68 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMEE. 



Mab, 



not trust to seed merchants, unless actually 

 obliged to. Rather pay §5 per pound for 

 reliable seed, than get doubtful seed for no- 

 thing. 



Plant in drills a foot apart with seed 

 planter, or by hand. To have the rows 

 straight, draw a line, cover half an inch deep. 

 We have seen good crops on prairie that 

 had been broken in March and sowed 

 at once, being well harrowed and roll- 

 ed. This needed no further attention until 

 harvesting ; four pound of seed was sown 

 broadcast to the acre. 



The whole secret is deep tillage, manure, 

 thorough pulverization of the soil and clean 

 culture. 



The tools needed for hoeing and weeding 

 onions are few and simple. The most ap- 

 proved hoe in use is usually made from a 

 buck-saw plate, either new or worn, cut 

 about eight inches in length, and from one 

 to two inches in width, with a goose neck 

 riveted on the inside of it ; or to make the 

 hoe stiffer, two goose necks are used, riveted 

 as before, but about or^ and a half inches 

 from the ends of the plate, and uniting in 

 one shank in the handle, which may be 

 about five feet long. This hoe should be 

 kept clean and bright, so that the dirt will 

 slide over it without being much displaced. 

 A push or scuffle hoe is sometimes used in 

 the advanced growth of the crop. The tools 

 used for weeds, aside from what nature has 

 provided, are a crooked knife, (common case 

 or shoe knife, with the lower end bent up) 

 and a weeder made of thin Steele plate, about 

 two inches long and one wide, riveted with 

 a gooss neck, like the hoes, and fixed in a 

 handle. 



IIarvesting. — This takes place during 

 the latter part of August and first of Sep- 

 tember. The time to pull onions, (which 

 should be done by hand,) is when the tops 

 have fallen down and turned a brown or 

 yellowish color. Sometimes on account of 

 the season, or seed, or both, there will be 

 more or less that will not drop down and 



dry up. Some have proposed in such cast" 

 to roll a barrel over them, or break them 

 down in some way, but it is of doubtful ex- 

 pediency. A scullion will be such, whether 

 standing up or bent down. When the main 

 crop has ripened down, it is best to pull 

 them all, and sort out those which are unfit 

 for market, to feed out to the cattle, for 

 which purpose they are esteemed of consid- 

 erable value. The cattle generally devour 

 them greedily; they should not, however, 

 be fed to milk cows. 



The most approved way of curing onions 

 after they are pulled, is to let them lie 

 scattered about the ground for about three 

 days, and then pile them up in small stacks, 

 containing about a barrel each j after re- 

 maining so about two weeks, open them and 

 give them frequent stirrings for about three 

 bright drying days, then house them in a 

 perfectly dry condition. The stacking gives 

 them an opportunity to sweat, and keeps 

 them in a measure from the weather, so 

 that when opened the outside skins shells 

 off, and gives them a brighter and clearer 

 appearance, than they would have if left to 

 cure, scattered about the field. 



Onions cured this way may be put in bins 

 or bays, to the depth of four or five feet, 

 without any danger of injury, there to be 

 kept, if desired, until the following spring, 

 provided the tops are left on them. If put 

 in barn bays, a rough floor should be laid 

 down on timber a few inches from the 

 ground, in order that a circulation of air un- 

 derneath may be obtained. Onions should 

 not be kept in cellars unless remarkably dry 

 and cool. A slight freezing does not hurt 

 them provided they are not disturbed in 

 their frozen state. 



Marketing. — This may commence as 

 soon as onions are ripe, and continue until 

 the middle of May following, provided com- 

 munication is open. The most common way 

 of sending onions to market, is by putting 

 them in barrels with one head, and sending 

 them in vessels, as freight by water is cheap- 

 er than by land. This holds good, however, 



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