34 



HOW TO RAISE ONIONS. 



Bore four three-fourth-incb holes fourteen inches 

 apart, commencing two inches from the ends ; one 

 hole in the centre; and holes at twelve, fifteen, six- 

 teen and a half and eighteen inches each side of it. 

 Make four teeth six inches long, an inch thick, and 

 round them at the points. Secure them with a pin or 

 key by the tops so they can be easily changed and ad- 

 justed to the different widths. The handle of the 

 marker should be six feet long, split, and spread so 

 as to form braces where it is fastened to the head. 



Another form of marker is shown below, in which 

 the teeth are not movable ; they are fixed at the de- 

 sired distances, on both sides of the head. The land 

 being prepared for sowing, stick down the stake, run 

 off the line, and lay it where it is desired to commence. 

 Adjust the marking rake to fourteen inches, draw 

 the outside tooth carefully by the line, and follow 

 back and forth in the last mark until completed. 

 After the ground is marked off, it should lie a little 

 while for the surface to dry before commencing to 

 sow the seed. It covers much better, and the soil 

 will not stick to the wheel of the seed-sower. The 

 best onion-growers now do not use seed-sowers with 



DRILL MA.BKEB. 



a roller attached. It packs the earth so hard that it 

 bakes after a heavy rain and very much impedes the 

 growth of the young plant, and it is not so easy in 

 weeding to break the crust formed when rolled down 

 flat as when the seed is covered by rakes or a light 

 drag. It is of the utmost importance to get good 

 seed not only good, strong-growing seed, but seed 

 that has been raised from good-sized, well-ripened 

 onions. Imported seed cannot be trusted. The Second 

 Early Red Onion is the best for a general crop. Sow 

 four to six pounds to the acre say about three seeds to 

 an inch or five seeds to two inches ; cover half an inch. 

 As soon as the onions are up so they can be seen 

 the length of the rows, run an onion-weeder or hand- 

 cultivator through them, with the rakes adjusted so 

 as not to throw the earth upon the young plants, and 

 repeat often enough to prevent the growth of weeds. 

 This will keep the ground perfectly clean between the 

 rows. When they are just out of "the double," or 

 when the first weeds begin to show, after cultivating, 



the ground should be raked lightly, diagonally across 

 the rows wiih a common wooden hay rake. This will 

 break the crust, destroy the weeds in the rows, and 

 give the young plants a good start. 



Early in June, when the onions are four or five 

 inches high, sow about three bushels to the acre of 

 not very coarse salt broadcast over them. After the 

 second weeding, spread on a good dressing of wood 

 ashes. They require three or four weedings in the 

 rows ; but if pains were taken in marking to keep the 

 rows straight and uniform, the onion-weeder will run 

 so close to them that there will be but few weeds to 

 remove by hand. 



When the tops have fallen and nearly died down, 

 draw four rows together with a wooden rake, raking 

 iwo rows at a time toward the other two rows. Pull- 

 forks are sometimes used, but in careless hands they 

 pierce a good many onions. They may remain as 

 raked together several days, or until sufficiently cured 

 to strip ; cut the tops about an inch from the onions. 

 If they are stripped while the tops are partly green, 

 they do not keep so well. After stripping, remove 

 them to an outbuilding on a dry day, with a north- 

 west wind, and spread over the floor, not more than 

 a foot thick ; turn them occasionally. 



To keep onions in quantity through the winter; 

 just before they are likely to freeze, and when per- 

 fectly dry, spread them eighteen inches thick on a 

 tight floor in a barn or outbuilding which is under- 

 pinned so as to keep the cold air from freezing them 

 too severely next the floor. Leave a space of two feet 

 next the walls of the building on all sides ; spread a 

 sheet entirely over them, fill the space with fine hay, 

 (rowen is the best) and tread it firmly ; then cover the 

 whole about two feet thick with the same, and the 

 onions will ordinarily keep well. They should never 

 be disturbed while frozen, but as soon as the frost is 

 completely out in the spring, take off the covering 

 and spread them all over the room, opening the doors 

 and windows to give air in pleasant weather. If they 

 are not well covered and the thermometer should fall 

 to fifteen degrees below zero, some of them may 

 freeze to death, and be soft when thawed. 



White onions are the worst to keep, on account of 

 their gathering moisture so readily. They should be 

 kept spread quite thinly on the floor in the light and 

 where the air can circulate freely. Just before winter 

 sets in, spread a few inches of straw on a floor, and 

 place the onions on it four or five inches thick ; 

 let them freeze a little, then cover them with straw 

 and let them remain undisturbed until spring ; or put 

 them into peach crates aud cover with hay in the 

 barn, or pile the crates next the walls of a cool cellar. 

 Onions are generally one of the most profitable 

 crops, often yielding four hundred to six hundred, 

 sometimes eight hundred, bushels to the acre. 



