ONION 



Barfestiitij may be done in the following manner: If 

 the crop ripens evenly, so that there are no green tops 

 standing, the topping can be done most rapidly before 

 the Onions are pulled. By using a thin, sharp knife, 

 taking the dry tops in one hand and cutting from the 

 person, the work can be done quickly and well. Be 

 careful not to tear the skin down the side. The length 

 to cut the tops is a point of importance and must not 

 be overlooked. If the tops are left too long they have 

 a ragged appearance, and if too short, there is danger 

 ipf causing the Onions to rot in the tops, because of 

 bruising or because of water having gone to the inside 

 of the Onions. The proper length is about half an inch 

 from the bulb; or, take an Onion by the top, with the 

 thumb and forefinger close to the bulb, and cut the top 

 close to the lingers. The pulling may be done by hand, 

 but a puller made to fit a hand-cultivator is much more 

 rapid and does not injure the bulbs. The puller is 

 siraplv a knife with one or more fingers to move the 

 bulbs'slightly as the roots are cut. In light, dry soil it 

 works very well without any fingers. 



Many growers prefer to pull the Onions first, allowing 

 them to dry a few days before topping. This is what 

 should be done if the tops do not dry evenly, or if the 

 crop is late and needs to be hurried; and is all right in 

 any case, though not quite so rapid as the,other way. 



Storage.- After the Onions are topped they .should be 

 gotten under cover as soon as possible. Let them dry 

 a day or two if the weather is favorable and then pick 

 them up and store in the curing shed. If allowed to lie 

 too long on the ground the skin peels off too much. The 

 shed should have doors or ventilators at each end from 

 top to bottom, so that the air can pass through freely 

 and be free under the floor. If the floor is tight, with 

 no circulation under it, lay some 2x4 scantling on the 

 floor and lay a loose board floor over them without nail- 

 iii;_^: ilnri t;ikt' some pieces of 2x4 sawed just 1 ft. 

 1..1IU- iiihI liiil ill. Ill to the floor at even distances for 

 lui^t- I" (MT IV stringers for the next floor. Use 2x4 for 



ONION 





the 



ithe 



ch.'s 



I'M I ■ f"iair sfiirr. L:iy another floor and 



|ii: , .1 . II. Im-jiil: ran fill to get the upper posts 



iliii ' il;, iLi- i!m luwer oiR.s.or the stringers will break 

 after two nr three floors are in. 



In handling the Onions, bu.shel boxes are the most 

 convenient. Pick them up in common baskets, leaving 

 all small, defective, or odd-colored bulbs on the ground, 

 to be picked up separately and sorted as occasion may 

 require. Dump in the boxes, then drive along the side 

 of the bed with a platform wagon, and load. Have a 

 screen about 4 ft. long by 2 ft. wide made of narrow 

 strips ^-l in. wide and about 1 in. apart. Put legs on one 

 end about 14 or 15 in. long and on the other end long 

 enough to give it a sufficient incline to make the Onions 

 roll down freely. With 



hooks, to hang under the 



Onions directly from the 



wagon to the screen and 



pour them over it. This 



will take out all the dirt 



and most of the loose 



leaves, and make the 



Onions come out of the 



shed in much better 



shape. They should lie 



in the shed until they 



are dry enough to peel off 



another skin, and rattle 



and crackle when the arm 



is run in among them. 



If all has gone well the crop should average 500 



bushels to the acre on good land, or 600 bushels on very 



rich land, and 700 or 800 bushels on a single acre selected 



from the best part of a ten-acre field. 



Marketing.— There is an old saying, "The time to sell 



1139 



his is a very good 

 d for cold weather 

 '■'■ in price. In a 

 ss lit even size and 

 is to two and one- 

 M- governed by the 

 < throw out all de- 



ls when someone 

 rule to apply, uni 

 or is reasonably sure of an ai 

 general way it is best to slii|. in 

 not too large, one and ilir. . f. 

 fourth bushels. These iK.ints in 

 market. In sacking to ship, al 

 fective bulbs and all of 

 another color. In size 

 down to about IK to IK 

 inches in diameter is a 

 good scale to use in a 

 general way, but this 

 point must also be gov 

 erned by the market 

 Sell by sample as far as 

 possible. 



Karie<ic«.— There are 

 three varieties of Onions 

 wlii.-h take the lead 

 '■Itarly aiiove all others 

 in thi- l.ii; markets of the 

 conntrv, — the White 

 Ulobe, Yellow Globe, and 

 Red Globe. These come 

 under different names, 

 as South port Yellow 

 Globe and Michigan Yel 

 low Globe, but the object 



growers is to get bulbs 



as nearly globe-shaped J537. Leek-Allium Porrum. 



as possible. The skin 



should be thick and two or three layers deep, to prevent 



bruising. Irving C. Smith. 



Onion Culture in the South.— Twenty years ago 

 Onion-growing from seed was not considered practicable, 

 and by many it was considered impossible south of the 

 Potomac. The introduction of varieties from South 

 Europe and more careful attention to details of the 

 work have made Onion-growing not only possible but 

 often exceedingly profitable. 



The eastern South consumes large quantities of the 

 mild forms, such as the Bermudas. In the markets at 

 Jacksonville, Pla., these are sold by the piece, frequently 

 retailing at 5 cents and 10 cents each. Nowhere in the 

 South are Onions grown exclusively on an extensive 

 scale, but they form a supplementary crop, or may be 

 grown extensively at times. The southern Onion-grower 

 must keep in close touch with the northern and foreign 

 Onion markets. As there are no extensive cold storage 

 plants, the crop must be sold soon after ripening. The 

 extensive Onion-grower of this section must therefore 

 keep his land in proper tilth and wait for the year when 

 the price of Onions will warrant his planting. 



Soil.— The soil should be alluvial, sandy, and of a 

 fine texture. A level tract, freed of all debris, and one 

 that can be plowed deeply, is desirable. In the coast 

 region such land may be obtained in great abundance. 

 It is frequently used for vegetable-growing, but large 

 areas are still uncleared or are used for farm crops. In 

 the hillv retrioni "f the interior. Onion lands must be 

 souglit mainly aloni; rivrrs or ol,l riv.-r beds. 



/'.■)■^7(:. ;-.-riMlrroiii|H,s,.,l \-.'L.'i'ialil<- matter should 

 not lir aii|.liril iiniiir.iiaiily |.n .-nliim the crop. Even 



before the seed is sown and then carefully incorporated 

 with the soil where the rows are to be, or if the rows are 

 to be a foot or 14 inches apart the cottonseed meal 

 may be sown broadcast and cultivated in. 



When the land is deficient in the three ingredients 

 considered essential in fertilizers, the following formula 

 will supply the approximate proportion taken off by a 

 crop of Onions: 



Nitrogen 5* 



Phosphoric acid, available 6* 



Potash 9* 



Prom one to two tons of the above formula will not 

 be found excessive, but the amount that will give the 

 greatest profit will be different on each field. 



The following table gives the amounts of different 



