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PRICE 50 CENTS. 
 
 laiaiaioiQioiDiDiaiaiBiBinioiBiQigiDioiBioiBigi i 
 
 OF M0D1B2 
 
 [published 
 
 PHILADELPHIA,PA. 
 
ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 BY T. GREINER. 
 
Burpee's 
 Books Free. 
 
 m^ 
 
 Our interest in our customers does not end 
 with the sale of the Seeds ; it is our earnest 
 desire that every phinter may have a full meas- 
 ure of success with the products of Burpee's 
 Seeds. Therelbre, every dollar sent us for 
 goods offered in Our Faem Annual, in addition 
 to all other premiums, has a credit of 10 cts. to- 
 ward the purchase of any book published and 
 offered by us, if the purchaser desires it. Thus, 
 a $2.00 order, with 10, cts. added, can select any 
 book offered for 30 cts.; with 30 cts. added, any 
 book offered for 50 cts. Or, a $3.00 order can 
 select entirely free any book offered for 30 cts., 
 or a $5.00 order any book offered for 50 cts., 
 and so on, we more than meeting our customers 
 half way in our desire to give them Free the 
 best books for the Fakm and Gaej)en. 
 
 W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 
 
 Philadelphia; Pa. 
 
Onions for Profit. 
 
 AN EXPOSE OF MODERN 
 METHODS IN ONION GROWING. 
 
 / 
 BY t: greiner, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "HOW TO MAKE THE GARDEN PAY," "THE NEW ONION 
 CULTURE," "PRACTICAL FARM CHEMISTRY," ETC. 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 PUBLISHED BY _ 
 
 ■o 
 
 W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., SEEDSMEN, 
 PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
 String, 1S93. 
 
Copyright, 1893, by W. Atlee ]>uri'ee & Co. 
 
 
 Press of Wm F. Fell a. Co.. 
 
 1220-24 Sansom St., 
 
 philadelphia. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 WHY THIS BOOK ? page 
 
 The Author Explains, 9 
 
 THE LEADING QUESTION. 
 Does Onion Growing Pay? 12 
 
 THE PREPARATIONS. 
 Selection and Antecedents of Soil. — Sandy Loam. — Clay. 
 — Muck. — River Bottom. — Ideal Onion Soil. — Preliminary 
 "Treatment of Soil. — Rotation, 16 
 
 THE WORK BEGINS. 
 
 Manuring, Plowing, Harrowing. — Stable Manure. — Amount 
 Required. — Its Value. — Composiing It. — Application and Plow- 
 ing In. — Wood-ashes. — Complete Fertilizers. — Nitrate of Soda. 
 — Poultry Droppings. — Salt and Lime. — Other Manurial Sub- 
 stances. — How Applied. — Pulverizers and Smoothing Harrows, 
 etc., 21 
 
 THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 Two Ways of Planting. — The Regular Old Way. — Testing the 
 Seed Varieties. — Soaking Seed. — Garden Drills. — Quantity of 
 Seed Per Acre. — Sowing. — Sowing by Hand. — The New Way. 
 — Its Advantages. — Varieties Suited for It. — Growing the Plants. 
 — Hot-beds. — Greenhouses. — Hardening the Plants. — Trans- 
 planting. — Cost of Setting Plants. — The Old and the New. — 
 Markers. — Dibber. — Trimming the Plants, 28 
 
vi TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 THE WORK THICKENS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Hard Fight With Weeds. — War to the Knife. — Promptness 
 Required. — Hand W^lieel Hoes. — Hand- Weeding the Chief Ex- 
 pense. — Weeding Implements. — Thinning. — Hoes and Hoe- 
 ing. — Breaking Down the Tops, 53 
 
 IRRIGATION AND CULTIVATION. 
 Means op Fighting Drought. — A Soil Mulch. — Mucky Com- 
 post and Wood Ashes. — Sub-earth Soaking. — Surface Irriga- 
 tion. — Box Ditch — Irrigation by Tile. — Irrigation by Water 
 Pumped into Tanks, 6l 
 
 ENEMIES OF THE CROP. 
 Insects and Diseases and How to Fight Them. — The Onion 
 Maggot. — White Grubs. — Wire Worms. — Onion Rust. — Onion 
 Smut, 66 
 
 THE HARVEST. 
 
 Gathering and Taking Care of the Crop. — Pulling in Time. 
 — Curing Outdoors. — Keep Dry. — Curing on Barn Floor or 
 Under Sheds. — An Onion-Curing Shed, 70 
 
 THE REWARD. 
 Marketing and Storing. — The Early Market. — Ventilated 
 Barrels. — Home-Made Onion Sorter. — Onion Crates. — Domes- 
 tic Spanish Onions. — Wintering Onions for Spring Sales. — Stor- 
 age Houses. — Pits. — Estimates of Cost and Profit, 73 
 
 SIDE ISSUES. 
 Growing Pickling Onions, Onion Sets, Bunching Onions, 
 etc. — The Barletta. Growing the Crop. — Onion Set Harvest- 
 ers — Oriion Set Cleaner. — Profits in Pickling Onions. — Growing 
 Sets. — Wintering Sets. — Growing Bunching Onions. — Green 
 Onions from Barletta Seedlings. — Egyptian or Winter Onions, . 85 
 
 ODDS AND ENDS. 
 Onion Seed Raising. — Weight per Bushel. — History and Va- 
 rieties, * 95 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. Disk Harrow, 26 
 
