ONION-GROWING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6127, 14 March 1898, Page 2

ONION-GROWING.

As considerable interest is being taken at the present time in the question as to whether people can make a fair li7ing on small holdings within easy distance of .Christcburch, it is interesting to see what has been done in the Marshland district, where some hundreds of acres are devoted to onion and potato-growing. Although it is pretty well known that every year some hundreds of tons of onions are sent away from Canterbury to t-ydney, it is not so well known, that the bulk of them come from the Marshland district, where the industry gives employment to a large number of small settlers, all of whom seem to be doing very well. A couple of years ago a trial was made of sending onions to the Manchester market. The onions arrived in splendid condition, and as the returns were satisfactory, it is how intended to make further shipments with the idea of establishing a regular trade with the English markets. Mr J. S. Myers, of Preston's Road, has been in communication with the Department of Agriculture upon the matter, and has grown a special lot for shipment, which, when put in cases, will be sent to the Department, and with a shipment of apples will be forwarded to London and placed in the hands of the AgentGeneral for disposal. Mr Myers's crop is an excellent one of the Brown-Doptford variety and the half-acre upon which they were grown is variously estimated to yield from seven to ten tons. The soil is very peaty, and the manure used was Belfast superphosphate. The onions are now ripe enough to be lifted, and will be packed in the course of next week.