EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS, 



No. XVI. 



BY THOMAS FULTON, WAYNE CO., PA. 



QUALITIES OP LAND. To raise a good crop of onions, 

 tho Idnd is required to be, 1st. New, that is, lately 

 brought ia from rich sod, and then there will be but 

 few weeds to contend with in the culture ; 2d. Rich 

 on the top : the land can not be made too rich for onions, 

 but the rjchness should be on the top of the land, as 

 the onion roots will not descend into -the ground more 

 than an inch or an inch and a half at furthest ; and 

 3d. The land should be well settled, as, if the land be 

 rich and soft, the onions will grow to tops, or what are 

 called (in Europe) " scallions," but if the land has been 

 well settled, they will grow to roots, or what is called 

 onions. 



PREPARATION OP GROUND. To obtain the above 

 results, the land should be prepared the previous year. 

 In Europe, especially . in the north of Ireland, where 

 onions are extensively raised as a paying crop for 

 market, the land (generally rich sod) is ploughed early 

 in spring, neatly and light, into narrow ridges, say five 

 feet ridge and furrow, and about the middle of May, 

 the land is harrowed, and the manure (good barnyard) 

 put on ; the ridges are lined out four feet wide, and the 

 manure spread evenly and broken fine. It is then 

 planted with potatoes. The seed is dropped in rows 

 across the ridge, about eight inches apart in the row, 

 and the rows about a foot from each other. The pota- 

 toes are then covered about an inch deep out of the 

 furrow, the mould spread evenly and broken fine. 

 They remain so until the potato plants begin to appear, 

 or when the " buds " are bursting the top of the land. 

 Then the furrows are dug with a spade, and the mould 

 broken fine in them ; the mould is shoveled out of the 

 furrow, and spread evenly over the ridge about two 

 inches deep, after which they require no more labor 

 (except weeding, which should not be neglected, lest 

 the seeds of the weeds remain and give trouble in the 

 ensuing crop) until the fall, when the potatoes are fit 

 for digging up. This is done with a spade : the ridge 

 is all dug over evenly, the potatoes picked up, care 

 being taken to keep the rich mould on the top of the 

 ridge. The land remains in this way until sowing-time 

 the ensuing spring. The land is well raked with an 

 iron garden-rake. This will make sufficient mould. The 

 onion seeils then sown, and covered by raking it in ; 

 it is then clapped over with the back of a spade, or by 

 passing a hand-roller over it ; this is called sowing on 

 the " winter face,' 1 ' 1 and I have never seen this fail to 

 produce a good crop of onions. I have seen acres pre- 

 pared and raised in this way. 



The objection to the above mode of preparing the 

 land in this country is, that it requires a good deal of 



manual labor, which is scarce and expensive here. 

 Where this is the case 



SECOND METHOD. I would say, plough rich sod, sow 

 it in buckwheat, and when the buckwheat is cut and 

 taken off, plough the land neatly and light into narrow 

 ridges, five feet ridge and furrow ; let it remain for 

 some time to settle and rot any weeds, then harrow 

 well and put on the manure. Mark or line out the 

 ridges four feet wide, leaving one foot for a furrow; 

 spread the manure evenly, and break it fine. Trench 

 up the furrows and cover the manure evenly, let the 

 land remain until sowing time in spring, and prepare 

 and put in the onion seed on the "winter face,'' as 

 above. I have not tried this, but I believe it will be 

 found to produce a good crop. 



THIRD METHOD. To prepare the land the fall pre- 

 vious to sowing the onion seed, for small quantities. 



Dig the patch (intended for onions) with a spade, a 

 foot deep, turn the top down, cover all grass or weeds, 

 and break it fine. Then mark out the ridges four feet 

 wide, leaving a foot for a furrow between the ridges. 

 Then take a hoe, and draw the mould evenly about an 

 inch and a half deep from half-way across the ridges on 

 either side, to the place marked out for the furrow ; 

 spread the manure on the ridge (thus hollowed) evenly, 

 and break it fine ; shovel the mould collected on the 

 furrow, and cover the manure, leave it so until sowing- 

 time the ensuing spring ; then rake it well, and sow 

 the onion seed, cover with the rake, and clap it over 

 with the back of a spade. 



FOURTH METHOD. To prepare the land at the time 

 of sowing the onion seed : dig it a foot deep, mark out 

 the ridges as in third method, and spread on the manure, 

 which should be well-rotted cow-dung. Horse-dung ia 

 not good it has a tendency to get dry and mouldy. 

 Break the manure very fine, and cover it out of the 

 furrow an inch and a half deep ; pass the rake over it, 

 and sow the seed ; cover with the rake, and clap it 

 well all over with a spade, to settle and close the land. 

 I have raised good crops of onions in both these ways, 

 and the largest onions I ever raised, or saw raised, 

 were in this last way ; but the manure was taken out 

 of the privy, and mixed with an equal quantity of 

 house-ashes. 



In selecting the seed, go to a respectable seed-store ; 

 select that which has the least small or blind seeds 

 in it. If it is new seed, it is softer, and tastes stronger 

 of the onion than if it is old seed. White glolt or 

 white flat, mixed with a little red, say one third red, will 

 do well. 



TIME OP SOWING THE SEED. In this country w 



