No. 4.] ONION GROWING. 261 



in as nice a condition for sowing the seed as the Meeker smooth- 

 ing harrow. This implement was born with the onion industry 

 and increases in popularity yearly. 



Sowing of the Seed. 



Good seed is important, so important that fortunate indeed 

 is the grower who (regardless of price) has purchased a really 

 first-class seed. Southport Globe is the variety most com- 

 monly used, and the growers are very particular in regard to 

 it, often purchasing subject to a germination test at the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College, and in a great many cases 

 having the seed "blown" at the college. This process consists 

 in running the seed through a machine with a bellows attach- 

 ment that will blow the dirt and the small light seeds out. The 

 amount varies from 5 to 6 pounds per acre. Either of these 

 amounts would be too much if every seed matured, but all do 

 not sprout; the onion maggot gets some, and more are cut out 

 from time to time in the process of hoeing and weeding through- 

 out the season. The rows are sown either 12 or 14 inches apart, 

 and there are a number of seeding machines on the market, 

 both single and double row, that do satisfactory work. 



Cultivation. 



As soon as the rows can be seen the hoe is started, either the 

 wheel or the common scuffle hoe. One will often see hoes of 

 three or four makes working in the same field and all doing 

 good work, as much more depends on the man than the hoe 

 that he uses. From this time until the crop is drawn away the 

 fields are alive from dawn until dark with men, women and 

 children. Many growers put up a little shanty which serves as 

 a shelter on hot days for the hands to eat their lunch in and to 

 keep the tools in at night. 



The lesson has been well learned that onions and weeds do 

 not get along well together, and the good grower knows that he 

 must weed early and often to keep the field clean. Fields that 

 have grown onions for years, or "old fields," as they are called, 

 will be easily kept clean with three or four weedings during the 

 season. New fields will require more attention, the crop need- 



