444 ANNUAL REPORT 



not keep as well as those raised from American seed and are never 

 sown extensively. The bulb of the onion should be on the top of the 

 ground because it does not in anyway feed the plant. That is done by 

 the long white roots which often are from six to eight inches in 

 length. It is also a fact that onions will not bottom unless the soil is 

 firm. If the soil is mellow and loose when the seed is sown, the 

 onions will not form bulbs until the rains have packed the ground. 

 Fall plowing becomes firm sooner than spring plowing, and for this 

 reason we get earlier onions from land fall plowed. 



CULTIVATION. 



It is almost needless to say that the onion patch should be kept 

 clean. Cultivation should commence as soon as the rows can be seen, 

 even if there are no weeds. It seems impossible to raise onions 

 without hand weeding, as very rich ground will produce a great 

 many weeds. Hand weeding is the great drawback to onion 

 culture, for without it onions could be raised cheaper than po- 

 tatoes. And the onion grower who keeps his ground clean with the 

 least hand weeding makes the most money. Hence the importance of 

 allowing no weeds to seed the year previous on ground sown to onions 

 and of making the manure heat to kill the seeds it contains. But in 

 spite of all that can be done some weeds will come up. If the rows 

 are very straight a wheel hoe or shovel hoe can be run within a quar- 

 ter of an inch of the onions when they are small, thus considerably 

 lessening the work of the hand weeder. In dry weather persline 

 grows in great quantities and is looked upon as a great enemy, but I 

 sometimes think it is a friend; for if it is kept hoed up, the surface of 

 the ground will be loose. If the surface of the ground is kept loose 

 to the depth of an inch the soil next under will not dry out as much 

 as if the surface is baked hard. The loose soil on top acts as a mulch. 



As soon as the onions are ripe they should be pulled at once, for the 

 fall rains will make them grow again. And if they commence to 

 grow after they are ripe they are nearly worthless. They must be 

 used at once for they will not keep. They will sprout and grow, no 

 matter how dry they are kept. 



The best way to pull onions is to use a potato hook or a dull pointed 

 iron rake; raking out one row at a time and raking two rows together. 

 If the onions are sown early they will mature early, and if allowed to 

 lay on the top of the ground for a few days during a dry time, the 

 tops will dry up to almost nothing and can be very rapidly broken off 

 with the fingers when picked up. Cutting off the tops is slow and 



