ONION. 



215 



known by the name of scullions, with the neck stiff and 

 green ; whereas those on suitable ground are ripe and dry 

 by the first of September. Rotten stable-manure, made in 

 the winter preceding the spring in which it is put on the 

 land, is generally made use of, to be spread on the ground, 

 and ploughed in. I have a piece of land four rods square, 

 on which onions have been raised, I suppose, these eighty 

 years ; and since I have improved it, I have yearly spread 

 upon it five cart-loads of manure, such as are usually 

 drawn by one pair of oxen ; and have raised from four to 

 seven hundred bunches of onions upon it, at three gmd a 

 half pounds to the bunch, of which about sixteen make 

 a bushel." 



Mr. Hubbard puts the seed into the ground as soon as 

 the frost is out, and it is sufiiciently dry to be worked ; 

 frequently the latter part of March, but more frequency 

 in the first days of April. He has always planted them in 

 hills, which is the general practice in Concord. " My 

 method of preparing the ground and planting the seed is^ 

 iirst, carry on the manure, and spread it as even as possible, 

 when the ground is to be ploughed ^eep ; then let the plat 

 be divided into beds, about three feet nine inches wide ; 

 to do which the easier way is to stretch a line across, lining 

 one bed at a time ; after this, let a man, with a shovel or a 

 potato-hoe, make an alley through the whole piece, to 

 separate the beds, about four inches deep, and sufiiciently 

 wide to admit a person to walk in it. Then let the lumps 

 be beat fine, levelling the ground, and shaping the beds ; 

 ;svhich, after being raked smooth, must be divided into 

 squares of eight or nine inches. This is best done by a line ; 

 or it is sufiiciently exact to draw a heavy rope backwards 

 and forwards. Now let the seeds, six or seven in a hill, 

 more or less, be dropped into the corners of the squares, 

 and covered with mould, about half an inch deep, pressed 

 down with the hand." 



A writer for the N, E. Farmer, vol. iii. p. 249, with the 

 signature J. M., recommends " a moist, black soil," as best, 

 but says a free, deep loam will answer very well." " The 

 onion is not by nature inclined to root deep. You must 

 give it a hard bottom to grow on, and keep your manure 

 on the surface within reach of the roots ; then they will 

 grow large, flat, and handsome." — Advises to sow the same 

 piece for several successive years. I have always sowed 

 onions in drills, about eighteen inches apart, to give fair 

 play to the hoe. Onions must be sowed as early a» ^>oissi- 