 2. Meeker Harrow, 26 
 
 3. Planet, Jr., Seed Drill, 31 
 
 4. Little Gem Garden Drill, 32 
 
 5. Deere Seed Drill, 32 
 
 6. Matheyv's Seed Drill, 33 
 
 7. Onion Seedlings Overcrowded and just Riglit, 38 
 
 8. Cheap Greenhouse for Raising Onion Plants, 40 
 
 9. Cheap Double Span Greenhouse for Onion Plants, 40 
 
 10. Pit Roofed with Ordinary Hot-bed Sashe.-, 41 
 
 11. One-Man Hod for Carrying Soil, 42 
 
 12. Box for Carrying Soil by two Persons, 42 
 
 13. Glimpse of Onion P'ield — the Old Way, 45 
 
 14. Glimpse of Onion Field — the New Way, 45 
 
 15. Simple Hand Marker, 46 
 
 16. Simple Push Marker, 47 
 
 17. Barrow Marker, 47 
 
 18. Roller Marker, 48 
 
 19. Dibber Made of Thin Steel, 49 
 
 20. Trimming the Plants, 49 
 
 21. Plants Untrimmed Before Setting, 50 
 
 22. Plants Trimmed Before Setting, 50 
 
 23. Setting the Plants — the Right and the Wrong Way, .... 51 
 
 24. Planet, Jr., Double Wheel Hoe, 54 
 
 25. Planet, Jr., Single- Wheel Hoe, 55 
 
 26. Tools for Weeding, 57 
 
 27. Lang's Hand-weeder in Use, . 58 
 
 28. Table Knife as Weeder, 58 
 
 29. Hoes for Onion Weeding, 59 
 
 30. Plan of Irrigated Field, 63 
 
 vii 
 
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 31. Irrigation from Box Ditch, 64 
 
 32. Sub-irrigation by Tile, 65 
 
 T^T^. Onion Maggot, Eggs, Larva and Fly, . . 67 
 
 34. Onion-Curing Shed, 72 
 
 35. Ventilated Barrel, 74 
 
 36. Onion-Sorting Device, 75 
 
 37. Onions Crated for Market, 76 
 
 38. Section of Wall of Onion Storage Room, 79 
 
 39. 40. Cross Section of Onion Pit, 80 
 
 41. The Barletta Onion, 86 
 
 42. Planet, Jr., Onion Set Harvester, 89 
 
 43. Home-Made Onion Set Harvester, 89 
 
 44. Sieve Drum for Cleaning Onion Sets, 90 
 
 45. Yellow Globe Danvers, 98 
 
 46. Red Wethersfield, 98 
 
 47. Large Red Globe, 99 
 
 48. Yellow Dutch, 100 
 
 49. Extra Early Red, 100 
 
 50. Prizetaker, . loi 
 
 51. New Mammoth Pompeii, 102 
 
 52. Large White Italian Tripoli, 103 
 
 53. White Pearl, /...... 103 
 
 54. White Multiplier Onion Sets, 104 
 
Onions for F^roflt. 
 
 I. 
 
 WHY THIS BOOK? 
 
 THE AUTHOR EXPLAINS. 
 
 This is not meant for an introduction. I trust that I 
 need none to the reader. But he may feel like asking me 
 why I write this treatise, when only a short while ago I 
 wrote and published ''The New Onion Culture." 
 
 The explanation is easy. ''The New Onion Culture" 
 was intended mostly to present a new phase of the business, 
 and to encourage further researches in an entirely new 
 direction. As a "handbook of onion growing " it has 
 shortcomings, and is far from being complete. It leaves 
 too much room for further personal inquiries. I have 
 looked the field of horticultural literature in America over 
 pretty closely, and am unable to find a handbook for the 
 onion grower the teachings of which are based on modern 
 methods, and embody (as they should in order to justify 
 any claims of being "up to times") the two systems, the 
 old and the new, in profitable combination. 
 
 Such a handbook or guide to successful onion growing 
 is needed. I know it from the numerous inquiries on the 
 subject which are all the while being addressed to me. I 
 know it from observing the methods in vogue among the 
 great mass of our onion producers. Yes, friends, if you 
 
 9 
 
10 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 desire to make this onion business pay — I mean, make it 
 pay anywhere near the profits that it can be made to pay — 
 you will have to leave the old ruts, and adjust your methods 
 to fit modern conditions. If you are plodding along, and 
 just manage to get poor pay, or even a moderate one, for the 
 actual work done in the onion field, I do not concede 
 that the business pays you. The onion grower has to 
 invest money, — in land, in manures, in seed, in labor. 
 He ought to get some dividends over and aboye his out- 
 lay. He ought to get big pay for his experience and skill, 
 if he brings any to bear on his enterprise, and something 
 for his thought and study. Of course, if he does only 
 mechanical work, and has neither experience nor skill ; if 
 he follows the same methods that his father did many years 
 ago, and makes no effort whatever to improve his ways, — he 
 is not entitled to any reward save the ordinary price of 
 unskilled labor, and is not likely to get more. 
 
 The premium — and a big one at that — is always on supe- 
 rior skill. Thought and study pay a hundred per cent, 
 where mechanical labor pays ten. If you would be an 
 onion grower, by all means be a good one. Study the 
 business as you would a trade. By reading all the good 
 books written on onion growing in America (there are not 
 many such treatises, and they cost but little) you can make 
 the experience of others your own at a much smaller 
 expense than if you gathered it in the field yourself. 
 
