45 
D. M. PERRY & CO’S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 
This is an annual from the West Indies, cultivated for its young seed pods which are used in sou ns 
^ St ?' v J eda , nd served like,asparagus. It is highly esteemed in the sol^ for makingTmbo S' 
be sliced m sections and Rtrnnw r.™ « a u.__ *' 
iV ri /V oc ‘ vcu aaparagus. it is mgmy esteemed in the south for making gumbo soun 
the shade to cure like ‘ UDK Up 
cut o«a L aTlNSt two. The dwarf in'hillsTu^ to thiee f^aparf oMn ’drins^wo^S^^SLrt’ 
' whitp v p. vPT a T l ! ° ne °? apan m J he r ° W - Gather the P^ 8 when Quite green, aS3 about an7uch and I hLfTong 
WHITE V ELVET. This variety is a great improvement on the old White or the Green. The plant is of medium heielit 
%$£?!&? fcTb.To^ Lb?6& Sm<>0 ^ r Pods which retain their tenderness until nearly full sizL Pkt bc\ Os? foe;’ 
PERKINS’ MAMMOTH LONG POD. The plant of this variety is very dwarf but enormously productive The pods are 
tong^slender, deepj?jreen^and remain tender much longer than most sorts. Pkt. 5c; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 15c; hi Lb. 25c; Lb^75c. 
DWARF WHITE. 
thick and fleshy. Pkt. 
y* ' v '— vuwu l-o. JL au OL, 1 U( 
The longest podded variety; two feet high and very productive 
5c; Oz. 10c; 2 Oz. 15c; J* Lb. 20c; Lb. 50c. 
Mature pods a foot long, very 
ONIONS 
The Onion not only contains considerable nutriment and has valuable medicinal properties, but is most useful in 
:.ng the bad effects of sedentary life. The disagreeable odor it imparts to the breath’may be avoided inTgreat 
thorough cooking, or by eating a few leaves of parsley. * a 
counter¬ 
measure 
acting 
by thorougn cooKing, or uy eating a few leaves of parsley 
Thorough preparation of the ground, careful sowing and the best of after culture will avail nothing unless seed of the 
best quality is used. Given the same care and conditions, the product from two lots of onion seed of thf »mf vlrietv but 
of different quality may be so unequal m the quantity of merchantable onions, that it would be more profitable to ^ the 
good seed though it cost twenty times as much as the other. F UI,UWttd 1/0 Ube u,e 
Our thorough equipment and long experience in growing onion seed of the very best quality, enables us to sav without 
hesitation that our stock is fully equal to any, and superior in quality to most that is offeral. y 
Although onions are often, raised from sets and from division, by.far the best and cheapest mode of production is from 
seed. The facility with which seed is sown , and the superior bulbs which it produces , recommend its general use. 
HOW TO RAISE ONIONS 
THF SOU A .£ ro P of onions can be grown on any soil which 
■ ■■■_ oviL W iH produce a full crop of corn, but on a stiff 
clay, very light sand or gravel, or on some muck or swamp 
lands, neither a large nor a very profitable crop can be grown. 
We prefer a rich loam with a slight mixture of clay. This is 
much better if it has been cultivated with hoed crops, kept 
clean from weeds and well manured for two years previous, 
because if a sufficient quantity of manure to raise an ordinary 
soil to a proper degree of fertility is applied at once, it is likely 
to make the onions soft. The same result will follow if we 
sow on rank , mucky ground or on that which is too wet. 
MAN 1 1 HI IMG T,iere * s no crop in which a liberal use of ma- 
mniumiiiu nure is more essential than in this. If it is 
too rank, it is quite sure to make soft onions, with many scall¬ 
ions. It should be of the best quality, well fermented and 
shoveled over at least twice during the previous summer to 
kill weed seeds. Of the commercial manures, any of the high 
grade, complete fertilizers are good for ordinary soils, but 
very rich soils are often benefited by fine ground bone, and 
mucky ones by a liberal dressing of wood ashes. 
