ONIONS BY THE ACRE. 157 



cess, viz.: "The best seed that can be procured," regardless of 

 a little extra cost. We never were bothered with scullions. Hav- 

 ing such seed we began sowing immediately after the soil was pre- 

 pared. We used a hand marker, marking several rows at a time, 

 twelve inches apart, running preferably north and south, and start- 

 ing drills at the same time marker was started. We used both the 

 Planet, Jr., and Mathews drills, sowing seed about three-fourths 

 of an inch deep, and a man following the seeders with a heavy 

 garden roll. Just as soon after germination as we could see the 

 rows of onions, we started the hand cultivators, using the hoes 

 until the onions were about six inches high, when the cultivator 

 teeth were used until the onions were laid by. 



When from two to four inches high we began weeding the 

 rows, using the loop weeders. In fact, when we had many hands 

 weeding we made our own weeders, taking an old pail hoop, about 

 one foot long, bending into a loop and winding the ends with cloth 

 for a handle, and these, by the way, were fully as efficacious as 

 those we bought. We have often, in an unusually rainy season, 

 put on our rain coats and wed regardless of rain, picking up weeds 

 and putting into baskets. We never allowed the weeds to get 

 the start of us. If the weeds ever should get the start of the grower 

 we would advise selling out the onion plantation to the first fool 

 that would offer to buy such a plantation. We cultivated contin- 

 ually (especially in dry season) until the tops begin to droop, when 

 it was discontinued. 



When the tops were nearly matured, if green tops showed on 

 the plantation we took a barrel and rolled it back and forth, break- 

 ing down two rows at a time. This finished operations until the 

 onions were fully ripe, and the tops completely dry and ready for 

 harvesting. In doing this, our method was different from that of 

 any grower we ever noted. Instead of pulling first and topping 

 afterward, the usual manner, we took sharp knives and cut, or, 

 more properly, shaved, the tops before pulling, cutting two rows 

 at a time. By this method we saved fully one-half the labor of 

 topping, which is a tedious job. One who has not tried it would 

 be surprised at the great saving in labor. The toppers were fol- 

 lowed either by men with stiff brooms, who swept the tops into 

 piles, or with close-toothed wood rakes, raking them into piles. 

 These were removed in a one-horse wagon, driven in one row on 

 one side of the plantation, and out on the same row at the other 

 end. In this way not an onion need be bruised. 



After the tops are removed, steel garden rakes are used to lift 