 On the other hand, I am going to lay particular stress 
 upon it that you must verify this experience of others in 
 your own field practice. Only don't attempt to reap prac- 
 tical experience by the acre or acres. This is the most 
 expensive method of getting experience. Glean it in a 
 little patch at first, and as you get strong in knowledge 
 and skill and confidence, enlarge your area as you deem 
 safe. i. 
 
^V/JV THIS BOOK? 11 
 
 As I have already stated, there is room for, and need of, 
 a hand-book like this for the general onion grower. But I 
 would probably not have thought of writing it if my 
 friends, the publishers, had not asked me to undertake the 
 work. Then I was quite ready and willing to do so. I 
 really like to talk and write on matters that I think I 
 understand about as well as anybody, and more especially, 
 if I see a chance to tell some '' trade secrets " to my less 
 experienced fellow gardeners. 
 
 The result of the publishers' suggestion, and of their co- 
 operation, is the book as it now lies before the reader. 
 May it fulfill its mission, which is to diffuse a better under- 
 standing of improved methods of onion growing among 
 those willing and anxious to learn, and to aid them in 
 securing more satisfactory returns from the business than it 
 afforded them heretofore. 
 
 T. Greiner. 
 
 La Salle, N". V., AuUtnut^iSgs. 
 
II. 
 
 THE LEADING QUESTION. 
 
 DOES ONION GROWING PAY? 
 
 Like along hair in a roll of butter, or a forgotten basting 
 thread in a newly-made dress, the question, '' Does it pay?" 
 or, ''How does it pay?" strings itself along, seemingly 
 without end, and just as annoyingly, through the stacks of 
 letters received by me from people in need of horticultural 
 advice. It is the question of all questions, and before I go 
 further, I will try to give an intelligent answer to it. I 
 hope it will save me the necessity of writing some personal 
 letters on the same question in future. 
 
 " Does onion growing pay? " 
 
 Here one has a fine chance of doing some plausible 
 figuring on paper. ''A thousand bushels per acre is not an 
 extraordinary crop ; one dollar per bushel not an extra- 
 ordinary price. One thousand bushels, at $i each, make 
 
 ^lOOO. 
 
 This, however, tempting as the prospect may be, is deal- 
 ing with possibilities, not with probabilities. The skilled 
 grower, under favorable circumstances, can grow looo 
 bushels per acre. I propose to show that even twice that 
 number of bushels is within our reach, and has actually been 
 obtained on limited areas; but I would not guarantee half 
 that yield to the new beginner, especially not if he be one 
 of those young fellows that " know it all." The average 
 yield vacillates between 200 and 300 bushels per acre. 
 
 Thus it is with the price. We often get ^i a bushel, and 
 sometimes two and three times that amount ; yet, while 
 I again propose to point out h6w you can manage to 
 
 12 
 
THE LEADING QUESTION. 13 
 
 obtain a somewhat larger price for your crop, or part of 
 your crop, than the average grower usually receives, I am 
 sure it would be folly to build your estimates of profit on 
 any such uncertain basis. 
 
 Onion-growing must not be looked upon as a specula- 
 tion, nor as a means of acquiring sudden w^ealth. If this 
 is what you have in mind, failure will be pretty well 
 assured. 
 
 In this respect, the business resembles similar enterprises, 
 such as fruit-growing, general gardening, poultry-keeping, 
 etc. Some of our smart young people often see "golden 
 opportunities" in the hen business. They figure, quite 
 plausibly, as follows : ''It costs about ^i to keep one hen a 
 year. She will lay in that time 150 eggs, which at the low 
 average price of 16 cents a dozen bring ^2, or a clear profit 
 of ^r. Now, keep a thousand hens, and you have a sure 
 yearly income of ^1000." Perhaps this figuring is faultless ; 
 bu.t if the hen of the future is not built materially different 
 from the hen of the past, she will, when thus kept in large 
 numbers, invariably refuse to perform the task assigned to 
 her, but rather content herself with an annual lay of 75 or 
 So eggs. 
 
 Does onion growing pay? 
 
 In reply let me ask : Does it pay to grow wheat, or pota- 
 toes, or strawberries? Does dairying, or sheep husbandry, 
 or cattle raising pay ? 
 
 Some people make these things pay, and others do not. 
 The great majority of those who engage in any one of 
 them, and stick to it, as a life-business, make their living 
 by it, but seldom much more. Those who go in and after 
 the first unsuccessful attempt drop out again, are sure to 
 lose. The few, however, who by accident or selection of 
 their own are working under favorable conditions, who 
 keep abreast of the times, and manage with skill and good 
 
14 ONIONS FOR PROFIT, 
 
 judgment, not only make enterprises of this kind pay, but 
 make them pay well. 
 
 Is it your idea to plant a big field in onions, to try to 
 make a big haul, and then perhaps turn your attention to 
 something else? If so I say: Don't. Your chances of 
 success are one in a million. But 'if you intend to start 
 moderately and with deliberation, having chosen onion 
 culture as a legitimate calling, then I say : Go ahead. Try 
 to select the most favorable conditions as to soil and 
 market. Learn, and make use of, the best methods of 
 growing and marketing the crop, and stick to your business 
 without allowing yourself to become discouraged by a fail- 
 ure which is possible even under quite favorable conditions. 
 The chances are that you will succeed in the end. Well- 
 directed efforts are usually crowned with success. 
 
