172 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



hard around the growing plants. The weeds should be 

 destroyed when small. This means that until early summer 

 the onions should be hoed about once every two weeks. 



When the plants get so large that they will no longer pass 

 under the straddle cultivator without being bruised, the 

 work of cultivation must be continued between the rows 

 until the bulbs commence to form, after which it is not a 

 good plan to work much among them, since pushing the tops 

 about tends to make them die down more quickly than other- 

 wise. When the onions are about the size of a half dollar 

 and before the tops fall over, it is a good plan, if the land is 

 not very rich, to apply some quick-acting fertilizer ,such as 

 hen manure or . commercial fertilizer broadcast over the 

 crop. This should be done just before or during a rain if 

 possible. For this purpose dry, fine hen manure is good, 

 but any rich, nitrogenous fertilizer will answer. 



Harvesting. If the plants are going to make good 

 onions they will become weak in the neck just above the 

 bulb when nearly grown and fall flat on the ground, where 

 they should be allowed to lie undisturbed until the tops and 

 roots are entirely dried ; then the bulbs can be easily pulled 

 out of the ground with a rake or onion puller. In the vicin- 

 ity of St. Paul, this time will be in August or the early part 

 of September. About four rows of bulbs should be thrown 

 together, and they should be turned with a rake every few 

 days until perfectly dry and then be put under cover to pro- 

 tect them from rain. If they are allowed to get wet several 

 times after being pulled, the outer skins are apt to come off 

 and thus make the bulbs unsightly. If not pulled for some 

 little time after they are ripe, especially if the season is 

 moist, new roots are very sure to start and the roots become 

 grown so firmly into the soil that the work of pulling 

 and drying them is increased. The work of cutting or 



