176 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES 



are too moist, and are usually lacking in humus; they 

 are, besides, "late" and require the .greatest care in 

 cultivation. Sandy lands are too dry and porous. 

 Stony or gravelly soils cannot profitably be worked. A 

 medium loam, rich and deep, is best; it should be as 

 level as possible, since sloping soils wash, exposing some 

 bulbs and covering others. Underdraining often pays, 

 and many acres of former muck land are now in paying 

 use. Previous cultivation of heavily manured hoed 

 crops will usually get the soil in perfect condition. 

 Onions are often grown year after year on the same 

 land, by freely fertilizing, unless diseases or pests force 

 a rotation. 



Distances are somewhat according to the variety of 

 Onion used, the method of culture, and the age at 

 which they are to be pulled. For ordinary culture, 

 rows a foot apart or even less, and the Onions about 

 three inches apart in the rows, is enough, unless the 

 Onions are to be pulled when small, when they may 

 stand two inches apart. The very large varieties, trans- 

 planted from the hotbed, may need six inches space 

 in the rows, which should be fifteen to eighteen inches 

 apart. For horse-culture, the rows should be thirty 

 inches apart. 



Depth. Sow seed one-half to one inch, according as 

 the soil is compact or loose. Set young Onions as they 

 grew in the seed-bed. Set sets, tops, or multipliers 

 with their tops just showing. 



