D. M. FERRY Sc GO'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



43 



orsioMS 



In onion culture, thorough preparation of the ground, careful 

 sowing and the best of after culture, though essential for a full 

 yield, will avail nothing unless seed of the best quality be used. 

 Given the same care and conditions the product froin two lots of 

 onion seed of the same variety hut of different quality may be 

 so imequal in the quantity of merchantable onions, that it would 



be more profitable to use the good seed though it cost twenty times as much as tlie other. 



Om^horough equipuieut Snd long experience in growing onion seed of the very best quality, enables us to say without 



hesitation that our stock is fully equal to any, and superior in quality to most that is offered . ^ , .. . 



AWwunh onions are often raised from sets and from division, by far the best and cheapest mode of production ,8 



from seed The facility with which seed is soivn, and the superior bulbs it produces, recommend it for general use. 



HOW TO RAISE ONIONS 



this, and 



THC CAII a crop of onions can be grown on any soil which will produce 

 I nC OUIL a full crop of corn, but on a stiff clay, very light sand or gravel, 

 or on some muck or swamp lands, neither a large nor a very profitable crop can 

 be grown. We prefer a rich loam with a slight mixture of clay. This is much 

 better if it has been cultivated with hoed crops, kept clean from weeds and well 

 manured for two vears 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 hkely 

 to make the onions soft. The same result will follow if we sow on 

 rank, muekv ground or on that which is too wet. 

 lU A IV I IRINfl There is no crop in which a liberal use of 

 iTl/\liUl\.lliVJ manure is more essential than 

 it should be of the best quality, well fermented 

 and shoveled over at least twice during the pre- 

 vious summer to kill weed seeds. If rank, fresh 

 manure is used, it is liable to result in soft bulbs 

 witli many scallions. Of the commercial manures, 

 any of the high grade, complete fertilizers are good 

 for ordinary soils, and even those that are very rich 

 are often benefited by fine ground bone, and mucky 

 ones by a liberal dressing of wood ashes. 

 DDPD A r> A TinN Remove all refuse of previ- 

 r ivL'r /\l\rt 1 I\^i"^ o^is crops in time to com- 

 plete the work before the ground freezes up, and 

 spread the composted manure evenly at the rate of 

 about fiftv 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 to 

 thoroughly mix the manure with the soil. Carefully 

 avoid tramping on the ground during the winter. 

 Cultivate or thoroughly drag the soil with a heavy 

 harrow as early in the spring as it can be worked, 

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

 after which the entire sui'face should be made fine 

 and level with a smoothing harrow or hand rakes. It 

 is impossible to cultivate the crop economically 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, having 

 made a wooden marker, something like a giant rake 

 with five teeth about a foot long and standing four- 

 teen inches apart, make four more marks by care- 

 fully drawing it with the outside tooth in, and the 

 head at rigid 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 fif- 

 teen feet two inches from the last row% stretch the 

 line again and mark around in the same way. This 

 is 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 „ o^„ ^ „„^ r,.,,^., 



Straighten them after every third paslage of the marker. Southport Red Globe Onion. 



^OWINfi THP ^PPn Tliis should be done ,as soon knees astride the row, stirring the earth around the plants, in 

 OU TT inu 1 IIL/ olvL/L' as the ground can be gotten order to destroy any weeds that have just started. At this 

 ready, and can be done best by a hand seed drill This should weeding or the next, according to size of the plants, the rows 



be carefully adjusted to sow the desired quantity of seed 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 seeding. Four 

 or five pounds per acre 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 light 

 hand roller immediately after the seed is planted. 



nil TIVATION *^'^'® ^^® onions the first hoeing just 

 VUL. 1 1 T /\ 1 IV/n skimming the ground between the 

 rows, as soon as they can be seen in the row. Hoe again in 

 a few days, this time close up to the plants, after which weed- 

 ing must be begun. This operation requires to be care- 

 fully and thoroughly done. The weeder must work on his 



should be thinned, leaving from eight to twelve plants to the 

 foot. In ten days or two weeks they will require another hoe- 

 ing and weeding similar to the last, and two weeks later give 

 them still another hoeing, and if necessar.v, another weeding. 

 If the work has been thoroughly done at the proper time, the 

 crop will not require further care until ready to gather. 



nATHPRlNfi -'^^ ^^^^ ^^ *^^^ *^I'^ ^^^^ ^"<^^ f^^^' the 

 \Jr\ I lll^lXliiVJ bulbs should be gathered into windrows. 



If the weather is fine they will need no attention while cur- 

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

 moving them slightly along the row. Cut off the tops when 

 perfectly dry. about half an inch from the bulb, and then after 

 a few days of bright weather the onions will be fit to store for 

 the winter. 



It will not do to store onions in large piles or masses, particularly in warm weather, or if they are the least moist, but if 

 perfectly dry when gathered and they are spread not to exceed two feet in depth, they can be kept in fine condition till spring. 

 Any arrangement will do that will keep them dry and at a uniform temperature of about S'2° fr., or they may be kept frozen, 

 care being taken not to disturb them. They should be thawed gradually. Repeated freezing and thawing will spoil them. 



cultivation. It is more inclined to form large necks if planted 

 on unsuitable soil than the Danvers. but is the best variety on 

 sized, flat variety; an abundant producer, and very uniform in ^oor or dry soils. Pkt. 6c; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 'JOc: hg Lb. 80o; 

 shape and size; moderately strong flavored, and comes into /Lb. $1.00 



use nearly two weeks earlier than the Large Red Wethere/ £*«„+|,-^p|. Qpj fj^hp The onions from Southport, 



[lUI i IfCU UIUUC Conn., generally connnand an 

 price in New York markets, because of their beauti- 



L^vtril FAflV Dprt The first to ripen and one of the hand- 

 LAlia Lul ly ItC/U somest of the red sorts. A medium 



field. Very desirable for early market use 



Pkt. 5c; Oz. 10c: 2 Oz. 20c; ^ Lb; 30c; Lb. $1.00 



'i{;arge Red Wethersfield ™yj,"k'L,?'":t';i;r,e 



onion in the east, where immense crops are grown for 

 shipment. Bulb large, somewhat flattened, oval shape; skin 

 deep purple-red; flesli purplish-white, moderately finegrained 

 and stronger flavored than any of the other kinds. Very pro- 

 ductive, the best keeper and one of the most popular for general 



ful shape and color, due ]iartlj' to the variety grown and partly 

 to the favorable soil and the extra care taken in handling the 

 crop. This variety is of medium size, spherical, with small 

 neck, very deep, rich red color, and of superior quality. We 

 offer a strain of especially good quality, and much superior 

 to that usually sold. Pkt". oo; Oz. 15o;"2 Oz. 25c; h. Lb. 40o; 

 Lb. $1.26 



