HARVESTING THE CROP 



39 



Dry weather is very desirable as long as onions 

 lie on the ground to cure. If rain comes, it is well 

 to rake them over carefully with a lawn rake or 

 wooden rake with dull teeth. 



"How long should the onions be left on the ground 

 to cure?" 



It may take a week or more of dry weather. At 

 any rate the best thing that can be done is to gather 

 the crop, even if only partially cured, and put it under 



Fig 34 — ONION CURING SHED 



shelter — in open sheds, lofts, on the bam floor — ^any- 

 where where dry and airy, and where the onions can 

 be spread thinly on a dry floor. 



If necessary, work them over, which may be most 

 conveniently done by means of a wooden scoop or 

 shovel. Of course, the afternoon of a dry day is the 

 best time for gathering and hauling the onions, for 

 they should be perfectly dry on the outside, and no 

 dew or rain on them when put under shelter. In such 

 places they may be left until perfectly cured, i e, 

 until the tops have almost entirely dried away. 



A shed suitable for the purpose of storing onions is 

 shown in Fig 34. Jhe dimensions for such a shed 



