The latter yield is not at all unusual when the crop od for 



is properly fed with Nitrate of Soda and supplementary 



chemical fertilizers. l6 3 



In the first place, the onion, contrary to the general 

 belief, does not require any special kind of soil, such as 

 muck, black sand, etc., but will do well on any good corn 

 or potato soil, provided it is not too sour or so stony as 

 to interfere with the early and frequent cultivation of 

 the crop. 



Even though a field is somewhat stony, it will pay to 

 rake the stones into the dead furrows which should be 

 about twenty feet apart, as the stones would make it 

 impossible to do good work with the 

 weeder and wheel hoe. 



In selecting your field for onions it Necessity of 

 is, of course, advisable to choose one Moisture in 

 that is likely to be affected as little as 

 possible in the event of a severe drought, and it is for 

 this reason that onions, cabbage and those crops that 

 especially require large quantities of moisture during 

 their growth are usually grown upon bottom lands. 



Ploughing for the onion crop Cultivation, 

 should preferably be done in the fall to 

 a depth of eight inches or more, leaving the soil in the 

 furrow to be acted upon by the frost during the winter. 

 It at the same time becomes more compact the onion 

 likes a solid seed bed. When for any reason the plough- 

 ing has to be done in the spring it should be done very 

 early and worked down solid. The lands should be 

 narrow, so that the numerous dead furrows will drain 

 off excessive surface moisture early in the spring, as it is 

 desirable to get the seed sown very early. 



As soon as the condition of the soil Free use of the 

 in the spring will permit, it should be Harrow and 

 worked over with the harrow or pul- Pulverizer, 

 verizer as deeply as the ground will 

 allow and rolled with a heavy roller, which should be 

 followed at once with a light harrow, which will loosen 

 the surface soil and form a light mulch to help conserve 

 the moisture. This operation should be repeated each 

 week until it is time to sow the seed, which in this 

 latitude is when the apple trees begin to bloom. 



