DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



43 



:^. 





New Queen. 



produces the top onion, and the little top onion produces 

 the large onion. 



Red Bottom Sets.— Produced by sowing the seed of 

 the Large Red Wethersfield very thickly in the spring, 

 and not thinning out. They mature under this method 

 when about half an inch through. They are then used 

 precisely as top onions are, setting them [out in the 

 spring, instead of sowing seed. 



Top. or Button. 



Yellow Bottom Sets.— Identical with the preced 

 ing, except in color. They are used in the same manner 

 and produced from black seed of the Yellow Dutch, or 

 Yellow Danvers \^rieties. 



White Bottom Sets.— The seed of the White Sil- 

 verskin or White Portugal varieties is used to produce 

 the white set. They do not keep as well as the red or 

 yellow, but produce beautiful, white onions, early in 

 the season. 



English Multiplier. — Esteemed by many as the best 

 variety for early use It is large-sized, of a mild, sweet, 

 iUkjary flavor- very early, and a large producer The 

 large onion produces several small ones in clusters 



around the bulb, growing mostly on the top of the 

 ground. 



Potato Onion. — Produces a quantity of young bulbs 

 on the parent root, which should be planted early in 

 spring, in rows eighteen inches apart, six inches apart 

 in the row, and covered one inch deep. They should 

 be earthed up like potatoes as they continue to grow 

 With this and the preceding variety, the large bulbs 

 produce the small, and the small the large alternately 



Any of the preceding six varieties can be recommend 

 ed as a small early crop for family use and early home 

 market, but not as a main crop the increase of mar 

 ketable onions over the seed being too small. Of all 

 the various modes of propagation sowing the seed 

 for a mai 71 crop deserves the fir it rank. Its cheap- 

 ness, compared with other modes the facility -with 

 which it is ^wed, the early season when the crop 

 may be gathered i?t, and the superior, fine bulbs 

 which it produces, recotnmend it to general use. But 

 whatever the mode of propagation, the cultivator can- 

 not expect remunerative crops unless he bestows care- 

 ful attention to the selection of 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 our Seed 

 has increased so rapidly, that we are yearly increas 

 ing our facilities for growing We harvested over 

 twenty thousand pounds of onion seed this season on 

 our own seed farm near Detroit which is by far the 

 largest crop ever grown in America by one firm. 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 Beware of Cheap Onion Seed ! as 

 much of it is ivorthless, and is sure to disappoint the 

 purchaser. 



ONIONS-HOW WE RAISE THEM. 



We receive letters every year, inquiring how to raise 

 onions : and for the benefit of our patrons, we will give 

 the method as practiced on our seed farm : 



Any land that will raise a good crop of corn, except 

 stiff clay or gravelly soil is suitable for onions. We 

 select a sandy loam with a light mixture of clay as it 

 is easier to work, and produces good crops. Land that 

 has been worked two years previously in hoed crops and 

 heavily manured for those crops, and kept entirely free 

 from weeds, would be in a desirable condition to com- 

 mence with. Gather off any refuse that may be on it, 

 and in October apply about fifty cart loads of manure to 

 an acre. The manure should have been twice turned 

 during the previous summer, and well fermented, to 

 destroy any weed seeds that may be in it Spread the 

 manure evenly on the land, and plow it under, taking 

 a narrow furrow, which will mix the manure more 

 thoroughly with the soil. This will be all the prepara- 

 tion needed in the fall As early in the spring as the 

 ground can be worked without injury', give it a thorough 

 dragging, first with an iron drag then with a brush 

 drag, after which rake the entire piece with steel hand 

 rakes. 



Stretch your line perfectly straight along one side of 

 your bed then with a wooden marker — containing five 

 teeth fourteen inches apart — mark off your ground, run- 

 ning your outside tooth along the line ; returning, place 

 the outside tooth in the last mark, and follow it for a 

 guide, repeating this operation until the piece is all 

 marked. 



We use a seed drill with a roller attached. Most of 

 the drills have places in the bottom of the feed box 

 numbered . No. 4 usually sowing four pounds of seed to 



