CHAPTER IX 



Soils and Manures for Onions 



On the subject of the preparation of the soil for 

 onions, by previous cropping, the Farmers' Bulletin 

 No 39 says : 



"Soils which are stiff and heavy, which contain 

 too much sand, which abound in pernicious weeds, or 

 are deficient in fertility, may be greatly improved by 

 the cultivation of one or more crops previous to plant- 

 ing onions. A favorite practice in some sections is to 

 sow clover, and after the first crop is cut for hay, the 

 second growth is allowed to rot on the field and with a 

 heavy dressing of stable manure is plowed under in 

 the fall. The following spring the ground is planted 

 in potatoes and the next year onions are grown. Such 

 a course of treatment leaves the soil in excellent con- 

 dition. The land is improved by the application of 

 manure and the decomposition of the clover roots and 

 tops, while the nitrogen supply is increased both by 

 means of the clover, which gathers this element from 

 the atmosphere, and by the manure. The effect of 

 such treatment is to enrich the soil, make it loose and 

 friable, and free it from many weed seeds. Crimson 

 clover could be used to advantage in states where this 

 legume thrives, since, when plowed under, it produces 

 the same effect as red clover. 



"Cowpeas are used as a substitute for clover in 

 the South. The peas may be sown in July or August, 

 after a crop of early potatoes has been removed. 

 The dead tops are plowed under later in the fall, with 

 a liberal dressing of barnyard manure. If either cow- 

 peas or clover is used, and followed the next year by 



