The Lowly Onion a Profitable Crop 



Onions are to be classed among the surest and most 

 profitable of crops. There is a constant demand for 

 them at prices which give a return of $200 to $400 an 

 acre. It is a product that the beginner need not fear to 

 experiment with to the extent of several acres. 



Seed onions are of better flavor and keep longer and 

 are more profitable to grow than sets, though some fail to 

 grow them in the home garden because they are more 

 difficult to keep clear of weeds. 



The best way to grow onions from seed is by sowing 

 the seed in a bed or cold frame early in the season and 

 transplanting later to the row where they are to grow. 

 A small section of the hotbed will grow 1,000 plants till 

 they are the size of quills, or they can be crowded. By 

 that time the ground will be warm, and all seed will have 

 germinated so that the plants may be set in clean ground 

 that has been worked over to kill all the young weeds. 



If one lacks for room in the hotbed, the seed may be 

 sown in a sheltered place — an old brush heap, ash bed, or 

 some place where the soil is good. If there is room to 

 sow the seed in drills six inches apart, they may be 

 worked some to keep them growing before they are 

 transplanted. 



When ready to transplant them, wet the ground and 

 pull the plants and then cut off about half the top and 

 slightly tip the roots. Set the plants from two to three 

 inches apart in the row and in rows fifteen inches apart. 

 If very dry, use water when transplanting, and every one 

 will live. 



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