THE CULTURE OF SET ONIONS IN THE 

 CONNECTICUT VALLEY 



W. G. Colby.i C. J. Gilgut,2 and H. M. Yegian^ 



CONTENTS 



Page Page 



Factors affecting the yield of set onions: The quality of seed sets 9 



Soils 2 Soil U 



Seed bed preparation 2 Crop rotation 12 



Cover crops 3 Fertilizers 12 



Fertilization and liming 4 Time of harvest 13 



Varieties of set onions 5 Methods of harvesting and curing 13 



Cultural practices 5 Storage conditions 14 



Factors affecting losses from disease: Summary 15 



Weather 9 Literature cited 16 



Onion growing is an important, long-established agricultural enterprise 

 in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts. At first most of the commercial 

 crop was grown from seed, but the acreage of seed onions is now relatively small, 

 and the greater part of the crop is obtained from set onions. The purpose of 

 this bulletin is not to discuss in detail the growing of set onions — years of experi- 

 ence have already made the Connecticut Valley onion grower proficient in the 

 art of onion culture; but rather to discuss some of its more troublesome aspects 

 in the light of recently concluded experiments. 



FACTORS AFFECTING THE YIELD OF SET ONIONS 



Soils 



Connecticut Valley onions are grown almost entirely on fine or very fine sandy 

 loam soils. These are deep soils, well-drained and fairly retentive of moisture, 

 and workable soon after the frost is out of the ground. The latter point is impor- 

 tant because the onion is essentially a cool season crop and early planting is a 

 necessary factor in securing high yields. Set onions can probably be grown more 

 satisfactorily on light soils than seed onions since the growing season of the 

 former is shorter and they reach maturity before the hot dry weather of late 

 July and August. 



Seed Bed Preparation 



Most growers prefer to plow their onion land in the fall because it facilitates 

 early spring planting operations. There is also a prevailing opinion among 

 growers that fall-plowed lands maintain better moisture relationships during 

 summer dry periods and that they tend to blow less during the period between 

 planting of the bulb and the time top growth is heavy enough to afford protection 

 from the wind. 



Just as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring, it is thoroughly disced 

 and then harrowed, first with an Acme and then with a Meeker harrow, until a 

 finely pulverized seed bed with a smooth level surface is secured. 



■ Research Professor of Agronomy. 



- Research Assistant in Botany; new Assistant Research Professor of Nurseryculture. 



8 Research Assistant in Agronomy. 



The authors are grateful to the following onion growers for their wholehearted cooperation in 

 the conduct of field experimental work: Arthur Hubbard, Walter Hubbard, Clarence Clark, and 

 Michael Skibiski, all of Sunderland. 



