ONION NOTES-. 



THE WAYS IN WHICH ONIONS 



The soil best adapted to onions is a heavy, sandy 

 loam, but a light clay loam will answer if it is well 

 worked and does not pack or bake. Reclaimed 

 swamp land is excellent if it is perfectly dry, thor- 

 oughly drained, and free from stones and roots ; 

 with proper manuring it will improve. Ground can be 

 planted to onions without detriment for any length 

 of time, if kept well manured. The average yield 

 is 500 bushels or more per acre. 



The requirements for successful onion culture are 

 good seed, liberal use of manure, and thorough cultiva- 

 tion. Hen manure, bone, ashes, fish and guano, are 

 particularly good, but they should be composted with 

 plenty of good iine muck or leaf mould. Swamp muck 

 may be used to good advantage, especially on heavy 

 loam. 



The red onions, either the globe or flat, are the most 

 in demand, the easiest to cure, and will keep the best. 

 There is a demand for the yellow sorts, but it is some- 

 what local. The white onions will always sell higher 

 than the others if first-class ; but they are uncertain. 



To secure good seed, select the best onions, those 

 which are firm, round, of good size and bright color, 

 and which have not been frosted. As soon as frost is out 

 of the ground in the spring the bed should be deeply and 

 thoroughly harrowed down smooth ; then lay out furrows 

 three feet apart, and four inches deep. Set the onions 

 in the furrows and cover by turning part of the dirt 

 back on them. When the onions have started turn more 

 soil over them until the furrows are filled up level. This 

 method of planting gives the onion air, and allows it to 

 secure firm hold in the ground. All weeds should be 

 kept out to the end of the season, when the stalks begin 

 to turn brown. When the seed pods begin to crack 

 they should be cut off with five or six inches of stalk 

 attached to them, and laid on the barn floor, leaving 

 the doors open for a free circulation of air. The heads 

 can be placed two or three inches deep. Turn them 

 over daily until they are thoroughly dried, then thresh 

 and clean them, put in coarse bags and hang up in a 

 dry, airy place. The ground to be used must be as free 

 as possible from foul seed, and weeds prevented from 

 seeding. 



For field onions, give the ground a good fall dressing 

 of barn-yard manure that contains no foul seed. Plow 

 it in deeply early in the spring, give a dressing of 

 ashes or bone, and harrow the land both ways to pul- 

 verize the soil. Do not harrow over two inches deep, 

 as the onion will bottom better than when deep cultiva- 

 tion is practiced. Then sow seed, making the rows 

 twelve inches apart, and half an inch deep, and cover 

 by drawing the back of a hand rake over the drills. 



ARE PROPAGATED AND GROWN. 



When up so that the rows can be seen, go through with 

 a hoe, loosen the top soil and kill the weeds ; continue 

 this constantly. When the tops begin to wilt and fall 

 down, the onions should be pulled, and the tops cut off, 

 leaving about one inch of top on the onion. Allow 

 them to lay on the ground until cured or dry. When 

 perfectly dry, if to be kept through the winter, put in 

 heaps where there is a free circulation of air, and turn 

 them frequently. Store in a cool, dry, airy place ; as 

 the weather becomes colder, cover them with straw. In 

 case the onions freeze, do not disturb or move them 

 until the frost has passed out ; if kept too warm or damp 

 they will decay. 



For very early onions sets are used. They are often 

 planted out in the early fall. To grow the sets prepare 

 the ground the same as for seed onions, and sow the 

 seed thickly, about one-half inch each way in small beds. 

 The seed being too close together, lack of room pre- 

 ents the bulbs from growing large. Keep perfectly 

 clean, and when the tops wilt they should be pulled and 

 left several days to dry. Then put in a coarse sieve, 

 shake the dirt from them, and spread out thinly in a 

 cool place where the wind can blow over them. Turn 

 them frequently. When dry, put in coarse bags, hang 

 up in a dry place and keep as cool as possible without 

 freezing. Leave the tops on till spring to prevent 

 heating and sweating. 



For planting out sets the ground is prepared the same 

 as for seed onions, and is marked off in rows twelve 

 inches apart. The sets are planted from two to four 

 inches apart in the rows. Keep the ground loose. 



Potato onions, or multipliers, are the earliest and hardi- 

 est of all onions, and they are the chief sort raised by 

 truck growers in the south for early market. I^repare 

 the ground as for seed onions, making the rows one foot 

 apart and set the bulbs five or six inches apart in the 

 row, setting so deep as to just cover them. Press the 

 soil close to them. When they have started, loosen the 

 soil by using a scuffle hoe. When the tops wilt or fall 

 down, pull and top, leaving one inch of top on. 



Top or tree onions are a sort which produces a large 

 cluster of small onions on the top of the stalk. These 

 small ones, when set, produce a large one so that it 

 takes two seasons to grow a full-sized bulb. They are 

 not grown for market, but mostly in gardens for home 

 use. When the tops are ripe, cut them off, leaving 

 plenty of stalk to tie in bunches and hang up to dry. 



Rareripes are sprouted or medium sized onions set in 

 garden beds for early use. They simply grow larger, 

 and are soon fit to use. When the seed stalk has fully 

 started and has begun to harden, break it down just be- 

 low the bilge. 



Nnu York. S. B. Conover. 



