CHAPTER VII 

 All's Well That Ends Well 



ADVANTAGES AND PROFITS OF THE NEW WAY 



That the new method of onion growing gives us 

 a great increase of crop, besides many other advantages 

 over the old way, is no longer a matter of doubt. The 

 great question now is, whether the new way is also 1 

 the more profitable one, and if so, how profitable. 



We have already seen that the transplanting 

 method calls for one and a half to two pounds of 

 seed per acre, while ordinarily not less' than six pounds 

 are sown. On the other hand, we have the additional 

 labor of growing plants in frames, which is more 

 than an offset for the saving of seed. The new 

 way requires the considerable and tedious labor of 

 transplanting, an operation which will cost at least 

 twenty-five dollars per acre. On the other hand, we 

 save so much hand labor in thinning and weeding 

 that one might well be considered an offset for 

 the other. 



On the whole, we have come to the conclusion 

 that the expenses of the crop, up to the time of har- 

 vesting, are very near the same, whether we follow 

 the new or the old method. The chief advantages of 

 the new onion culture, therefore, are clear gain. 

 Among them we have : 



i. Earlier ripening of the crop. With six weeks 

 to start in sowing, the crop will come to maturity 

 several weeks earlier than it would otherwise. This 

 gives a chance for marketing the earlier sorts much in 



