VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AND CULTURE. 383 



soil potash, phosphoric acid and nitrogen, so that it will 

 be necessary to apply a fertilizer which has these in- 

 gredients in its composition. The following formula will 

 be found sufficient for an acre of good average land, 

 where the rows are one foot apart; if two feet apart one- 

 half the quantity will suffice: 



Phosphoric acid 600 pounds. 



Muriate of potash 200 pounds. 



Cotton-seed meal 1,000 pounds. 



Nitrate of soda 200 uounds. 



The onion can be grown in great perfection in the 

 South, and it does not require a change of soil, being an 

 exception to the general rule that plants like a rotation, 

 as they have been grown in Scotland a century on the 

 same land without any diminution of the crop. Of course, 

 the land must be kept well fertilized with stable manure, 

 or where commercial fertilizers are alone used it will be 

 necessary to turn under a crop of pea-vines now and then 

 to give the needed humus. A top dressing of unleached 

 ashes before the onions are planted will be found very 

 beneficial. The ashes must be incorporated with the soil 

 thoroughly before transplanting. Nitrate of soda applied 

 broadcast after the plants have begun to grow well will 

 add much to the value ot the crop. 



It is a good plan to make the beds just wide enough for 

 three rows, say thirty inches wide, with a narrow alley 

 between, which may be filled with sweet corn or cabbages 

 after the crop is laid by. 



But in common gardens beds four feet wide and the 

 rows thereon twelve to fourteen inches wide are most con- 

 venient. The soil of the beds must be finely dug, the sur- 

 face rolled smooth, and all the clods beat fine that may 

 have escaped the spade. The drills should be draw T n very 

 shallow, as the best onions grow upon the surface of the 

 ground. For this reason, it is well to roll the bed, or beat 



