ONIONS ON MUCK 



45 



precede onions than late celery. This crop properly cared 

 for leaves the soil in better condition for onions than any 

 other preparation I know. Other crops that leave the soil 

 in good condition for onions are late potatoes and late let- 

 tuce. 



Preparation of Soil. 



I would not plow the ground after any of these crops. 

 Whenever possible, I level the celery banks down in the late 

 fall, using a heavy plank set on edge, drawn by means of a 

 chain and held on edge by two handles. This is a short job, 

 as two banks are broken down at once. The leveling is done 

 in the fall so that there may be no banks to retain frost late 

 the following season. As soon as the ground is fit in the 

 spring, we harrow with a spring tooth. We also use a 

 Meeker harrow and other tools for leveling, being careful to 

 get the ground as level as possible. When this is accomplish- 

 ed, we sow fifteen hundreds pounds of a 4-6-10 fertilizer per 

 acre, using an Empire broadcast distributor. I will say that 

 the nitrogen of this fertilizer has its source in nitrate of 

 soda, blood and tankage, thus furnishing nitrogen that is 

 available throughout the season. The potash, as in most 

 com^plete fertilizers, is in the form of muriate, which en- 

 hances the yellow color of our onions. The fertilizer is 

 thoroughly harrowed into the soil with spring tooth and peg 

 tooth. Then the Meeker harrow is passed over the ground 

 and does away with nearly all hand raking. We have drilled 

 onions immediately after the Meeker harrow, but prefer to 

 first pack the ground with a plank and then sow. I use an 

 ordinary one-row Planet Jr. drill, largely, I suppose, because 

 my neighbors do so, but also because I believe I can get bet- 

 ter distribution of seed and rows more nearly straight than 

 with drills sowing more than one row. I have obtained the 

 best yields from sowing six pounds of ninety per cent, germ- 

 ination test seed per acre. I hold that the seed should always 

 be tested and the amount sown regulated accordingly. 



Weeding and Cultivating. 



As soon as the rows shov^ plainly, we go between them with 

 a single wheel cultivator and follow this with a double wheel, 



