THE ONION ; ITS VARIETIES AND CULTIVATION. 133 



drawn over the ground more easily. The cleat is nailed to the 

 middle of the flat part. It is drawn by two horses after the 

 ground has been thoroughly harrowed, and crowds down the 

 stones and grinds up any lumps of earth. It may be driven 

 round the ground or back and forth. In using the drag the 

 driver stands on it. It is useful in laying fields down to grass, 

 the seed of which is the finest of any we sow. Labor is the great 

 expense in farming, and the more we can save the better we can 

 compete with those more favorably situated. We have got to 

 manage better and be sharper than before we were subjected to 

 such competition. A brush harrow would be better on top- 

 dressed land than the drag. The latter needs the weight of the 

 driver ; it carries a little wave of earth in front and fills up the 

 horse tracks. 



Mr. Philbrick said that he made a drag to use in preparing 

 market garden beds, but did not like it as well as hand raking, 

 which carries the lumps of earth into the furrows. 



Mr. Ware had found that the drag would not do good work on 

 wet land. 



Mr. Philbrick said that market garden land must be ploughed 

 early. 



Mr. Ware responded that he would not work land until it is 

 dry enough to be friable. Raking the land requires experienced 

 men to make the ground even. 



Mr. Gregory remarked that the Meeker harrow should be used 

 two ways, first in the direction the rows of onions are to extend, 

 and the second harrowing crosswise of the first. 



O. B. Hadwen moved a vote of thanks to the essayist for his 

 instructive and interesting address, which was unanimously 

 carried. He also, as Chairman of the Committee on Publication 

 and Discussion, announced that the meeting on the next Saturday, 

 would be the last of the series for the present season, and would 

 be devoted to short papers and discussions on such subjects relat- 

 ing to horticulture as might be presented or suggested, and any 

 one would have the opportunity to bring up any subject that the 

 Committee had overlooked. 



