ONI 



ONI 



299 



soot. A small quantity of ashes or 

 sand, or both, should be spread 

 over them after sowing, especiall}' 

 if the soil be not sandy. And it is 

 not amiss to roll the ground after 

 sowing; or harden the surface 

 with the back of a shovel. 



I have many years cultivated 

 them on (he same spot ; and have 

 never found the land at all im- 

 poverished by them. But on the 

 contrary, my crops are better than 

 formerly. But the manuring is 

 yearly repeated ; and must not be 

 laid far below the surface. 



The ground should be dug or 

 ploughed in autumn, not very 

 deep-, and then made very fine in 

 the spring, and all the grass roots, 

 and roots of weeds, taken out ; 

 then laid in beds four feet wide. 

 Four rows of holes are made in a 

 bed, the rows ten inches apart, and 

 the holes in the rows ten. About 

 half a dozen seeds are put in a 

 hole, or more if there be any dan- 

 ger of their not coming up well, 

 and buried an inch under the sur- 

 face. This is allowed by the ex- 

 perienced cultivators in Connecti- 

 cut, to be the best way of setting 

 the seeds. For they will grow 

 very well in bunches. I have 

 lately found that they grow full as 

 well in drill-rows a foot asunder. 

 They crowd each other up out of 

 the soil, and lie in heaps as they 

 grow upon the surface. Though 

 the largest onions are those that 

 grow singly, some inches apart, 

 those that are more crowded pro- 

 duce larger crops. And the mid- 

 dle sized onions are better for eat- 

 ing than the largest. 



The last week in April is the 



right season for sowing (he seeds, 

 if the ground be capable of being 

 got into proper order so early. In 

 wet ground it is often necessary to 

 sow them later. 



Last year I sowed my onions in 

 drills, twelve inches apart, across 

 the beds : And I found my crop 

 was near double to what it used to 

 be, when they were sown in 

 bunches. Perhaps this will prove 

 to be the better method. But I 

 gave them also a slight top-dress- 

 ing of soot, just before they began 

 (o form bulbs, which might be the 

 (rue rea on of (he great increase : 

 So that 1 dare not yet absolutely 

 prefer the drill method to the 

 other; though 1 am much inclined 

 to give it a decided preference. 



Onions should be hoed three or 

 four times, and kept quite clear of 

 weeds, before (he tops arrive to 

 (heir full height. At this time the 

 bulbs will begin to swell ; hoeing 

 should therefore be laid aside, and 

 the weeds pulled up by hand as 

 often as they appear. Weeds not 

 only rob the plants of their food, 

 but injure them much with their 

 shade ; for they have occasion for 

 all the warmth of (he sun (hat they 

 can get. 



To promote the growth of (he 

 bulbous roo(s, I have (bund it ad- 

 vantageous to trample the ground 

 hard between the rows or bunches, 

 and to draw the soil away from 

 the bulbous roots, laying them bare 

 to the sun. They are the more 

 warmed, and grow faster. 



Some think it proper, and even 

 necessary, to pass a roller over 

 beds of onions, or cripple down 

 their tops by hand. But I have 



