Food for fertilizers, it should have a liberal supply of that element 



^^^°^^ Character of '" ^'^^ ^^^^ possible form, viz.: Nitrate of 



^^ Plant Food Re- S^^'^" ^^ ^"°^ ^^^^ '^ ^ yo""g P'g ^^ 



quired bv the ^^^^ *^°^^ "°^ ^^^^^ ^" abundance of the 



Q • right kind of food when it is young it 



becomes stunted in growth and never re- 

 covers from it, no matter how judiciously it is afterwards 

 fed. The intelligent cultivator has learned that the same 

 rule holds good in the feeding of plants ; hence the great 

 importance of an immediately available supply very early 

 in the season just as the plant is starting growth, and at 

 which time it can only be obtained from an application of 

 Nitrate of Soda, since the Nitrogen in other ammoniates 

 does not become available until after the soil itself has 

 warmed up to summer temperature. 



The presence of Nitrate at the outset enables the plant 

 to start off with a good healthy root growth, whereby it is 

 better able to take up later the other and more complex 

 food elements. 



If it cost ^45.00 per acre for rent, ploughing, harrowing, 

 seeding, weeding and cultivating to produce a crop of onions 

 ready to harvest, then 



The crop of 225 bushels per acre costs 20 cts. per bushel. 

 The crop of 450 bushels per acre costs 10 cts. per bushel. 

 The crop of 900 bushels per acre costs 5 cts. per bushel. 



The latter yield is not at all unusual when the crop is 

 properly fed with Nitrate of Soda and supplementary chem- 

 ical fertilizers. 



In the first place, the onion, contrary to the general belief, 

 does not require any special kind of soil, such as murk, 

 black sand, etc., but will do well on any good corn or 

 potato soil, provided it is not too sour or so stony as to inter- 

 fere with the early and frequent cultivation of the crop. 



Even though a field is somewhat stony, it will pay to 

 rake the stones into the dead furrows wdiich should be 

 about twenty feet apart, as the stones would make it impossi- 

 ble to do good work with the weeder and wheel hoe. 



„ . , In selecting your field for onions it is, of 



Necessity of j • ui u i • 



. -^ . course, advisable to choose one that is 



likely to be affected as little as possible in 



the event of a severe drought, and it is for 



this reason that onions, cabbage and those crops that espe- 



