396 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



The soil may also be highly enriched the preceding year by the application 

 of a large quantity of stable manure, and weed seeds should be completely 

 destroyed by the time the onions are started. Commercial fertilizers are 

 also largely employed for the onion. It is not uncommon to use a fertilizer 

 containing four per cent nitrogen and six to eight per cent of phosphoric 

 acid and potash, at the rate of a ton to the acre. The fertilizer should be 

 well mixed with the soil before any planting is done. 



The bulk of the mature bulbs which are sold on American markets 

 is grown from seed sown in the open ground. The most common spacing 

 between rows is a foot, and seed is sown sufficiently thick to give eight to 

 twelve plants to a foot of furrow. Ordinarily four and one-half pounds of 

 good seed to an acre will give the proper stand of plants. Seed more than 

 a year old should never be used. The transplanting method, often referred 

 to as the new onion culture, provides for sowing seed under glass and setting 

 the plants in the open ground after danger of hard freezing has passed. 

 Prizetaker is the leading variety for this purpose. The most common plan 

 is to sow seed in January or February. After the tops attain a height of 

 five inches they are clipped back every week to about four inches, and when 

 planted in the field they are clipped to three or three and one-half inches. 

 Bulbs of extra size for exhibition purposes may be obtained by starting the 

 plants under glass in the fall, clipping the tops repeatedly, as explained, 

 until they are set in the field, about May 10th in the North. Most farmers 

 grow the bulk of their crop from sets which are planted as early in the spring 

 as the ground can be worked. This is the most certain method of procuring 

 a crop, though as large bulbs cannot be obtained as from the transplanting 

 method. Clean tillage is absolutely essential to the success of a crop of 

 onions, and this requires a certain amount of hand-weeding and hoeing 

 between the plants. The mature bulbs for winter use are pulled after most 

 of the tops have turned yellow and are partly dead. The bulbs are thrown 

 together in windrows for a few days until partly dry and then placed in 

 crates or bags which are hauled to sheds or well-ventilated buildings. 

 Onions may be kept throughout the winter in a room where the temperature 

 may be controlled, or allowed to freeze and then be covered with hay and 

 kept in a frozen condition throughout the winter. The latter plan is very 

 satisfactory and should be more generally used by farmers. 



Bunching onions are most largely grown from sets, though many 

 gardeners grow excellent green onions from seed sown in the open ground. 

 The Prizetaker produces a particularly mild onion. Onion sets are grown 

 by sowing the seed more thickly than is done for mature bulbs. There is 

 no reason why every farmer should not grow his own sets. A good plan is 

 to sow the seed very thickly in furrows which are about two inches wide and 

 one-quarter inch deep. The plants come up so thickly that it is impossible 

 for any of the bulbs to attain a large size. The sets are easily kept over 

 winter in any dry room where alternate thawing and freeing does not occur. 



Parsley. — There should be a supply of parsley in every farmer's 



