42 



I). M. FERRY & CO'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



onions, planted the same day, side by side, thinned to 

 the same number of plants to the rod, hoed and treated 

 in every way precisely alike, the difference being en- 

 tirely in the sowings, which were samples of seed 

 offered us by two growers. Here, then, if nowhere else, 

 the greatest care should be taken to secure the best pos- 

 sible seed. Seed grown in the North will be pretty sure 

 to produce better onions when sown in the Southern 

 States than southern grown seed. 



We make a specialty of onion seed, and grow and dis- 

 pose of many tons annually. The demand for otir seed 

 has increased so rapidly that we are yearly increasing 

 our facilities for growing, so that we think we annu- 

 ally produce on our seed farms near Detroit the largest 

 crop grown by any one firm in America. Our stock is 

 all grown from choice, selected bulbs, under our own 

 supervision, therefore those who order seed of us will 

 be sure of getting new , choice seed of the best quality. 



HOM TO RKISE ONIONS. 



This is a question we are asked many times every 

 year, and which we will try to answer from our experi- 

 ence in raising many thousands of bushels. 



Soil. — A good crop of onions can be raised on any 

 soil which will produce a full crop of corn, unless it be a 

 stiff clay, very light sand or gravel, or certain varieties 

 of muck or swamp lands. We prefer a rich, sandy loam, 

 with a light mixture of clay. This is much better if it 

 has been cultivated with hoed crops, kept clean of weeds 

 and well manured for two years previous, because if a 

 sufficient quantity of manure to raise an ordinary soil to 

 a proper degree of fertility is applied at once, it is likely 

 to make the onions soft. Large and fine crops of onions 

 are often raised on black muck lands, but they must be 

 "sweet" and well drained. Ordinary swamp land will 

 not do, and even on the best of muck the first crop is 

 apt to be soft and " necky." 



manure. — There is no crop where a liberal use of 

 manure is more essential than in this. Even on the 

 deep, black muck onion lands of the Western Reserve, 

 manure is essential to a good crop, and not only is the 

 quantity but the quality of the manure used of the 

 greatest importance. If it is too rank it is quite 

 sure to make soft onions, with many scullions. It should 

 be well fermented and shoveled over at least twice 

 during the previous summer to kill weed seeds. Of the 

 commercial manures, we prefer fine ground bone to any 

 other, but large crops are raised by the use of super- 

 phosphates. If these manures are used, one-half should 

 be applied when the crop is sown, and the rest just 

 before they begin to form bottoms. 



Preparation. — In time to complete the work 

 before the ground freezes up, remove all refuse of pre- 

 vious crops, and spread the composted manure evenly, 

 at the rate of about fifty cart loads to the acre. This 

 should first be cultivated in, and then the ground 

 ploughed a moderate depth, taking a narrow furrow, in 

 order more thoroughly to mix the manure with the soil. 

 Carefully avoid tramping on the ground during the 

 winter, and as early in the spring as it can be worked, 

 cultivate or thoroughly drag it with a heavy harrow, 

 and then in the opposite direction with a light one, after 

 which the entire surface should be raked with steel 

 hand rakes. It is impossible to cultivate the crop econ- 

 omically unless the rows are perfectly straight; to secure 

 this, stretch a line along one side, fourteen feet from 

 the edge, and make a distinct mark along it; then, hav- 

 ing made a wooden marker something like a giant rake 

 with five teeth about a foot long and standing fourteen 

 inches apart, make four more marks by carefully draw- 

 ing it with the outside tooth in, and the head at right 

 angles to the perfectly straight mark made by the line | 



Continue to work around this line until on the third 

 passage of the marker you reach the side of the field 

 where you began; measure fifteen feet two inches from 

 the last row, stretch the line again, and mark around in 

 the same way. This is much better than to stretch a 

 line along one side, as it is impossible to prevent the 

 rows gradually becoming crooked, and by this plan we 

 straighten them after every third passage of the marker. 



Sowing the Seed.— This should be done as 

 soon as the ground can be got ready, and can best be 

 done by a hand seed drill. This should be carefully 

 adjusted (testing it by running it over a barn floor), to 

 sow the desired quantity of seed and about one-half 

 inch deep. The quantity needed will vary with the 

 soil, the seed used, and the kind of onions desired. 

 Thin seeding gives much larger onions than thick. Four 

 or five pounds is the usual quantity needed to grow large 

 onions. We use a drill with a roller attached, but if the 

 drill has none, the ground should be well rolled with a 

 hand roller immediately after the seed is planted. 



Cultivation. — As soon as the onions are up so 

 they can be seen the length of the row, give them the 

 first hoeing, just skimming the ground between the 

 rows. We use a hoe made expressly for this purpose. 

 The blade is eight inches long and one and a half broad, 

 with a long crooked shank set in a handle five feet long. 

 The shape of the hoe allows the earth to pass over the 

 blade without moving it out of its place. A few days 

 after give them the second hoeing, this time close up to 

 the plants, after which weeding must be continued. 

 This operation requires to be carefully and thoroughly 

 done; the weeder must get down to his work on his knees 

 astride of the row, stirring the earth around the plants, 

 in order to destroy any weeds that have just started and 

 cannot be seen. In ten days or two weeks they will 

 require another hoeing and weeding similar to the last; 

 and two weeks later give them still another hoeing, and 

 if necessary another weeding. If the work has been 

 thoroughly done,- and at the proper time, the crop will 

 not need anything more until ready to gather. 



Gathering;.— As soon as the tops die and fall, the 

 crop should be gathered by pulling four rows and lay- 

 ing them in a single one, the tops all one way, and then 

 returning on the next four forming a similar row, but 

 with the tops in the opposite direction; laying the tops 

 in this way greatly facilitates the "topping." If the 

 weather is fine they will need no attention while curing, 

 but if it is not, they will need to be stirred by simply 

 moving them slightly along the row. When the tops 

 are perfectly dry, cut them off about half an inch from 

 the bulb, and throw each pair of rows together forming 

 windrows about nine feet apart. After a few days more 

 cf bright weather, they will be fit to store. 



F*or IMchleS or Sets. — Good ground should 

 be used prepared as above, but the seed sown in broad 

 drills and very thick, forty to sixty pounds per acre. 



How to Keep Onions Through 



"Winter. — The essentials for the preservation of 

 onions are dryness, thorough ventilation, coolness, and 

 freedom from frost, or if frozen, they must not be per- 

 mitted to thaw and freeze again. 



One of the most popular methods of keeping onions, 

 is to spread straw to the depth of eighteen inches upon 

 the barn floor, scaffold or garret; upon this spread the 

 onions six to ten inches deep, and cover with two feet of 

 straw. If in good condition and sufficient depth of 

 covering is used, they will keep in fine condition till 

 May. 



A cool, dry cellar of some out-building, barn, or car- 

 nage-house will be found excellent for keeping onions, 

 | if it has windows for ventilation. The cellar of a dwell- 



