THE WORK THICKENS. 



57 



26. An ordinary iron spoon, shown at a, such as you can buy 

 at the nearest hardware store for five cents, does very well. 

 If you have a metal -handled table knife, with point broken 

 off, bend the blade in a curve and sharpen both sides (see ^), 

 and you can use it as a weeder. Or you may take a section 

 of an old mowing-machine knife (see c) or a piece of iron 

 hoop (see ^), and fasten it to a short handle. At e you 

 see the Lang weeder, and at / the Hazeltine, either of 

 which can be purchased at small cost at any seed store. 

 Whatever tool you have, use it to scrape the surface of the 



Fig. 26. 



Weeders. 



ground, with all the tiny weeds or sprouting weed seeds it 

 may contain, away from the onion rows. Hilling is not 

 required or allowable. Always let the wheel hoe do its 

 work just ahead of the weeders. It will lighten the job. 

 In Fig. 27 I show the use of Lang's hand-weeder, and in 

 Fig. 28 that of a table knife, fixed as already stated. These 

 are my favorite tools for this work. Other growers may 

 follow their own preferences. 



If the grower has used seed enough to secure a full stand 

 some of the plants will most likely grow pretty thickly in 



