ROOT CROPS. 245 



With proper care, sweet potatoes can be kept for several 

 months in an ordinary cellar. To do this, handle carefully, so us 

 not to bruise them, and they must be thoroughly dried before putting 

 away. They may be dried on a kiln; but for family use I dry 

 for three days in bright sunshine, taking pains to cover them at 

 night from the dew, and find that when thus dried and put in 

 barrels with dry sawdust, they will keep till nearly spring. I 

 think sweet potatoes might be cultivated farther north than is 

 usually done, as they do not require a long season. I have had 

 them mature a good crop when planted as late as July 1st, and 

 if in the higher latitudes the plants were transplanted to small 

 pots the middle of May, and a month later put in small hills on a 

 dry, warm soil, I believe there would be no trouble in securing 

 a crop. 



Onion Growing. I do not think it necessary in this 

 chapter to treat of button onions, potato onions, or any of the 

 varieties propagated from sets or bulbs ; but as the majority of 

 farmers are not familiar with growing onions from seed, and as 

 not only the best, but also cheapest onions are grown in this way, 

 I will give directions for growing the crop. 



The soil for onions must be well drained, rich, and clean. 

 Fabulous sums have been realized from onion crops, and every 

 year many of our farmers who know nothing of onion growing, 

 go into the business only to come to grief. I remember one 

 year, when onion seed was worth five dollars per pound, four 

 young men from an adjoining county rented six or eight acres of 

 common corn land, and sent one of their number to me to buy 

 onion seed to plant it. I made some inquiries about the land, 

 and found that they had no manure and no experience, and told 

 them that they would far better throw their money in the fire, 

 and I had hard work to persuade them to go home without 

 the seed. 



One fourth acre is the most I would advise any one to plant 

 the first year, and a good deal less than that unless he has land 

 both clean and rich. Onions, unlike most crops, do well on the 

 same land year after year, and if clean land is selected to start 

 with, and no weeds allowed to ripen seed, the labor of cultiva- 



