VI. 



THE WORK THICKENS. 



A HARD FIGHT WITH WEEDS. 



WAR TO THE KNIFE. — PROMPTNESS REQUIRED. — HAND-WHEEL HOES. — 

 HAND-WEEDING THE CHIEF EXPENSE. — WEEDING IMPLEMENTS — 

 THINNING.— HOES AND HOEING. — BREAKING DOWN THE TOPS. 



Whatever method of growing onions you employ, the 

 fight against weeds should be begun promptly and carried 

 to a finish. This means war to the knife. The frequent 

 stirring of the surface soil between the rows and about the 

 plants which it involves incidentally furnishes one of the 

 best means of protection against drought. 



Hand-weeding is a tedious and expensive job. We do not 

 desire to have more of it to do than is absolutely necessary. 

 Promptness in the use of the wheel hoe, and in that of the 

 hand-weeder, will take the sting out of the task. Neglect 

 a patch once, and let it grow up in weeds, and the best 

 thing you can do is to give it up as a bad job. To redeem 

 such a patch would probably cost more than the whole 

 crop would be worth in the end. Under no consideration 

 should an onion field ever be allowed to assume a weedy 

 appearance. 



Wheel Hoes. 

 The first thing we need is a good hand-wheel hoe. There 

 are a number of them in the market that do first-rate work, 

 and may be relied upon. I like the Planet, Jr. as well as 

 any other, and for a large field the double-wheel hoe is the 

 most necessary and convenient, although it is well to have 

 a single-wheel hoe, too. Some people like the Gem of the 



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