28 



HOW TO EAISE ONIONS, 



can not fix a certain time. In some places and some 

 seasons the land may be ready to receive the seed 

 earlier than at others ; but when the frost is fully out, 

 and the land dry enough for sowing, and vegetation 

 has set in, then I would sow the seed; about a seed to 

 the square inch is sufficient. 



WEEDING THE ONIONS. When they come up, if 

 weeds appear, pick them out as soon as possible. You 

 can with more safety to the crop pull out the weeds 

 when small, than if they are allowed to grow large : 

 then they are liable to injure the roots of the onions in 

 pulling them, and if allowed to grow large, they exhaust 

 the land, the whole strength of which should go to 

 raise the onions. 



MANAGEMENT OP THE CROP. When the onions 

 have got up to be pretty large in the tops, (in Europe,) 

 those of them which do not show a disposition to make 

 a head, but grow up with a luxuriant top, (these they 

 call "scallions,") are pulled out, and taken to market; 

 this gives room and air to those that are forming the 

 onion at the root. When they begin to ripen, which 

 they will show by the tops beginning to wither, then 

 with the hand twist the stems of those which still 

 show a disposition to grow to tops and not make root, 

 about half-way up between the root and where the 

 tops branch off; this will prevent the sap from going 

 to the top, and cause them to grow at the root. When 

 they get ripe and fit for pulling, which will be shown 

 by the tops withering off, pull those that are thus 

 withered off, and dry them on cloths until they are 



thoroughly dried. Those whose tops are not fully 

 withered, leave remaining some time longer, and iwisl 

 the tops a little more severely ; and when you think they 

 will make no further improvement by remaining, pull 

 them all up, and string them like apples, passing the 

 needle through the stems an inch or two above the 

 head, and hang them up to dry either in the sunshine 

 by day, bringing them in by night, or near to the 

 fire or stove, until they are fully dried. 



Then take the strings, and those whose tops are not 

 fully withered off, and w'th a penknife open the dry 

 peels a little off above the head, and with the blade of the 

 penknife scoop the stems out of the heart of the onion, 

 and close 1 up the withered peels on the top. This is 

 called "gelding the onion" This prevents them from 

 spouting when they are kept over, as such onions have 

 a tendency to sprout if not used soon. 



Then the onions are ready for marketing. This is 

 done according to the wishes of the cultivator. Some 

 pick them, and sell the best at the highest price, and 

 the others at what they will bring, and some take them 

 all together, and sell at an average price for the whole. 







NOTES. Six pounds of good 'seed will be sufficient 

 for an acre. 



There are in an acre five hundred and twenty perches 

 of a five foot wide ridge and furrow, which will, if well 

 managed, produce over a bushel to the perch or rod. 



Twenty wagon loads of good manure will manure 

 an acre well. 



No. XVII. 



BY STILLMAN MORGAN, ADDISON CO., VT. 



IF a man has only a small piece of ground that he 

 can call his own, perhaps there is no crop more profit- 

 able than the onion crop. The writer has raised this 

 vegetable each year for thirty years. His success is 

 owing to experiments tried and varied until the best is 

 found. 



THE GARDENER. You wish only to cultivate from 

 one bushel to five. Find the "potato onion." But 

 if you can not find that kind, get the " top onion, " 

 which is nearest to it. The reason I recommend these 

 varieties to the gardener is, that the crop is sure, and 

 always grows clear of maggots. If you have plenty 

 ot them, take great and small, and use them all for seed. 



FOR THE FIELD. Use the common black seed of 

 the white globe, or the " Wethersfield red;" I prefer 

 the latter. The Wethersfield reds look best in the 

 halt-bushel, yield best, and sell best in market. If 

 you take any other kind, look out for good yielders. 



PREPARATION or GROUND. Select interval, made 

 land, that seems to have been brought from all direc- 



tions ; no matter if there is a good proportion of mujk. 

 But if it is clear muck, cart on gravel, a good mixture. 

 If your ground be clay, cart on loam or any kind of 

 light soil. But if your ground is light loam on sandy 

 soil, cart on clay quite abundantly. But if your land 

 is a naked rock, and nobody will let you into their 

 field for materials to make land of, then go into the 

 highway ; find a " sag " or low place, that has received 

 wash from roads or buildings or any where else. Cart 

 it to the place desired. And then you have an onion- 

 bed for a hundred years don't change places often. 



When the soil is to your mind, then cartfan any kind 

 of rich manure; do this early, and have the ground 

 ploughed early in September. Then there will be time 

 for all foul seeds to grow, but not having time to mature, 

 you will loose your weeds. 



Then in the spring, as early as possible, plough agaiu ; 

 that .will leave the manure well mixed and near the 

 top. Now put on your harrow or muck-rake, and 

 r>ulverize as fine as possible. Strike out your ground 



