12 



HOW TO KAISE ONIONS. 



ground, and also in making manure, that no seed may 

 oe present in that. By so doing for a few years, 

 onions may be raised with but little expense. 



Experience is necessary to raise onions successfully. 

 We would not advise any person unacquainted with 

 growing onions, to enter into it very largely at first, for 

 it would very likely prove a failure. "We have 

 observed several instances where individuals have 

 commenced with a small patch, who have increased 



gradually until t^ey have reached six, eight, or ten 

 acres, while others commencing with one acre or 

 more, were unsuccessful, and have abandoned the 

 business. It can not be expected that from three to 

 four hundred dollars per acre should be realized with- 

 out considerable expense ; and although we may read 

 the various methods of others in regard to it, we are 

 ill-prepared to go into the business of raising onions 

 on a large scale without experience. 



No. VI. 



BY ARTHUR C. TAYLOR, FAIRFIELD CO., CT. 



THE first thing to look after is the seed. In select- 

 jag the onions to plant for seed, choose those of a 

 oright red color, of a medium size, with a small top, 

 v well dried down to where it joins the bulb,) in shape 

 as near round as you can find. Round onions yield 

 more per acre than flat ones. If your seed-onions are 

 deeper than they are broad, your onions will be in- 

 clined to run to scallions, (unsalable onions with thick 

 green tops,) a result much to be dreaded by the onion- 

 raiser. Plant your seed-onions in drills, three feet 

 apart, the onions four inches apart in the drills. Plant 

 deep in the ground, and hoe the dirt up to the plants 

 as they grow. In weeding, be careful not to rub the 

 seed-stalks, as it will sometimes cause the seed to blast. 

 When the stalks have nearly all turned yellow, cut off 

 the seed-balls, and dry them on a roof or garret floor. 

 When dry, clean the seed, ready for sowing in the 

 spring. 



In choosing the ground, a level piece is preferable 

 to side-hill, on account of its being less liable to be 

 washed by spring rains. The soil should be deep and 

 rich, neither too wet nor too dry, (of the two rather 

 moist.) Unlike most other crops, onions may be plant- 

 ed on the same ground fur a great number of years, and 

 still bring good crops. 



Manure very highly, stable-manure, ground bones, 

 ashes, and guano are all very good. Stable-manure 

 should be ploughed in ; be careful to turn it all under. 

 Bones or ashes may be harrowed in after the ground 

 in ploughed. G-uano should be raked in after the har- 

 rowing is done. Guano does well with other manure. 

 It gives the young plants a good start early in the sea- 

 son. The ground should be ploughed deep. It may be 

 done either in the fall or in the spring. Fall ploughing 

 is preferred by many, as it helps on the spring work, 

 and gives a chance to get the seed in the ground early, 

 which is a great advantage. As soon as the ground is 

 free from frost, and dry enough to pulverize the lumps, 

 harrow it well, first with the tooth, then with a nice 

 even brush-harrow. After the harrowing has been 

 thoroughly done, use the hand rake until your ground 



is free from lumps and stones. Be careful to pick up 

 all the stones. The ground is now ready for the seed. 

 Sow in drills one foot apart; gauge your machine to 

 sow about four pounds per acre. If the ground is in 

 good order, and you are sure your seed is all good, a 

 little less than four pounds will do per acre. Cover the 

 seed by pushing the head of a rake or the back of & 

 corn-hoe along the drills. If the rows are made very 

 straight, it will save time in cultivating. 



Nothing more is to be done until the onions are up 

 enough to see the rows. Then go through with a light 

 onion-hoe, stirring the ground between the rows. As 

 soon as the onions are all up, put in tho boys with 

 weeders, to take out the weeds which the hoes have 

 left. The weeders are little hoes, two inches wide by 

 one inch deep, with a short handle. Boys soon be- 

 come very handy at this work, and are better than men 

 at the business. All we have to do now, is to keep free 

 from weeds by hoeing and weeding until pulling-time, 

 which is generally in September. When tho tops have 

 nearly all fallen down, and about half of them are dry, 

 they are fit to pull. Leave them on the ground after 

 they are pulled until the tops are all dry, then store 

 them in a dry place. Onions will look brighter if 

 heaped up soon after pulling, and left in heaps to cure. 



Much care should be used in curing white onions, as 

 the sale of them is injured by having the skins mil- 

 dewed. They should be pulled earlier than red 

 onions. A good plan is to carry them in, soon after 

 pulling, and dry them by spreading out thin in lofts. 



An important item after the onion crop is raised, is 

 to have it well housed. Onions will keep best on a 

 floor where the air can circulate over and under them. 

 They should be kept cool, but must not be allowed to 

 freeze much. Onions for seed should be put in the 

 cellar when the weather becomes cold, as the yield ot 

 seed will be small if the onions have been touched 

 with frost. On a good piece of ground, six hundred 

 bushels of onions can be raised to the acre, which at 

 50 cents per bushel, will bring $300 from one acre of 

 ground. 



