ONIONS 185 



darker nature. This muck is preferably 

 friable and not too full of coarse pieces of 

 wood. It seems to be an advantage to have 

 the soil neutral. Therefore, if the soil re- 

 sponds to an acid test, it might be necessary 

 to apply lime, using from one to two tons an 

 acre. The muck soil needs to be at least 12 

 to 18 inches deep for the best growth. 

 Where the soil is shallow, oftentimes the 

 plants suffer during a drouth. The water 

 table should be about 3 feet below the sur- 

 face. If shallower, the water often covers 

 the onions, especially during rainy periods, 

 causing the roots to drown out. If the water 

 table is deeper, sometimes deficiency during 

 drouthy periods results. 



Varieties. Probably but two varieties of 

 onions for muck purposes are grown very 

 extensively. They are the Yellow Globe 

 Danvers and the Southport Yellow Globe. 

 At times, in a limited way, the Southport 

 Red Globe and the Red Wethersfield are 

 grown. However, the market is very limited 

 for these red sorts. Certain men have prac- 

 ticed the growing of this seed in a very 

 thorough manner. It seems to be a desir- 

 able idea to buy seed from these men. In 

 tests which have been made with onions, it 