PRFPAHATION Remove all refuse of previous crops in 
i ni_i r\t\r\ I IU11 time to complete the work before the 
ground freezes up, and spread the composted manure evenly 
at the rate of about fifty cart loads to the acre. This should 
first be cultivated in, and then the ground ploughed a moder¬ 
ate depth taking a narrow furrow. In order to thoroughly mix 
the manure with the soil. Carefully avoid tramping on the 
ground during the winter. Cultivate or thoroughly drag the 
soil with a heavy harrow as early in the spring as it can be 
worked, and then in the opposite direction with a light one, 
after which the entire surface should be made fine ana smooth 
with hand rakes or some such implement as a smoothing har¬ 
row. It is impossible to cultivate the crop economically un¬ 
less the rows are perfectly straight; to secure this, stretch a 
line along one side, fourteen feet from the edge, and make a 
distinct mark alon^ it; then, having made a wooden marker, 
something like a giant rake with five teeth about a foot long 
and standing fourteen inches apart, make four more marks by 
carefully drawing it with the outside tooth in, and the head 
at right angles to the perfectly straight mark made by the 
age of the marker you reach the side of the field where you 
began; measure fifteen feet two inches from the last row, 
stretch the line again and mark around in the same way. This 
is better than to stretch a line along one side, as it is impossi¬ 
ble to prevent the rows gradually becoming crooked, and by 
this plan we straighten them after every third passage of the 
marker. 
SOWING THF SFFfl This should be done as soon as 
OLFff II1VI I ■ ■ ■— oLLU {| le ground can be gotten ready, 
and can be done best by a hand seed drill. This should be 
carefully adjusted to sow the desired quantity of seed about 
one-lialf inch deep. The quantity needed will vary with the 
soil, the seed usea, and the kind of onions desired. Thin seed¬ 
ing gives much larger onions than thick seeding. Four or five 
pounds per acre is the usual quantity needed to grow large 
onions. We use a drill with a roller attached, but if the drill 
lias none, the ground should be well rolled with a hand roller 
immediately after the seed is planted. 
rill TIVATIftN G>. v e the onions the first hoeing, just skim- 
ming the ground between the rows, as 
soon as they can be seen the length of the row. Hoe again in 
a few days, this time close up to the plants, after which weed¬ 
ing must be begun. This operation requires to be carefully 
and thoroughly done. The weeder must work on his knees 
astride of the row, stirring the earth around the plants, in order 
to destroy any weeds that have just started. At this weeding 
or the next, according to the size of the plants, the rows should 
be thinned, leaving from eight to twelve plants to the foot. 
In ten days or two weeks they will require another hoeing and 
weeding similar to the last, and two weeks later give them 
still another hoeing, and if necessary, another weeding. If the 
work lias been thoroughly done at the proper time , tne crop 
will not require further care until ready to gather. 
GATHFRING As soon 93 the to P s die and fell, the bulbs 
UoiiiLniiiu should be gathered into windrows. If the 
weather is fine they will need no attention while curing, but 
if it is not, they will need to be stirred by simply moving them 
slightly along the row. Cut off the tops when perfectly dry. 
about half an inch from the bulb, and then after a few days or 
bright weather the onions will be fit to store for the winter. 
line. Continue to work arouud this line until on the third pass- 
It will not do to store onions in large piles or masses, particularly in warm 
weather, if they are the least moist, but if perfectly dry when gathered and 
they are spread not to exceed two feet in depth, they can be kept in fine condi¬ 
tion till spring. Any arrangement will do that will keep them dry and at a 
uniform temperature of about 32° fr., or they may be kept frozen, care being 
taken not to disturb them. They should be thawed gradually. Repeated 
freezing and thawing will spoil them. 
EXTRA EARLY RED 
The first to ripen, and one of the 
Handsomest of the Red Sorts. 
A medium sized, flat variety; an abundant producer, and very uniform in 
shape and size; moderately strong flavored, and comes into use near!}' two 
weexs earlier than the Large Red Wethersfield. Very desirable for early 
Onion, Extra Early Red. market use. Pkt. 5c; Oz. 15c; 2 Oz. 25c; hi Lb. 40c; Lb. $1.25 
