GARDEN YARD "^ 



in his book published by the Orange Judd 

 Company, N. Y. 



In the main season crop, earHness is not so 

 necessary, and less fertilizer will do, so long as 

 it is the right kind. Seed is sown as early as 

 possible, as the onion likes a cool season. In 

 the garden, it is sown thickly because the onion 

 often fails to sprout, but in the field, it is sown 

 more carefully, waste of seed and the thinning 

 in the big field being expensive. 



On some land the onion runs to tops, partic- 

 ularly where there is too much moisture, or the 

 ground is too new, or coarse manures have been 

 used. If the tops are still rank and green in 

 late August or early September, it is a good 

 thing to break them by rolling a barrel over the 

 rows, that the growth may go to the bulbs. 



The trouble with onions does not end with 

 growing them. They are a difficult crop to 

 handle and store, unless the fall is warm. After 

 they are pulled they must dry a day or two, 

 either in the field or under cover — cover is 

 more expensive but the bulbs have a better, 

 brighter color. The bulbs must be free from 

 dirt and the tops cut off about a half -inch above 

 the bulb, neither more nor less, else the bulb 

 will suffer in marketable value. It must be a 

 clean cut without ragged ends, and the outer 



