Burrell’s Yellow Valencia Onion Won an Award of Merit in the "All America” 
trials for 1937. This is without doubt the finest large 
yellow onion. See page 57. 
DAYS TO MATURITY 
The number of days required by any particular variety to produce garden stuff 
ready for table use varies from year to year and depends upon growing and seasonal 
t onditions. In our description of most varieties we are giving the average number of 
days from seed to edible stage. Time given for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, pepper 
and tomato is days from setting plants to marketing fruits. Figures are based on 
growing conditions here and are meant only for convenience in comparing earliness of 
varieties. Less time to maturity is required in the South and for late planted crops. 
SUCCESSFUL GARDENING 
Soil The growing of high quality, tender and succulent vegetables requires 
quick and continuous growth. Good market gardening land is "quick”; 
that is, it warms up early in the spring, comes speedily into workable 
condition after rain, is easy to keep in good tilth and responds quickly to fertilizing 
materials. A rich, sandy loam is best. Stiff clays are the least desirable. Heavy soils 
require deep ploughing and frequent rotation with leguminous crops and the addition 
of plenty of fibrous material. Sandy soils are, as a rule, ploughed rather shallow to 
compact the under soil and prevent leaching. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on 
proper tillage and rotation. Gardeners will find, when soil becomes unproductive for 
some particular crop that changing to another crop or seeding down to clover or 
alfalfa for a year or two will result in profit. Rotation tends to even up the demands 
on the soil, no one element of plant food being exhausted; leaves the land in good 
physical condition for the following crop and incorporates humus. Other advantages 
are distribution of labor, better use of irrigation water, less disease risk, encourages 
the keeping of livestock, controls weeds and helps to minimize risk of hail, insects and 
low markets. Where available, a liberal coating of manure should be given the 
ground. This should be of the best quality, well fermented and shoveled over at least 
twice during the previous summer. It thereby becomes thoroughly decomposed and 
is quickly incorporated with the soil. Its plant food soon becomes available and, in 
addition, weed seeds are killed. The use of fresh, rank manure is especially undesirable 
when growing such crops as onion and parsnip, as this is liable to result in soft bulbs, 
scallions and branched or misshapen roots. 
Tillage Remove all refuse of previous crops as early as possible in the fall. 
Spread the composted manure evenly. First disc in and then plough, 
taking a narrow furrow in order to thoroughly mix the manure with the 
soil. Fall ploughing enables the gardener to be forehanded with his work, renders the 
land earlier in the spring and improves the physical character of the soil. Freezing 
during the winter slacks the lumps, making it easy to have a finely pulverized, mellow, 
deep seed bed. In irrigated countries, fall and winter irrigation is desirable. 
2 
D. V. Burrell Seed Growers Co., Rocky Ford, Colo 
