D. M. FERRY & CO., DETROIT, MICH. 
49 
ONION 
Onion is one of the most extensively used of all vegetables. It not only contains considerable nutriment and has valu- 
1 11 A ™Arlioinal properties, but is most useful in counteracting the bad effects of sedentary life. The disagreeable odor it im- 
ft > rts to the breath inay be avoided in a great measure by thorough cooking, or by eating a few leaves of parsley. 
t onion culture, thorough preparation of the ground, careful sowing and the best of after culture, though essential for a 
ii uair? will avail nothing unless seed of the best quality be used. Given the same care and conditions, the product from two 
tun yieiu, of t j lt . same variety but of different quality may be so unequal in the quantity of merchantable onions that it 
|lots oi ouiuure fltable to use the g00( ) see( i though it cost twenty times as much as the other. Our equipment and ex- 
| ' vo \ence enable us to produce onion seed that is unsurpassed. The seed we offer is the best obtainable. 
^ \Hl ouah onions are often raised from sets and from division , by far the best and cheapest mode of production is from seed. 
77 ‘facility with which seed is sown and the superior bulbs it produces , recommend it for general use. 
* \ porlv in spring as ground can be worked, sow in rich soil, thoroughly pulverized and leveled, in rows twelve to fifteen 
i S anart covering one-half inch deep. When the plants are well up. cultivate and keep free from weeds. The young plants 
in a -be thinned about one inch apart in the row. When grown for bunching, the rows can be made as close as ten inches. 
,, verv earlv crop in northern latitudes, sow seed in cold-frame in February and transplant when large enough to handle 
riv The same location may be used fur a succession of years if the ground is kept rich by applications of well rotted ma- 
reaany; suitable fertilizer and is thoroughly worked at proper intervals. Where climate permits seed may be sown early 
Hunter If onions are to be grown for the market the following suggestions should be given careful consideration: 
HOW TO RAISE ONIONS FOR THE MARKET 
tuc SOIL We prefer a soft, dark sandy loam, not too fine. 
This is much better if it has been cultivated with hoed crops, 
iceDt clean from weeds and well manured for two years pre¬ 
vious 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. 1 lie same result w ill follow 
if we sow on rank mucky ground or on that which is too wet 
and it is impossible to raise either a large or profitable crop on 
stiff clay, very light sand or gravel. 
PREPARATION. Onions respond well to very liberal ma¬ 
nuring. As much as forty loads of stock manure well com¬ 
posted or one ton of high grade commercial fertilizer per acre 
may be applied to good advantage. The stock manure should 
be spread and worked into the top soil in the fall but if com¬ 
mercial fertilizer is used it should be distributed and 
thoroughly worked into the top soil after plowing in the spring. 
\ liberal use of potash is very beneficial to the crop especially 
when raw manure is used or if the soil is rank and mucky, as 
potash reduces the tendency to scallions or cparse necked 
bulbs The top soil should be cleared of everything that will 
interfere with the best possible work with drill and wheel lioe 
The whole ploughed soil should be well pulverized and worked 
with tools that leave the surface smooth and compact. 
SOWING THE SEED. This should be done as soon as the 
ground can be made 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-half inch deep. The quantity 
needed will vary with the soil, the seed used and the kind of 
onions desired. ‘ Thin seeding gives much larger onions than 
thick seeding. Four or five pounds per acre is the usual 
quantity needed to grow large onions. We prefer a drill that 
sows a very close ro\v. 
CULTIVATION. As soon as the young plants can be seen 
in the rows give a shallow working either with rake or some 
other tool that pulverizes well the whole top soil. Many onion 
growers consider about one inch apart as a perfect stand. Work 
the crop again ii a few’ days with a hoe or tool that cuts the 
ground over, tnis time as closely as is possible to the row’ 
without injury to the young plants; follow’ as quickly as 
possible with a thorough hand weeding keeping in mind that 
a very small weed today is a large one next week. The ground 
should be cultivated once a week if possible and any remaining 
weeds pulled out by hand every two weeks. For best results 
these operations should be continued until the crop occupies 
the ground. 
GATHERING. As soon as the tops die and fall the bulbs 
may be pulled and raked into small open windrows, turning every 
few days with a rake. At convenience cut off the tops half an 
inch to an inch from the bulbs and very soon afterward the 
bulbs may be picked up in crates and piled loose under cover. 
The large onion growers use a puller attachment to the wheel 
hoe that runs under the row’ of onions and lifts the bulbs. 
Where help can be procured readily we find it much oheaper to 
top the onions with a rough edged case knife and rake away 
the tops before pulling. 
It will not do to store onions in large piles or masses, par¬ 
ticularly in warm weather, or if they are the least moist, but if 
perfectly dry when gathered and stored in crates, they can be 
kept in fine condition till spring. The best w r ay is to keep them 
dry,giving bottom ventilation if possible, and at a uniform tem¬ 
perature of about 32° to 34° Fr. 
Sometimes called Extra Early Flat lied 
ouuicuuico taJICU Although the first of the red sorts to ripen, the bulbs are 
Extra Early Red firm and keep remarkably well fur so early a variety. It is a very hardy, medium sized, flat variety that 
yields well and is very uniform in shape and size The skin is uniformly rich purplish red and moderately. strong flavored. It 
comes into use about a week or ten da> earlier than barge Red U ethersflekL 1 he flesh .s white vnth thigeoJhgl 
The variety succeeds in cool soils. It is very desirable for early market use. Pkt. 5c; Oz. 25c; 2 Oz. 40c; y 4 Lb. 75c; Lb. $2.25 
Large Red Wethers¬ 
field This is the stand- 
iiciu ar( j r ed variety and 
a favorite onion in the 
east, where immense 
crops are grown for 
shipment. It is very 
extensively grown for 
home garden use as 
well as the market. 
The bulbs are large 
and are flattened yet 
quite thick. The skin 
is deep purplish red. 
The flesh is light pur¬ 
plish white, moderate¬ 
ly fine grained, rather 
strong but of pleasant 
ilavor. The variety is 
very productive, one 
of the nest keepers and 
very popular for gen¬ 
eral cultivation. This 
medium early or main 
crop variety does best 
on rich, moderatelydry 
soil but on low’ muck 
land it is more apt to 
form large necks than 
the Danvers. There is 
no better sort for poor 
and dry soils. Pkt. 5c; 
Oz. 20c; 2 Oz. 35c; 
y 4 Lb. 60c; Lb. $2.00 
Extra Early Red 
