PROCEEDINGS OP THE WINTER MEETING. 43 



port Red Globe, are all good varieties and do well with us. The Eed 

 Wethersfield is a strong grower and good keeper, but a little later. 



METHODS OF PLANTING. 



All plowing upon muck should be done in the fall, that frost may act 

 upon it. But after ground has once been thoroughly fitted, we prefer 

 not to plow at all, as the labor of weeding is increased thereby. We har- 

 row thoroughly, then smooth it with a plank " rubber." We next draw a 

 line straight across the held and run the drill by this the first time across; 

 afterward the drill does its own marking. We use the Planet Junior drill. 

 We make rows 14 inches apart, and eight onions to the foot we consider 

 about right in the row. Still, if a little thicker they will bunch, rise out 

 of the ground, and make fair onions if the ground is rich enough. W© 

 should guard against having them so thick as to cause them to spindle up 

 and lop over before time to bottom. It is a very tedious job to harvest a 

 crop of small onions, as they all have to be handled one by one in topping. 

 As soon as we can see the rows well, we run a Planet Junior cultivator 

 astride the row, and a skillful hand will run very close to the onions, and 

 on light muck can do a nice job in a short time. We run the cultiva- 

 tor many times over the ground through the growing season, and especially 

 after every rain, to break up the slightest crust that may form. A mellow 

 surface acts as a mulch and helps to preserve the moisture beneath it. But 

 the cultivator will not do all the work. We must get down on our knees, 

 knife in hand, and clean out the rows. 



Thinning should be done when the ground is quite moist, and as soon as 

 the plant is tough enough to draw without breaking. We never expect to 

 get rid of weeds entirely; but, by being very careful about letting any go 

 to seed, we can make the weeding much lighter. The last season we esti- 

 mated the hand weeding at about one quarter of what it had been in other 

 years. In onion-raising on muck we must take time by the forelock, for 

 weeds grow very fast and the pulling of large weeds from a row of onions 

 in a soil so loose is a bad job, especially if the ground is dry. 



HAEVESTING AND STOKING. 



We aim to grow varieties that will ripen the fore part of September, so 

 that they can be harvested when the days are bright and sunny, as they 

 seem to harden up and keep better. In pulling we throw six rows into 

 one, Ipit them lie a few days in the sun to cure. Then they are ready to 

 top. They should be pulled soon after the tops soften and fall over, for, 

 should there come a rain, they are likely to throw out new roots and make 

 a second growth which impairs their keeping qualities. A dry, sunny day 

 should be selected for drawing and storing, using the middle of the day, 

 when the shucks will rattle like paper. They will keep much better by 

 so doing. 



If we intend keeping in the winter they should be placed in a frost- 

 proof building that can be well ventilated. We place them on racks 

 about ten inches deep, building one above another, using common lath 

 supported by two-inch plank for bottom. In this way we can dry them 

 out, should they gather dampness. Do not let them freeze, but keep 

 them at a low temperature. We try to avoid, as much as possible, chan- 



