Vol. LVI. No. 2470. 
NEW YORK, MAY 29, 1897. 
$1.00;PER YEAR 
ONION CULTURE IN MICHIGAN. 
M U C-K LAND MADE VALUABLE. 
Culture, Manuring and Handling. 
Onion culture has received the attention in recent 
years of a great many people. Where, formerly, 
onions were raised in a small way, each garden with 
its supply for the family’s use, to-day they are 
grown on large areas, and by men who have made a 
study of their culture. Onion growing is a business 
in itself in many places, and in order to make it a 
success, the grower must be an expert. No two 
successful onion growers do everything alike ; each 
may have some ideas superior to those of the other. 
Last summer, while visiting my native State and 
town, Whitmore Lake, Michigan, I was surprised to 
find that, for the past ten years, the onion crop had 
become such a leading industry with a few farmers. 
On visiting one of these farms, that of Mr. George 
Lavender, many interesting points were obtained 
from the proprietor, a young man about 25 years of 
age. The soil is a black muck, very 
deep, which, 15 years ago, was con¬ 
sidered a detriment to the farms 
containing it. After having been 
cleared of its swampy growth, this 
land was thoroughly drained by a 
network of open ditches, which has 
made it suitable, not only for onions, 
but nearly all garden truck. While 
Mr. Lavender’s main crop is onions, 
he demonstrated by specimens of 
other vegetables, such as celery, 
potatoes, carrots, etc., the possibili¬ 
ties of this soil. 
Some of the principal points in 
onion culture gained from Mr. Lav¬ 
ender, were about as follows: 
“ When we first began raising onions 
on this soil, no fertilizers were 
needed; but after a number of 
heavy crops were taken off, in order 
to keep up the yield, we were com¬ 
pelled to resort to more plant food, 
and with good success. After re¬ 
moving the refuse of the previous 
crop, the ground is at once plowed for 
the next year. We next top-dress with 
what well-rotted stable manure we have, 
which is enough to cover about one-third 
the area each year, at the rate of 12 to 
15 two-horse loads per acre, making a 
dressing for each one-third once in three 
years. At the same time, we sow from 
75 to 100 bushels of unleached wood ashes 
per acre over the whole patch, and drag 
them in. When we do not have sufficient 
ashes for the whole patch in the fall, we 
gather more during the winter, using 
with it what hen manure we can, which 
usually runs from 25 to 30 bushels per 
acre, pulverizing it finely, sowing evenly, 
and working it in well. After the ground 
has been thoroughly dragged to get it 
perfectly level, we go over the field with 
a hand rake, one of our own make, with 
teeth 4% inches long, about two inches 
apart, and the head of the rake about 30 
inches long. Next, we go over the field 
with a hand roller, and then it is ready 
for seeding. 
“ We use the Planet Jr. seed drill, and 
sow about 4% pounds of seed per acre, 
leaving the rows 13 and 15 inches apart. 
Ground that is full of weed seeds is sown in rows 15 
inches apart, and that that is clean, 13 inches apart. 
We have grown various varieties of onions, but find 
the Yellow Globe Danvers the best market onion. 
After the seed is sown, it is but a short time before 
the work commences in earnest. We generally go 
over the patch with a garden rake or wheel hoe, 
Planet Jr., just as they commence to show above 
WHEN THE ONION TOPS FALL DOWN. Fig. 153. 
TOPPING THE ONION CROP. Fig. 154 
. ■ 
Bk v A 4. BB 
■h. V. 
1* scares akK ^ " 
v iiSLi 
• V -.<■* 
' ! ; < . 3^" 
■ fv • ’ • > • ' V . 4- 
, • . . - . *;< . 
SSppr 
mm . 
- W- - ** ' v ’ 
CLEANING AND SORTING THE ONIONS. Fig. 155 
ground. We hoe them at least once a week and, some¬ 
times, oftener, running the hoes as closely to the rows 
as possible, as this saves much expense when it comes 
to hand weeding. The soil is kept well loosened be¬ 
tween the rows, and when the weeds are pulled by 
hand, we always put them in piles, as we find this the 
cheapest way in the end. The patch is always kept 
perfectly clean so that, when we are ready to pull the 
onions, not a weed is to be seen. We sow about the 
middle of April, and the crop is ready for harvest 
about August 25, at which time the tops should 
have fallen down and be partly dry (see Fig 153). 
We never roll them down, as they will fall as soon 
as they get their growth ; and we never try to raise 
any varieties that will not ripen and fall over them¬ 
selves, as they are not hard, and will not keep well. 
“Our method of pulling is to pull three rows at 
a time, laying the tops all one way in a single, 
straight row across the patch ; and the next three 
rows are likewise pulled but placed with the tops in 
the opposite direction, with the butt-ends about 
two feet apart. We top the two rows into one, thus 
making the one row contain the onions of six rows. 
Fig. 154 shows the gang at work carrying out the 
above method. We allow the onions 
to remain on the ground about a 
week after they are topped, if the 
weather is fine ; if not, we leave 
them longer. We used to pick them 
up and sort them by hand, but now 
a machine does that for us. We 
took an old fanning mill and made 
a screen of slats, which allows the 
smaller onions to drop into a box 
beneath ; the larger ones pass over 
and through a shute attached to the 
screen, one end of which is lower 
than the other and is carried to one 
side, where the onions drop into 
bags or baskets (see Fig. 155), all 
cleaned and sorted at a great saving 
of labor. With the mill and eight 
men, we can gather from 800 to 1,000 
bushels in 10 hours. We haul them at 
once to the barn and sheds, and keep 
them from the sun and weather. 
“ We have no trouble growing 
onions continuously upon the same 
piece of ground. For the past four 
years, the average yield per acre has 
been as follows : 1893, over 500 bushels ; 
1894, over 600 bushels ; 1895, 600 bushels ; 
1896, 725 bushels. At the low price 
onions have brought the past few years, 
there is not much money in them, even 
with this yield, but as our ground is 
adapted to growing them, there is as 
much money in them as there is in any¬ 
thing else.” 
Mr. Lavender not only grows onions, 
but is doing something in growing his 
own onion seed. By so doing, he is en¬ 
abled to secure a uniform shape and size. 
His success proves of great value to the 
section in which he lives. There is little 
doubt that, by his example of thorough 
drainage and proper husbandry, much 
low land now considered worthless in 
this neighborhood will be made very 
valuable. There is plenty of just such 
land scattered throughout the country 
that, some day, will be of appreciated 
value. F. WM. RANK. 
New Hampshire College. 
R. N.-Y.—It is a fact that many if not 
most of-the localities that have become 
famous through the growing»of onions 
and celery, have-made their culture a success on low 
land formerly considered almost worthless. There’s 
fertility in many of these old swamps. 
