CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
335 
Sandy loams, when properly enriched with humus and 
plant food, furnish excellent conditions for onions. They 
are easily worked and produce solid, heavy bulbs of 
superior keeping - quality. 
Clay soils should be avoided. They become too hard 
and compact for best results. Clay and alluvial loams, 
when properly handled, yield profitable crops, but the 
supply of humus must be liberal to prevent serious bak- 
ing. Incrustation is especially damaging when it occurs 
before the plants are up or large enough to permit thor- 
ough tillage. 
532. Seed. — Inferior seed is the source of heavy and 
frequent losses in onion culture. Onion seed must be 
fresh, never more than a year old and produced from 
bulbs of a superior character. Some seed firms have es- 
tablished reputations for selling high-grade seed of this 
vegetable, and growers should exercise extreme care in 
ascertaining the best sources of supply. 
While it is less difficult at present to procure good seed 
than formerly, a large number of gardeners and onion 
specialists raise their own seed. The bulbs are best 
selected at harvest. They should be of the desired size 
and form. A short neck is considered an advantage 
Uniformity in all of the essential characteristics is ex- 
ceedingly important in choosing bulbs for seed pur- 
poses. Seed bulbs should be stored as directed in this 
chapter (541) and planted as early as possible in the 
spring. (Some growers prefer fall planting.) The 
ground should be only moderately fertile, especially in 
nit r ogen. Furrows are made 4 or 5 inches deep and 
14 to 30 inches apart, depending upon the method of 
cultivation. After placing the bulbs about 6 inches 
apart in the bottom of the furrow, they are covered with 
a hoe or a small plow. The long, slender seed stalks 
should have some support, which may be provided in 
two ways: (1) By ridging with soil to the height of 7 
