THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 311 



each acre to be planted. When the seedlings are grown under cover, 

 they are given the necessary attention regarding watering and venti- 

 lation and kept growing quite rapidly until near the time for setting 

 them in the open ground. As planting time approaches, the seedlings 

 are "hardened" or prepared for transplanting by increased ventilation 

 and exposure and by withholding water. When ready to transplant, 

 the seedlings should be somewhat smaller than a lead pencil and 

 rather stocky. The plants are lifted from the seed bed and the roots 

 and tops both trimmed somewhat. 



Methods of Tillage. The cultural requirements of the onion 

 are frequent shallow stirring of the soil and freedom from weeds. 

 The feeding roots of the onion run close to the surface of the soil 

 and should not be disturbed by deep cultivation. Sometimes a 

 heavy rain immediately after seeding will so pack the surface that 

 the seedlings can not break through. Under such circumstances it will 

 be necessary to slightly break the surface by means of a steel rake 

 or a rake-like attachment on a cultivator. As soon as the plants are 

 up and the rows can be followed the cultivator should be started to 

 loosen the soil, which is always more or less compacted during 

 seeding. It is well-nigh impossible to produce a crop of onions 

 without some hand weeding. During favorable seasons the strictly 

 hand work may be reduced to but one or two weedings, but a greater 

 number will be necessary during rainy seasons. The work of hand 

 weeding may be facilitated by the use of some of the small hand 

 tools designed for the purpose. Among these tools might be men- 

 tioned the onion hoe, the hand weeder, and the thinning or weeding 

 hook. 



Irrigation. Outside of the areas where irrigation methods are 

 depended upon for the production of general crops it is not cus- 

 tomary to use artificial watering in the growing of onions. 



Harvesting. In the North the bulbs are allowed to become as 

 as ripe as possible before removing them from the soil. Growers 

 prefer that the tops ripen down and shrivel and that the outer skin 

 of the bulbs be dry before they are pulled. To the southward, where 

 the onions are not cured so thoroughly, they are often pulled about 

 the time that the tops begin to break and fall. The ripening process 

 may often be hastened by rolling a very light roller or a barrel over 

 the tops to break them down. This process is frequently spoken of 

 as "barreling." Where the bulbs are practically upon the surface 

 they may be pulled by hand and thrown in windrows consisting of 

 eight or ten onion rows. If the onion bulbs are considerably covered 

 with soil it will be necessary to employ a one-horse plow or a culti- 

 vator with a sweep attached for lifting them. In any case it will be 

 necessary to gather them from the soil by hand. After lying in the 

 windrows for several days and being stirred occasionally with wooden 

 rakes they are gone over and the tops removed either by twisting or 

 cutting with ordinary sheep shears. In cases where very bright color 

 is important as with fancy White Globe onions, and this would be 

 injured by exposure to the sun and rain, the bulbs are cured in long, 

 narrow, low ricks formed by two rows of onions laid with the bulbs 



