736 EXPERIENCES 



oaghly subdued or one lacking in fertility, tends to pro- 

 duce scullions Late sowing and neglect in weeding 

 also favor this form of growth. 



My practice has been to apply manure in the fall or 

 winter and plow it under in the spring, but many spread 

 the manure after plowing, only harrowing it in. The 

 onion is generally considered to be a shallow rooted 

 plant, and the advice is not to plow deep, but I have 

 found equally good results from rather deep plowing. 

 In a study of root growth at the New York State Exper- 

 iment Station, it was found that the roots of a young 

 onion, the size of a cherry pit, extended to a depth of 

 sixteen inches. 



Be sure that you do not spread your energies over too 

 much ground. An amount of manure and labor which 

 rightly applied to half an acre of land, should yield loo 

 per cent, profit, if expended on one acre may give only 

 loss 



So'Liiiiig. — Onions are propagated as follows : i, seeds; 

 2, sets ; 3, top-sets or top-onions ; 4, multipliers or po- 

 tato-onions ; 5, rareripes. The first two methods are 

 the most common and important, though the potato- 

 onions are valuable in some sections, especially farther 

 south. 



First, get good fresh seed, then sow just as early as 

 the ground can be got in condition. This is important 

 to secure sound, firm onions. The sowing can be more 

 easily and quickly done with a seed-drill, but it is easier 

 to care for the crop if the ground is marked both ways 

 and sowed by hand. This is seldom done. The weather 

 is generally uncertain at that season, and when the land 

 is fitted it is desirable to get the seed in as soon as pos- 

 sible, for a storm may come and the ground not be in a 

 condition to touch again for two weeks ; besides, the 

 yield is not quite so much per acre when sown in hills 

 tar enough apart to be cultivated both ways. Sow in 

 drills thirteen inches apart, at the rate of about four 

 pounds per acre. Most writers recommend more than 

 this, but with good seed and soil in the right condition 

 this is sufficient. My experience has been that with 

 good seed I often get them too thick, but never too ihin. 

 If for sets, sow very thick, thirty pounds per acre, for 

 they are better if they do not grow larger than one-half 

 inch in diameter. These are used mostly by market- 

 gardeners, for producing "bunch" onions. If sets tend 

 to run to seed, roll down the tops with a barrel. 



Subsequent ciilHire. — It is very important to keep 

 ahead in cultivating, for if by any neglect or inability 

 the weeds get a start it will not only double the cost of 

 weeding, but seriously injure the crop. Two seasons 

 past I have used a small hand drag, made of strips of 

 board with ten-penny steel nails for teeth, for the first 

 work in the way of cultivation, and find it beneficial. 

 Begin the use about one week after sowing and continue 

 until the onions are well up. It breaks the crust of the 

 soil, destroys many of the weeds just germinating, and 

 in no way injures the onions. Frequently stirring the 

 soul assists the crop throughout, and at no time after 

 the plants are well under way can it be done so cheaply 



WITH ONIONS. 



as before. As soon as the plants can be plainly seen, 

 begin work with the wheel-hoe and weeding. For land 

 free from stones, I have seen no wheel-hoe which I like 

 as well as Gregory's " Finger-weeder. " I have also used 

 the " Firefly, " which is an excellent general purpose 

 hoe. Three hand weedings are usually sufficient, with 

 perhaps one or two extra workings with the wheel-hoe 

 or scuffle-hoe. 



Harvesting. — Onions from sets are generally pulled 

 when half-grown, bunched and sold for " green onions," 

 as the market demands. 



Pull the field crop when most of the tops are dead, 

 pulling four rows together with the tops all one way ; 

 returning, lay the next four rows with the tops in the 

 opposite direction. This facilitates the topping, the 

 onions being thrown to the left as topped, bringing 

 eight rows together in one windrow. The topping is 

 best done with sheep-shears. The bulbs can be pulled 

 quicker by running the wheel-hoe under the rows, then 

 raking them together with a garden rake ; but the time 

 is lost again in topping. This should not be done until 

 the onions are thoroughly cured. It is useless to cut off 

 a top so long as it shows any green color, for the bulbs 

 will immediately grow and soon spoil. 



Marketing . — The green onions must depend princi- 

 pally on a retail market, but the main crop is a more 

 staple article of produce and is largely handled in bar- 

 rels or bulk, like potatoes. With these, like everything 

 else, a good market is one of the most important points. 



Storing. — As a rule, the best way to store onions is in 

 cash. If for any reason it seems otherwise, they may 

 be kept in a cool dry cellar, well exposed to the air, if 

 the onions are of good quality and well cured, but if they 

 are large, with coarse necks, the task will be a difficult 

 one. The plan generally recommended is to put them 

 in some cool loft, where they may be covered and kept 

 frozen until spring. 



I'arieties. — The Yellow Danvers and Red Wethers- 

 field are the most reliable for market and profit. The 

 latter is a little later, and I am inclined to think a little 

 more difficult to cure and keep. White onions sell best 

 in market, but are not good keepers, and the hot sun is 

 apt to turn them green. 



Seed growing. — Select well matured, best shaped bulbs 

 in the fall, and carefully carry them over the winter, 

 planting out early the following spring, setting in fur- 

 rows four or five inches deep, to prevent the tops from 

 tipping over when grown ; cover gradually. A method 

 recommended by Joseph Harris certainly has the ad- 

 vantage of being easily done ; prepare the ground and 

 set the bulbs about October first, giving no further at- 

 tention until the following spring. Keep seed onions 

 well cultivated, and when the seed pods begin to crack, 

 cut off the heads with a few inches of stalk, and spread 

 in an airy place to dry ; then thrash and clean with a 

 fanning mill. If further cleaning is necessary they may 

 be sunk in water. The seed is unreliable the second 

 year, hence varies greatly in price, as it is diflftcult to 

 grow good seed some seasons. 



