Onions in the South. 161 



drained and have been under cultivation sufficient length 

 of time to get out all the "sourness" they should not be 

 used for commercial crops of onions. They will make 

 big crops but the onions' will be overgrown and of such 

 irregular shape as to be unsaleable. JSTeither will onions 

 grown on such land keep, but rot shortly after being har- 

 vested. 



In that section the ground should be thoroughly broken 

 up about September 1st and harrowed. All grass, roots, 

 sticks' and trash should be removed. Every ten days or 

 so the piece of onion land should be run over with a har- 

 row or cultivator to kill the weeds and grass that has 

 started and not later than two weeks before transplanting 

 from one to two tons of high grade commercial fertilizer 

 should be applied per acre and plowed in lightly. Fertil- 

 izer formulas will be given later. The seed bed can be 

 handled as in the Texas practice except that irrigation 

 is not needed. On the heavier soils do not cover the seed 

 over one-half inch; in sandy soils three-quarters to one 

 inch of loose soil can be used in covering. Unless planted 

 in showery weather the soil should be firmed or rolled af- 

 ter planting. 



If you are sowing in open ground where the crop is to 

 stand and intensive culture given, the land should be laid 

 off in rows fourteen to sixteen inches apart, with the un- 

 derstanding that all cultivation is to be done with wheel 

 hoes or cultivators. Seed should be drilled in, using four 

 to five pounds of seed per acre. With seasonable weather 

 the seed should germinate in five to eight days and as 

 soon as the rows are well defined, light surface cultiva- 

 tion should begin and be continued frequently until tho 

 bulbs are at least half grown. The onion is largely a 