 Study the following pages and profit by the suggestions. 
 I can do little more than give general directions. It re- 
 mains for you to do the right thing at the right time. 
 
 Does onion growing pay? 
 
 It will pay in exact proportion to your ability to select 
 the most favorable combination of circumstances, to your 
 own good judgment, to the thought and study you bring 
 to bear upon the question of management, to your perse- 
 verance, and to some extent, perhaps, to your luck. Of the 
 last item, however, I seldom take much account. Good 
 management and perseverance will carry you through, even 
 if luck be against you. 
 
 Does onion growing pay ? 
 
 I have to touch upon one other aspect of the question, 
 and in this respect feel inclined to give a little special en- 
 couragement to onion growing. Onions are just the crop 
 for intensive farming. The big item in their production 
 is well-directed labor, not land. Their culture involves 
 some risk of loss to the unskilled of shiftless grower ; but it 
 
THE LEADING QUESTION. 15 
 
 also affords one of the best of chances to get comparatively 
 large returns from " a little land well tilled." With the 
 exception of celery, I could not name a single crop so 
 promising in this respect as the onion crop. 
 
III. 
 
 THE PREPARATIONS. 
 SELECTION AND ANTECEDENTS OF SOIL. 
 
 SANDY LOAM. — CLAY. — MUCK. — RIVER BOTTOM. — IDEAL ONION SOIL. 
 — PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF SOIL. — ROTATION. 
 
 While it is true that onions can be grown on any soil, 
 from sand to clay, and on muck besides, if otherwise prop- 
 erly managed and prepared, yet a judicious selection, which 
 aims to secure a combination of the most favorable condi- 
 tions, has as much influence as any other thing upon the 
 question of profit or loss. I know many large grain farms 
 on which you would not find a single half-acre of land suit- 
 able to be used for onion growing at short notice. 
 
 A Review of Soils. 
 
 Soil that is stony or gravelly has to' be rejected, because 
 of the difficulty of economical cultivation by means of 
 labor-saving devices. Weed seeds also usually abound 
 there. 
 
 Then there are pieces of nice, clean loam, inclining to 
 sandy. They would be just the thing, had not a half cen- 
 tury's persistent cropping without an adequate return of the 
 plant-foods taken off year after year almost ruined the orig- 
 inally fine fields, and rendered them unfit for the purposes 
 of onion growing, at least for the present. A satisfactory 
 crop cannot be expected on poor land the first season, no 
 matter how lavish the grower might be with his manure 
 applications. 
 
 On one farm I noticed a corner lot near the barn, the 
 soil being a fine sandy loam, quite Tich from having received 
 
 16 
 
THE PREPARATIONS. 17 
 
 frequent dressings of manure and the washes from the barn- 
 yard. This, with the help of liberal manuring, would 
 prove to be a fine spot whereon to locate an onion patch. If 
 it happens to be in sod, and the sod so old and tough that 
 it is not likely to break up and give the needed smooth, 
 mellow seed bed early enough in spring, it should be 
 broken the year before, either in spring or at least by early 
 autumn. If so treated, it will be all right. 
 
 The fields of stiff clay, as we find them on many farms, 
 are often insufficiently drained, and usually lacking in 
 organic (vegetable) matter such as is supplied by applica- 
 •tions of stable manure or by turning under clover and 
 other green crops. They are almost always lumpy in spring, 
 liable to crack in the hot season, and therefore unsuitable 
 for our purposes. Otherwise, well-drained clay loams, if 
 only rich enough, often give good yields. 
 
 Sandy muck is perhaps an ideal soil for onion growing, 
 especially if it can be arranged for sub-irrigation, as ex- 
 plained later on. Even muck with next to no sand in its 
 make-up is largely used, and can be made to produce good 
 crops. But it must have thorough under-drainage and be 
 freed from all obstructions and rubbish. If such muck 
 soil is almost free from sand, and consequently inclined to 
 be moister than desirable, there is some danger that a 
 large portion of the plants will form thick necks, producing 
 ''scallions" or ''romps;" and even the well-formed and 
 well-cured bulbs will be lacking the solidity and specific 
 gravity of those grown on clay or sandy loams. An 
 additional disadvantage of many of these mucky onion 
 grounds is their liability to being washed over or flooded 
 in times of heavy rains, to the great injury of the growing 
 crop. 
 
 The deep, rich, clean, well-drained brown loams of our 
 river bottoms are usually admirably adapted for onion- 
 
 2 
 
18 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 growing, and where such land is at command, there is no 
 need of looking elsewhere for the right location. 
 
 Of course, not everybody can have an ideal spot for his 
 onion venture. I have had to be contented with rather 
 inferior soil for some time, and yet have been quite success- 
 ful. My rule is to take the best at hand, and then try to 
 make the most of it. Soils not in condition to be planted 
 now may be rendered suitable for planting next year or 
 the year after. If they are not perfectly underdrained, the 
 laying of a few lines of tile will make them so ; if not rich 
 enough, heavy dressings of barnyard manure for a few 
 years will supply the deficiency in humus and fertility ; if 
 too weedy, a few seasons' thorough cultivation will render 
 them reasonably clean. 
 
