4 



Onions can be raised on a variety of soils, but yield the 

 most satisfactory returns on a sandy loam, a gravelly soil, or, 

 to state a general rule, on those soils which are light in struc- 

 ture. As onions are brought on the heavier soils, the first ef- 

 fect vdll be a deterioration in their appearance, the outer skin 

 of the yellow varieties, losing its fine, clear, translucent yellow, 

 and becoming thicker, duller, and less attractive in appear- 

 ance. If planted on a wet or very hea\y soil, the crop will 

 mature late, if it matures at all, giving a large proportion of 

 that dread of the onion grower, scallions, or ^^scullions'* as 

 farmers term them, meaning those whose growth runs mostly 

 to the neck, forming little or no bulb or bottom. With plenty 

 of manure onions will thrive well on soil that is very gravelly. 

 I have seen very large crops grown on Marblehead Neck, on 

 land so stony, that, after a rain' on an area of many square 

 yards not a particle of soil could be seen, nothing but small 

 angular fragments of porph}Ty, with thrifty onions springing 

 as it were out of the ver}^ rocks. Let it be understood, how- 

 ever, that this soil was not of a leachy nature, but rested on a 

 hard-pan bottom. The area of land selected should be free 

 of all large stones, as such interfere seriously with the straight- 

 ness of the rows, the planting, hoeing and general cultivation 

 of so small-sized a product. Ultimately, good cultivators 

 clear their onion grounds of large loose rocks by blasting or 

 sinking them ; obviously, the sooner this is done, the larger 

 are the returns received from such judicious investments. The 

 land should be laid out in as nearly a square as practicable, 

 ;as this facihtates estimates of manure, seed, and crops, gives 

 greater regularity to the work, and economizes in the cultiva- 

 tion of a crop which requires a great deal of passing over. 

 To protect the crop from the washing of heavy showers, the 

 land should be level or very nearly so, otherwise a rush of 



