394 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
planted as early in the spring as the ground can be pre- 
pared, as there is no danger of injury from freezing. The 
rows are usually I foot apart and the sets 3 inches apart 
in the row. They should be barely covered in the heav- 
ier soils; the depth slightly increased in sandy types. The 
number of bushels of sets required for an acre will de- 
pend upon the planting distances and the size of the 
bulbs. The quantity usually ranges from 8 to 12 bushels. 
A Massachusetts specialist plants about 20 bushels of 
sets to the acre. The gross sales of bulbs sometimes 
amount to $500 an acre, although this is an unusual re- 
turn from sets. 
538. Cultivation. — As the onion is a shallow-rooted 
plant, care must be taken not to injure the roots by deep 
tillage. When hard rains incrust the soil before seeds 
have germinated, light raking or rolling will be an ad- 
vantage. Horse cultivators are sometimes employed, 
especially in the heavier soils, which are difficult to work 
by hand. However, the additional spacing between 
rows, required for horse tillage, necessarily limits the 
yield. If ground has been properly prepared, there will 
be few instances when the rows should be more than 1 
foot apart. Hand wheel hoes must then be employed in 
cultivating. Both single and double wheel types are in 
common use, but it is more economical to use double 
than single wheel hoes when the plants are small. Many 
growers prefer the single wheels at all stages of growth. 
Straight rows and uniform spacing are a great advantage 
in the operation of wheel hoes. The vertical shovels or 
teeth are most useful in heavy soils, Avhile the horizon- 
tal sweeps are most serviceable in light soils. The lat- 
ter attachments may be used without danger of cover- 
ing the small plants. It is necessary to cultivate from 8 
to 15 times during the season. 
Hand weeding and thinning are required. This work 
is often done by boys and girls. The thinning is usually 