 To tell the whole story in a few words, I would say, use 
 any kind of rich, clean soil, provided it is thoroughly 
 underdrained, -either by nature or by man's agency, and 
 reasonably free from weed seeds, and in such mechanical 
 condition that it will allow you to prepare a seed bed 
 '^fine and mellow as an ash heap.' 
 
 Soil Antecedents. 
 
 It is always well to know the antecedents of a piece of 
 ground in order to reach a just conclusion concerning the 
 degree in which it is suitable for onion growing. As a 
 rule, its desirability for the purpose increases in the same 
 ratio as the intensity of culture that it has received for 
 some time back. 
 
 A few days ago a friend showed me a piece of land 
 which he intends to plant to onions, and which seems to 
 me ideal^ not only in soil but in preparation also. It is a 
 deep brown loam on the flats. 
 
 *' You should have seen the crop of clover that grew on 
 this field three years ago. Simp>y immense!" said he. 
 
THE PREPARATIONS. ly 
 
 ^* It was cut early, and the aftermath, another heavy growth, 
 left on the ground to rot, although the neighbors laughed 
 at me for letting so much good hay go to waste. A fair 
 dressing of half-rotted stable manure was put on in autumn, 
 and the field plowed in early spring. It would have done 
 your eyes good to see the crop of potatoes I took off that 
 piece that season — more than 350 bushels to the acre, I 
 guess — and the nicest and smoothest potatoes I ever laid 
 my eyes on ! In fall or winter following the land received 
 another light dressing of half-decayed sheep manure, and 
 in spring it was planted to beets and carrots. Well, such a 
 crop as that was again ! The neighbors haven't had a 
 word to say for a year or two about my ' foolishness in let- 
 ting so much good hay go to waste.' It has tickled me, 
 too, to see some of them try the same method of raising 
 potatoes, and apparently with good success. Now, I assure 
 you, there have not many weeds been given a chance to 
 ripen and scatter seed on this lot for several years." 
 
 This is indeed a most excellent preliminary treatment of 
 a piece of land to be used for onion growing. I do not 
 know how it could be improved upon. That the rotation 
 may be varied more or less, should go without saying; but 
 I like to have clover as one of the fore-crops. It cleans 
 the field and supplies the soil with the decaying vegetable 
 matter which is of such great importance. Following it, 
 you may grow crops, for a year or two, which require high 
 manuring and high cultivation, such as carrots, beets, 
 radishes, celery, spinach, ^r other garden vegetables. A 
 rotation of this kind fits the land nicely for onion growing. 
 
 Onions in Succession. 
 
 If we believe orthodox teachings, onions can be grown 
 successfully on land where onions have been grown for 
 many years in succession. Our old onion growers always 
 
20 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 State that with proper manuring the last crop thus grown 
 in succession on the same ground will usually be found 
 better than any preceding one. This may still be true in 
 some cases; but there are dangers lurking in the practice. 
 
 Fungous diseases of cultivated plants have multiplied at 
 a terrible rate in recent years. The onion blight is quite 
 apt to interfere if onions are grown in succession on the 
 same soil) and when it once has taken a foothold, it is 
 quite sure to attack and cut short the next onion crop. 
 As we have no means to fight and conquer it, the only 
 safety lies in running away from it by changing the loca- 
 tion of the onion patch at least every other year, and still 
 better every year. My experience has made me a firm 
 believer in the wisdom of strict rotation. 
 
IV. 
 
 THE WORK BEGINS. 
 MANURING, PLOWING, HARROWING. 
 
 STABLE MANURE. — AMOUNT REQUIRED. — ITS VALUE. — COMPOSTING 
 IT. — APPLICATION AND PLOWING IN. — WOOD ASHES. — COMPLETE 
 FERTILIZERS.— NITRATE OF SODA.— POULTRY DROPPINGS.— SALT 
 AND LIME. -OTHER MANURIAL SUBSTANCES. — HOW APPLIED. — 
 PULVERIZERS AND SMOOTHING HARROWS, ETC. 
 
 With a properly-selected piece of ground, and an abund- 
 ance of old barnyard manure to begin with, we will have 
 pretty plain sailing. On ground that has been heavily 
 manured with stable manure, year after year, or which has 
 been treated pretty freely with clover, and which in conse- 
 quence is full of organic matter, also on rich muck and 
 other soils abundantly provided with humus, we may some- 
 times entirely, or more often partially, dispense with man- 
 ures originating in the barnyard, but I seldom feel safe 
 without them. When we desire to raise crops that approach 
 the great capabilities of the soil, we must give, not only 
 full, but also varied rations. I have learned to appreciate, 
 and know the full value of, commercial concentrated fer- 
 tilizers, and under some circumstances would not hesitate 
 to operate with them to the exclusion of coarser manures ; 
 but, as an onion grower, I put my first reliance on good, 
 old, stable manure. This should be well rotted, free from 
 weed-seeds, and free from other infection. Onion growers, 
 for instance, often throw their onion refuse— tops and 
 trimmings generally, decayed or otherwise unsalable bulbs, 
 etc. — upon the manure heap. I would be afraid of such 
 compost, as it may carry the germs of the blight. 
 
 21 
 
22 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Stable Manure. 
 
 Always pick out the very oldest, most nearly rotted man- 
 ure in the yards, and reject all that is coarse, freshly made, 
 and full of weed-seeds. We cannot be too careful in re- 
 gard to the last-named item, especially when growing' the 
 crop directly from seed (in the old way). Weedy land 
 and weedy manure render the crop a pretty costly one, and 
 usually eat up all the profits. 
 
