Dry Onions 



149 



67. Onion seedlings (X %). 



give a good stand it is rarely advisable to make a second 

 sowing because of the lateness of the season. In field cul- 

 ture, thinning is expensive, and 

 one must take great care to 

 secure good and viable seed. 

 The seed is sown with various 

 kinds of hand seed-drills, some 

 of which sow several rows at a 

 time. The rows stand about 14 

 inches apart, varying, however, 

 from 12 to 18 inches. In the 

 rows the plants are thinned to 

 2 to 5 inches, depending on the 

 size of the bulb in the par- 

 ticular variety. For field-crop 

 onions, about 5 to 6 pounds 

 of seeds are sown to the acre. The intervals between the 

 rows are commonly 14 inches. 



The character of the crop depends very largely on the 

 seed stock. The onion quickly runs down or deteriorates 

 if the stock is not carefully selected and grown. Cheap 

 onion seed is always to be avoided. Those who make a busi- 

 ness of growing onions prefer to buy seed from parties 

 whom they know, even though it costs twice as much as the 

 ordinary seed of the markets. Poor seed may mean mixed 

 varieties, lack of uniformity in the crop, the production of 

 " scallions " or onions that do not make large bulbs. 



Field practices. 



Tillage is by means of hand wheel-hoes. If the land is 

 rough, hard and uneven, these hoes cannot be worked to 



