results to the fact that the transplanted cabbage was set back and did not recover before the severe summer drouth set in, and this checked its growth.

"The more tests of this sort I make and the more seed I sow, the more I am convinced of the importance of securing seeds with good pedigrees. Every market man of large experience understands the value of this, and knows that it is foolish to waste time and money over a crop grown from poor seed. Some of the strains of Flat Dutch cabbage tested here have not produced more than thirty per cent, of good heads, while in adjoining rows was Flat Dutch, of which every plant produced good heads. Such instances might be quoted in abundance, but all go to show the importance of securing seed from a good parent stock. Vitality in a seed is a good thing, but is perfectly valueless without it is associated with a good pedigree".

The native plums are by no means curculio proof, although the fruits are probably less injured than are those of the old varieties. The injured fruits of the native sorts usually remain upon the tree until ripe, but they ripen prematurely. Trees were sprayed with London purple "in the proportion of one spoonful to two gallons of water," the application being made three times. No injury resulted to the foliage, and great benefit was apparent upon the fruit, which, upon the sprayed trees, "was almost entirely free from blemishes." The fruit from the trees which were not treated with insecticide contained scarcely a specimen but what was injured by the work of the curculio or gouger - besides, they ripened much earlier, and were of inferior flavor and size, as compared with fruit from trees that were syringed. The foliage of the syringed trees was uninjured. " It is to be regretted that the exact strength of the insecticide was not ascertained. A "spoonful" is very indefinite.

Cabbage Tests.

Arsenites on Native Plums.

The results of bagging grapes were as follows: "The varieties treated were Delaware, Early Victor and Brighton. The fruit was bagged with paper bags when about the size of small peas. At the harvest, the bagged grapes were better in every case than those not bagged, but the most marked difference was with the Brighton, the bunches of which were clean, perfectly colored, and the sweetest grape I have ever eaten. Those exposed were not so good in any way, being very dusty and uneven in ripening. In our previous trials with Concord and Worden and some other varieties, the result has been uniformly in favor of the use of bags as a covering." The cost of bagging varies from one-fourth to one cent per pound.

The Rollingstone is one of the newer native plums. It fruited at the Minnesota station last year, and Mr. Green thinks that it is "a valuable addition to our list of hardy plums." The period of picking extended over two weeks. A description and figures are given.

Burbank potatoes were planted as follows: (1) On the surface and covered 2 inches; (2) 3 inches deep in furrows ; (3) 6 inches deep in furrows; (4) 8 inches deep. The yields per acre of large tubers were 200, 212, 285, and 321 bushels respectively. " The crop harvested consisted of very nice smooth white potatoes, of good size. It required much labor to dig the row planted eight inches deep, and probably six inches is as deep as it is practical to economically plant and harvest a field crop of potatoes. The potatoes planted on the surface were very easy to dig, but were not as large as those planted deeper, owing probably to the dry season. In a wet season I think the results might be reversed in such an experiment".