Onions in the South. 167 



best to crowd them a little for extra large onions are not 

 desirable in market. 



The young plants are dug from the seed beds and if no 

 culls are wanted in the crop the smaller and weaker plants 

 are discarded, the object being to get plants of even size 

 and vigor that will make a uniform' growth and size. Un- 

 less this sorting of the young plants is done a large num- 

 ber of the onions will be culls, unfit for market and occu- 

 pying ground that could just as well make a marketable 

 bulb. 



After digging and sorting, the plants are trimmed, 

 about one-half of both top and roots being cut off. 



Lines are stretched to indicate the rows' and the holes 

 are made with dibbles, these being followed by' the setter 

 who sticks the plant in the hole and firms the earth around 

 it. By this method from 80,000 to 100,000 plants are 

 set per acre. The transplanting is followed by irrigation 

 and as soon as dry enough by surface cultivation with 

 wheel hoes'. In close planting as described all labor must 

 be hand work. No directions can be given as to how often 

 to irrigate. It's one of those things to be done just when 

 needed, neither before or after, and it takes experience 

 to know when it's needed. In the cool winter months one 

 irrigation may last three weeks, later on with warmer 

 weather and the bulbs forming rapidly, once a week is 

 often necessary. 



Onions transplanted by December 1st in Texas usually 

 complete the growth of top between March 1st and 10th, 

 following which the bulbs form. This is indicated by the 

 base of the plant beginning to swell. 



^ It used to be the practice to draw away the soil from 

 onions as they began to bulb. We are satisfied that this 



