ONIONS 169 



looser in texture than those raised on drier land. The land 

 should be rich, fine, and free from weeds and any strawy 

 manure or other material that would interfere with close 

 cultivation. Too much stress cannot be put on having the 

 land free from weed seeds, since it is a crop that requires 

 much hand weeding and the plants are quite delicate when 

 young. The soil should be rather firm for onions and 

 plowed in the fall rather than in the spring. Fall plowing 

 leaves the soil firm and in excellent condition for the crop. 

 Sometimes when the land is rich it is desirable not to plow 

 at all, especially if it produced onions the preceding year, 

 but, instead, to make a seed bed by the use of a disk or 

 other good harrow, and plant at once; in fact, better results 

 will generally be obtained from spring harrowing than from 

 spring plowing of land to be used for onions. Of course, 

 when the land is prepared by harrowing only, any manure 

 applied should be very fine, so as to be properly covered. 



Old land is generally preferred for onions, and this crop 

 is often successfully raised on the same land for many years. 

 From the fact that onion land is always most carefully 

 attended to and gets much manure and tillage, it is gener- 

 ally in better condition for onions than land used for almost 

 any other crop. It is a good plan, however, to change the 

 land occasionally for onions, since on new land there is far 

 less danger from disease and insect enemies than on old 

 land. Land that has grown any crop requiring high culture 

 and heavy manuring and is free from weed seeds will gen- 

 erally grow good onions. Sometimes onions are raised on 

 newly cleared woodland or prairie sod with greatest suc- 

 cess simply by sowing the seed broadcast and harrowing it 

 in; but this is seldom attempted. 



Sowing the Seed. Before sowing the seed the land 

 should be made very smooth. It is very important to get 