 Any kind of fine and clean manure will do. It matters 
 little whether it comes from the horse and cow stables, the 
 sheep sheds, or the pig sty. A mixture is as good as 
 anything. Poultry droppings and night-soil are also 
 especially useful as an addition to the compost heap. 
 
 But let us make no mistake concerning the quantity 
 needed. A looo bushels of onions cannot be manufac- 
 tured out of half a dozen or a dozen loads of such manure. 
 Unless the land is already well provided with humus, 
 nothing less than sixty loads, each load containing a plump 
 ton or more, will answer, and soils "that are poor in organic 
 matter may require considerably more to give best results. 
 By all means be liberal. People accustomed to the methods 
 employed by the average farmer in feeding (or rather 
 starving) the ordinary crops are apt to be afraid of hurting 
 onions by excessive manure applications. Put your mind 
 at ease. The more you fill the soil with good compost, 
 the more will the proceeds from the crop fill your pocket. 
 
 Market gardeners seldom get from their own stock what 
 manure they need ; but often they can purchase it at rea- 
 sonable rates, either at the livery stables in the nearest city, 
 from dairymen, or other farmers who have not yet learned 
 the real value of good manure, or from railroad stock yards. 
 A ton of ordinary good mixed manure that is neither fire- 
 fanged nor leached out is worth at the established values 
 
THE WORK BEGINS. 23 
 
 of plant foods at least $2. Frequently it can be bought 
 at one quarter of that amount. 
 
 You can haul this manure, probably rather fresh, during 
 summer and autumn, and pile it up in great, square heaps, 
 if possible under a shed, to rot down. If it heats rapidly 
 and violently, pour water upon it, or better, if you have it, 
 liquid from the barnyard, and fork the heaps over several 
 times. During winter or early spring, haul this compost 
 to the field and spread it thickly and evenly. 
 
 No matter how fine and well rotted this manure may be, 
 heavy dressings of it should always be plowed under and 
 mixed as thoroughly as possible with the surface soil. Fer- 
 tilizers of a more concentrated character, such as wood- 
 ashes, bone-meal, phosphates, potash, and nitrate salts, I 
 invariably apply after plowing. Remember that the aim is 
 simply to prepare a fine, mellow seed bed, and that there is 
 no necessity, usually, to run the plow deeper than required 
 for that purpose. Good judgment alone can and should be 
 t*he guide in this. -On somewhat tenacious soil a depth of 
 eight inches is about right ; on deep, mellow soil less will do. 
 
 Preparing the Soil. 
 
 Ordinarily, I prefer spring plowing. Clean loams filled 
 with humus, especially muck lands, which, after having 
 given a crop of celery, or carrots, or beets, or a similar crop, 
 were manured and plowed in the fall, however, may be 
 prepared in spring by means of deep-cutting harrows or 
 cultivators without replowing ; or plowing may even be 
 omitted altogether if the dressing of compost was a light 
 one, or if the more concentrated manures alone are to be 
 used. 
 
 While admitting that a large crop can be produced with 
 barnyard manure exclusively, I confess I hardly ever feel 
 safe without additional rations of concentrated manures. 
 
24 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Concentrated Manures. 
 
 When I can get good wood ashes, leached or iinleached, 
 at a reasonable cost, say ^3 or ^4 per ton for the former 
 and ^8 or %\o per ton for the latter, I use them freely, qven 
 where a heavy dressing of compost was applied. Wood 
 ashes are especially serviceable in preventing the ill effects 
 of a protracted drouth. Two tons of the unleached article 
 per acre are not too much, while three or four times that 
 quantity of leached ashes may be put on with the expecta- 
 tion of good results. Unleached ashes, however, are a 
 strong, but rather one-sided manure, and it will be well to 
 add 300 to 500 pounds of bone meal or acid phosphate per 
 acre. 
 
 If ashes are not to be had, or not at reasonable cost, I 
 usually apply abour one ton of some high-grade, complete, 
 special vegetable or potato manure, costing ^40 or more. In 
 the place of it we might use a ton of superphosphate (acid 
 phosphate, or perhaps Thomas' slag or phosphate meal) 
 and 300 pounds or more of sulphate of potash. If kainit 
 or muriate of potash is to be used in place of the sulphate, 
 it should be applied in the autumn before, at the rate of 
 say 1000 pounds of the one, or 250 pounds of the other. 
 
 I never omit the application of nitrate of soda in small 
 but repeated doses, using about 75 pounds per acre each 
 time, and perhaps 225 or 300 pounds per acre in the aggre- 
 gate. It can be sown broadcast like wheat, and the first 
 application should be made shortly after the seed is sown 
 or the plants are set out. Sulphate of ammonia might be 
 used as a substitute for nitrate of soda, and may be put on 
 all at once at the proper time for the first application of 
 the nitrate, sowing about 250 pounds per acre. In the 
 majority of cases the use of these chemicals gives good 
 results. * 
 
THE WORK BEGINS. 25 
 
 I make it a practice to apply even the poultry droppings 
 after plowing. They are a most valuable and effective fer- 
 tilizer for onions. Of course, they should be dry and fine, 
 not a pasty mass. To get them in good condition for use 
 and preserve all their strength, I allow them to accu- 
 mulate durihg the winter under the perches, upon a layer 
 of dry muck, and scatter sifted coal-ashes thickly over them 
 Once a week or oftener. You can spread this mixture, even 
 at the rate of ten tons or more per acre, over the plowed 
 surface, as evenly as possible, and mix it with the soil in 
 the subsequent process of harrowing. 
 
