ONION RAISING 



WHY I WRITE THIS TREATISE. 



In common with my fellow-seedsmen I frequently receive 

 letters from my farmer friends, in different parts of the United 

 States, asking for information on Onion Raising. It is im- 

 possible in a letter sheet to give sufficient minuteness of de- 

 tail ; I therefore send out this little treatise, in which T have 

 endeavored to cover very minutely the whole ground of in- 

 quiry. I trust that it will prove acceptable. 



SELECTING THE SOIL. 



Onions are an exception to the general rule, — they thrive 

 best on old ground, with the exception of an increased liabil- 

 ity to injury from rust or smut. I recently examined an acre 

 of land which had been planted continuously with onions for 

 three generations without perceptible decrease in the quantity 

 or quality of the crop. 



Onions are sometimes successfully raised by plowing up old 

 pasture land in September, thoroughly harrowing it before 

 frost sets in, and in the spring working in fine manure very 

 thoroughly with the harrow and cultivator. The result of 

 such planting is to get a crop very free from weeds, with 

 onions usually coarse, and more or less of scallions. 



(3) 



