THE DANVERS ONION.' 189 



work to advantage ; but if you do not think it advisable to get 

 a potato-digger, plough a furrow each side of a row, turning 

 it from the row of potatoes, and then with the potato-hoe, or 

 forked hoe, the digging is very easily done ; or you may go 

 through the centre with a double mould-board plough, and 

 throw them all out, and pick them up ; and afterwards go over 

 it again with a cultivator, and you may get nearly all the 

 potatoes with very little labor. 



I think I will next take the onion crop, because the system 

 of growing the onion will apply to many other crops. In the 

 first place, I will remark, that we have an onion that was per- 

 fected in Danvers. By a great deal of care, the Dan vers 

 onion has been perfected, and probably it is the best onion 

 that has ever been grown for profit by the farmer. I will 

 admit that it is not quite so good in quality as the cracker 

 onion of Rhode Island, but for a crop for sale it is as near 

 perfect, I think, as can be obtained. You will observe that it 

 has a very fine, perfect form, small top, aud beautiful in ap- 

 pearance. Mr. Daniel Buxton of Peabody has the credit of 

 perfecting that onion. The best method, as I understand it, 

 of raising an onion crop, is this : Spread your manure in the 

 fall, and plough it in five inches deep. It is not well to plough 

 deep for onions. The best crops for the onion to follow are 

 carrot and potato crops. The onion may be grown on the 

 same land year after year. The longer they are grown on the 

 same land, the finer they are, the more perfectly they bottom 

 down, and the smaller the top. You will find in some cases 

 that your onions will not bottom down so perfectly and develop 

 so well as you desire to have them. You want to know what 

 is the matter. You have either got poor seed or your land is 

 not in proper condition ; that is, it has not been cultivated 

 long enough, or your manure is too green. I will say here, 

 that in my opinion (I know there are some who will differ 

 with me), to produce the best results with vegetables, it is 

 necessary to have fine, well-rotted manure. I* shall not dis- 

 cuss at all to-day the question of the use of fertilizers, but I 

 shall proceed to talk upon the raising of vegetables in the old- 

 fashioned way, with manure. Not that I would have it 

 understood that I am opposed to the use of fertilizers, for I 

 believe that great good will result from the introduction of 