 Of course, there are many more manurial substances that 
 individual onion-growers may have at command, or within 
 reach, such as dried blood and dried fish, cotton-seed meal, 
 cotton-seed hull ashes, tobacco refuse, bone-meal, etc. All 
 these and many others may be applied to the onion field 
 in the same manner as used for other crops, only in greatly 
 increased quantities. 
 
 Salt and lime are hardly ever of much benefit on these 
 highly-manured grounds, except, perhaps, when the grower 
 operates exclusively with stable manures. In that case," 
 light dressings (loo pounds salt, 500 pounds lime) may be 
 of advantage. 
 
 The most convenient method of applying all dry and fine 
 manures after plowing, but before seed sowing or plant 
 setting, is by means of a fertilizer drill, which not only dis- 
 tributes those plant-foods evenly, but also aids in mixing 
 them with the ground 5.nd in smoothing the surface. If 
 a fertilizer drill is not at hand, the manures have to be 
 broadcasted as well as you can do it. 
 
 Harrowing and Rolling. 
 In order to get the desired mellow seed or plant bed, 
 harrows, and perhaps a roller, have to be used freely and 
 
26 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 thoroughly as soon as the last handful of fertilizer is put 
 on. On nice mellow soil, ordinary smoothing harrows 
 alone may be relied on for doing the work properly. For 
 more tenacious soils, or on mucky soils that were not 
 
 
 
 Disk Hakuow, or Pulvekizek. 
 
 plowed or replowed in spring, a pulverizer or disk harrow 
 (similar to the one here illustrated) will be required, or at 
 least desirable. This cuts the surface uj) deei)ly, and mixes 
 soil and manure together quite thoroughly. The ordinary 
 
 Fic;. 
 
 MliKKliK HaKKOW. 
 
 smoothing harrow, or ''drag," may be used next, and, if 
 the surface is then still lumpy, the roller should follow, and 
 after this the fertilizer drill. Don't let up with harrows 
 and roller, however, before the surface is entirely fine and 
 
riJE WORK BEGINS. 27 
 
 smooth. A great help in this work, especially for putting 
 on the finishing touches, is the small disk or '' Meeker" 
 harrow, here illustrated. It is rather expensive, but ex- 
 tremely useful, and almost indispensable on the truck farm. 
 Since the advent of this implement we have little use for 
 the steel rake in preparing land for the garden seed drill. 
 
 Whatever implements we use, however, it is of the utmost 
 importance that the surface is made smooth and even. If 
 we cannot secure this condition otherwise, we must finish 
 off with the hand rake, and we are then ready for sowing 
 the seed or setting the plants. 
 
V. 
 
 THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 TWO WAYS OF PLANTING. 
 
 THE REGULAR OLD WAY. — TESTING THE SEED VARIETIES. — SOAKING 
 SEED. — GARDEN DRILLS. — QUANTITY OF SEED PER ACRE. — SOWING. 
 — SOWING BY HAND. — THE NEW WAY. — ITS ADVANTAGES. — 
 VARIETIES SUITED FOR IT. — GROWING THE PLANTS. — HOTBEDS. 
 — GREENHOUSES. — HARDENING THE PLANTS. — TRANSPLANTING. — 
 COST OF SETTING PLANTS. — THE OLD AND THE NEW. — MARKERS. 
 DIBBER. — TRIMMING THE PLANTS. 
 
 Until 1889, when I accidentally stumbled on the method 
 now appropriately called "The new onion culture," the 
 plan of sowing seed directly in open ground where the crop 
 is to come to maturity was the regular method, and sup- 
 posed to be the only one practicable and profitable. I 
 have now almost entirely abandoned it, except in growing 
 small pickling onions and sets, simply because I can do 
 better when growing them in the new way. Still, the 
 old one often gives excellent results, and is yet generally 
 practiced. Last year I saw a crop of Dan vers Yellow 
 onions on rich, sandy muck that yielded nearly a thousand 
 bushels per acre. Under especially favorable conditions 
 the bulbs often grow in great heaps or rolls, we might say 
 in tiers, along in the rows, crowding each other sideways 
 and up and down, and when pulled nearly cover the 
 ground. 
 
 This system requires no extra preparation in the way of 
 raising plants under glass, and will undoubtedly remain in 
 favor with the rank and file of truckers for producing the 
 main crop of the ordinary long-keeping onion varieties, 
 
 28 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 29 
 
 like Yellow Dan vers, Yellow Globe, Yellow Dutch, Red 
 Wethersfield, etc. Professional onion growers seldom 
 plant a second crop, although they often might do so to 
 good advantage. They harvest the crop when ready, no 
 matter whether this is a few weeks earlier or later, and sell 
 it whenever they think best, often holding a considerable 
 part of the crop for spring sales. 
 
 The Regular or Old Way. 
 
 The first aim of the grower must be to produce a large 
 crop of perfect bulbs. To insure success in this, early 
 planting is one of the chief and indispensable conditions. 
 Plowing, harrowing, etc., as described in preceding chap- 
 ter, must be done just as early in spring as the soil has 
 dried out enough to be easily pulverized. Delay in pre- 
 paring the land, and in planting after this, always means 
 additional labor, decrease of crop, and consequently risk 
 and loss. 
 
