22 On Onions, 



go a great way into the ground ; ) whereas in the case 

 of primitive ground where the sub stratum is in many 

 instances almost impervious to water, the moisture is 

 much longer retained in the soil. 



I have never been in Connecticut, but I was some 

 weeks in September 1797 very near the borders of that 

 state, in the state of New- York. I there observed the 

 climate to be considerably different from that of Penn- 

 sylvania ; in particular the pasture was greatly superior. 

 This was an evidence to me that the soil was not apt to 

 be so quickly deprived of moisture. Perhaps this majf 

 be partly owing to its nearer vicinity to the ocean, and 

 this may be one cause why Connecticut is better adapted 

 to the culture of onions than Pennsylvania. The mode 

 of cultivating onions in Scotland was as follows : the 

 ground intended for that purpose was very w^ell ma- 

 nured in the fall with rich old rotten dung, care being 

 taken that it contained no seeds of weeds or grass, ^ this 

 is well turned in and left so for the winter. In the 

 the month of March following it is dug again and 

 smoothly raked, and at the same time formed into beds 

 two feet wide and of a reasonable length, with alleys be- 

 tween for the convenience of hand weeding, on these 

 beds the seed is sown broadcast. My method for sow- 

 ing it equally, was to wet the seed with a little water, 

 and shake upon it pounded chalk or whiting, roll it in 

 the whiting and spread it out to dry. By this means I 

 could see the seeds distinctly where they fell on the 



* I have often heard it said that in Holland where onions 

 are raised in great perfection, they generally use the dung 

 from privies for this reason. 



