OiC^C M OR S ~E & CO" VEGETABLE SEEDS ^ 
ONIONS 
HOW TO GROW ONIONS FOR MARKET 
The most essential Item in growing Onions for market is good seed — seed that will come up and seed that will produce the vari- 
ety you want— cheap seed is very poor economy. 
For general crop, the seed must be sown during the month of January or before February 1st, and, if the location is a fairly dry one, it is best 
to sow about the middle of December. The seed should be sown with a seed drill in rows 14 inches apart, using 4 to iy 2 pounds of seed per 
acre. In very weedy land the rows may be 18 or 20 inches apart when less seed is required. 
For planting a single row of onions among strawberry plants about 2 pounds of seed per acre is sufficient. 
The land must be thoroughly worked before planting, and usually two good plowings, a good disking, and a harrowing are necessary, 
the crop must always be kept free from weeds, and it is usually necessary to weed out in the row by hand once or twice. Hoeing between 
the rows may be done oftener. It is not necessary to thin the plants in the row, since some thinning is naturally done during the hand weeding. 
The land chosen for onions should be wet land, preferably loose, sandy loam or peat, and should always be kept well drained. Heavy adobe 
or clay soil is good, but needs to be irrigated in May, June, and July, and the onions are not so well colored or even in shape in heavy stiff 
soils. Steady, even growth is necessary to good onions, and a check in the growth, whether from disease or drought, causes them to run to 
seed badly. Onions are ready to harvest usually the latter part of August, when, with a good crop, the tops are pretty well ripened down. 
It the tops are still standing and green it is well to run a light roller or plank over them to press the tops down, and the onions should be pulled 
in about ten days after this is done, whether the tops have dried off or not. It requires not less than two full weeks to properly cure onions 
after they are pulled. In localities where fog is prevalent it is best to spread the onions out on the ground, not more than one bulb deep. 
It is usual in other climates to throw into windrows a foot or more 
deep and cover lightly with straw or dried tops. It is best not to 
top and sack until ready to ship to market, and if onions are to be 
kept for any length of time they should not be sacked, but should 
be put under cover on a floor or in a bin with abundant circulation 
of air, and be kept absolutely dry. 
The value of an onion crop is naturally dependent on the market 
and on the character of the land planted. Land that is very 
foul should usually be avoided as too expensive. Also avoid land 
which has just had a hay or grain crop, and if possible use land 
that has been planted to vegetables or some hoed crop, especially 
peas and beans. An onion crop should not be repeated more than 
three times on the same land, and usually twice is best, since onion 
diseases (of which there are many) appear very plentifully. An 
average crop runs from 150 to 200 centals (15,000 to 20,000 lbs.) 
per acre, and the cost represented by labor, rent, sacks, and trans- 
portation is estimated roughly at 875 per acre. 
Another very good system of growing fancy market onions is bv 
transplanting. By this method the seed is sown in beds in August 
and September, and the plants are pulled and transplanted about 
February 15th to March 1st. Put the plants 6 inches apart in lateral 
rows, 14 inches apart when they make a uniform sized bulb and also 
a hard and firm one. This plan is especially recommended for the 
Globe varieties, since they do best under this treatment. About 2 
pounds of seed will furnish plants enough for an acre by this 
method. The expense is considerably greater than by the ordinary 
plan, and should be roughly estimated at $100 per acre. The addi- 
tional cost is simply in labor in transplanting, for there is some saving 
in hoeing and hand weeding. 
Unless the land is porous and friable and also very moist all through 
the summer, this method is usually unsuccessful and is not 
recommended. The seed should never be sown later than Sep- 
tember 15th, and the transplanting should never be done later 
than March 15th. 
Prize Taker 
Australian Brown. An early and jfffi 
very hardy variety which does f '»\ 
especially well in the South. 
Should be planted early, on low, J 
wet grounds to get large bulbs. I 
The skin is thick and the color . f."'' 
is a rich brown. Is especially I 
noted as a long keeper. as it keeps I 
well into spring, and much long- WBk 
er than other varieties. Pkt. 5c; ] 
oz. 15c; \i lb. 50c; lb. $1.75. 
California Early Red. A variety 
much used for very early on- VH| 
ions. If the seed is sown in <BM 
beds in August and set in the 
field in November or December, good ^ 
market onions can be had in May. 
It is not a good-keeping variety, but is 
of very mild flavor and of fine quality. 
Is very much esteemed as a green onion be- 
fore the bulb is formed. Pkt. 5c; oz. 15c; 
M lb. 45c; lb. $1.50. 
Crystal White Wax. A pure white variety, very flat and 
extremely early. Is of the Bermuda type and the 
best strains come from Teneriffe, Canary Islands, where 
we receive our supply. The beautiful clear white onion 
seen in our markets in crates, early in the spring, is this 
variety. Pkt. 5c; oz. 40c; % lb. $1.20; lb. $4.00. 
El Paso. A laTge white globe Italian variety. The 
grain is rather coarse and the flavor mild. It is not a 
good winter sort, but is unsurpassed as a garden 
variety. Pkt. 5c; oz. 25c; M lb. 65c; lb. $2.25. 
Extra Early Pearl. A very early variety 
with white skin, rather coarse grain and mild 
flavor. In shape it is flat and is unsurpassed 
forearly sets or home-made pickles. Pkt. 5c; 
oz. 25c; M lb. 65c; lb. $2.25. 
Extra Early Barletta. Extremely early 
variety. Seed planted in February 
will form ripe onions the last of July. 
Is a white onion, forming small bulbs 
about one inch in diameter. Valuable 
for home-made pickles. Pkt. 5c; oz. 
25c; Mlb. 65c;lb. $2.25. 
Extra Early Golden Globe, or Aus- 
tralian Extra Early Yellow Globe. 
A handsome and valuable yellow 
globe-shaped variety. It is very early 
and extremely hard and firm, and 
almost as good in long-keeping qual- 
ities as Australian Brown. It runs 
very uniform in shape, is of good 
average size, and perfectly globular. 
The skin is rich orange yellow and 
the flesh is quite strong and fine 
grained. Pkt. 5c; oz. 25c;}£lb. 75c; lb. $2.50. 
Extra Early Eed Flat. A very early, fiat vari- 
ety with dark purplish-red skin. Forms a hard 
bulb with good keeping qualities. Pkt. 5c; OZ. 
20c; H lb. 60c; lb. $2.00. 
NOTE— If in doubt about what variety to sow, make it 
Morse Brown Globe, and you will make no mistake. 
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