On the seed farm in Arroyo 
Grande, onions are carried as 
"sets" to the head of the val- 
ley and planted in the higher 
and warmer soil for the sake 
of a better seed crop. So 
elsewhere growers, after the 
tirst year, ship the bulbs to 
the San Joaquin or the Sacra- 
mento valleys for the sake of 
a different soil and air in 
which to mature the seed, and 
to escape the blight, which is 
at once the bane and problem 
of growers of this seed in 
many regions. 
The delta lands of the val- 
leys just named are among 
the richest lands in the world, 
and are known as the Cali- 
fornia Netherlands. Onions 
do well the first year in a 
heavy black soil. Lettuce 
wants a heav}^ loam, as do 
sweet peas, while the radish 
seeds more quickly and does 
better in a lighter soil. 
Plowing and preparation of 
the soil goes on from Decem- 
ber to February, and most of 
the planting is completed be- 
fore midwinter. Xeedless to 
say, the seea ..cd is well stirred 
and the soil made fine. Farms 
of a thousand or five thousand 
acres are cared for like gar- 
dens. March, April, May, and 
the early part of June are 
given to steady cultivation and 
weeding. Seeds are grown 
without irrigation, save under 
extreme conditions, and culti- 
vation is almost continuous, 
that moisture may be kept 
near the surface. 
Much work must be done 
with the hoe, and hand-work 
of several kinds is necessary. 
Thus, certain kinds of lettuce 
must have the head slashed 
with a knife, to let the seed 
stalks out ; onions as "sets" 
must be placed one by one 
right side up in the row and 
covered; celery, before being 
set out in the field, is twice 
transplanted; and carrots and 
;i6 