 The required amount of seed should have been procured 
 in the meantime. This is another important matter. I 
 always purchase my supply along in January, and at once 
 proceed to plant a few pinches of seed in a box or pot 
 filled with moist earth and kept in the kitchen window. I 
 then know exactly what I have long before the time of 
 planting. Of course, I buy directly of a reliable seed-dealer, 
 and I will say that in all my experience seed thus procured 
 has never been deficient in freshness (power of germina- 
 tion), and rarely in pui;ity. Selection of variety for this 
 purpose should be made to suit the particular purpose .or 
 particular market of the grower. Yellow Danvers (Round 
 Yellow Danvers, Yellow Globe Danvers) is yet the lead- 
 ing market onion, a good yielder, and one of the most 
 reliable of all sorts to bottom well and to produce sound 
 and handsome bulbs. Yellow Globe (Southport Yellow 
 
30 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Globe) and Yellow Strasburg, or Dutch, are also good and 
 reliable varieties, and favorites with some planters and in 
 some markets. 
 
 To fill the demand for a red onion, select Early Red 
 and Wethersfield ; to satisfy that for a white sort, raise 
 White Globe, White Victoria — Silverskin (White Portugal). 
 * All the sorts here named are standard market varieties, 
 and good keepers. For mucky soils, however, I would 
 restrict the list to Yellow Danvers and Early Round Red. 
 
 Some people soak the seed in tepid water for from twelve 
 to twenty-four hours, and then again partially dry it by,, 
 ''rolling" in plaster, just previous to sowing. Years ago 
 I sometimes practiced this myself, but I soon found that this 
 special treatment of the seed is by no means necessary, nor 
 always convenient. Good seed sown in freshly-stirred 
 ground and properly firmed has, in my experience, never 
 failed to germinate promptly. Be sure to start the garden- 
 seed drill the minute that you have the ground in proper 
 shape, namely, smooth and level as a floor. The seed bed 
 then is fresh, moist, and inviting, and success will be assured. 
 
 First, a word about seed drills. There are now a num- 
 ber of them in existence, and all have their good points, 
 and find their friends. People are not all constituted alike. 
 Every one has his peculiarities, and what suits one may not 
 suit another. Even for the accomplishment of the same 
 purpose it will be found necessary to have different ways, 
 and means and tools, in order to suit all tastes and views, 
 and individual peculiarities, if not even oddities. Every 
 gardener should carefully examine the different seed drills 
 before buying, and then select the one which seems to fit 
 his case. I, for my part, like the Planet Jr., and I think 
 the majority of people will agree with me that it is a good 
 and serviceable tool. If you have much use for a drill, the 
 separate implement will be the better one to buy, while the 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 
 31 
 
 combined drill and-wheel hoe will answer well enough for 
 the purposes of the home-grower and small gardener. 
 
 When ready to sow, stretch a line across one end of the 
 patch to act as a guide for running the drill. I like to have 
 the rows as straight as a string. It looks better, and gives 
 better satisfaction. Adjust the marker attachment to mark 
 twelve or fourteen inches apart, set the opening as directed 
 for onion seed, fill the hopper, and proceed to sow. If the 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 Planet, Jr., Garden-Seed Drill. 
 
 seed runs out too freely, readjust the discharge opening. 
 There is quite a difference in the size of the kernels in dif- 
 ferent samples of seed, as also in weight, and consequently 
 some seed runs out faster than other samples. It is by no 
 means easy to sow just so many pounds per acre with any 
 of the drills now in use. The task always calls for the exer- 
 cise of good judgment in each particular case. 
 
 Four pounds of good seed, if sown evenly, would be fully 
 
32 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 enough for an acre of good onion ground. The trouble is, 
 our drills are not perfect, and we cannot adjust them to 
 insure the sowing of the exact amount desired. Above all 
 
 Fig 4. 
 
 Little Gem Garden-Seed Dkill. 
 
 things, I fear gaps in the rows. They reduce the yield 
 and the profits. I rather sow six or even more pounds 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 Deere Garden-Seed Drill. 
 
 to the acre, do a little (and sometimes a good deal) of 
 thinning, and thus make sure of »a full stand, a full crop, 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 
 33 
 
 and full returns. I usually, after setting my drill as I think 
 from the looks of the seed is about right, put a quarter or 
 half pound of seed into the hopper, and sow this. Then 
 I make a careful estimate of the ground gone over, and of 
 the rate per acre that the seed was sown, and change the 
 discharge hole accordingly. Experience and good judg- 
 ment will soon teach you how to do this thing just right. 
 
 It is quite likely that the rows, as the sower proceeds 
 in his task, begin to get somewhat crooked. In such a 
 case I invariably stretch the garden line once, and if the 
 patch is large, perhaps two or three times more, to guide 
 
 Fig. 6. 
 
 Mathew's Garden-Seed Drill. 
 
 the drill and correct the deviations from the straight 
 course. 
 
 All good garden seed drills are provided with a small 
 roller back of the seed discharge tube. This firms the 
 ground over the seed sufficiently for all purposes. At least 
 I have never had to complain about good seed failing to 
 germinate promptly : so I consider all additional efforts 
 toward firming the soil entirely superfluous. 
 
 Seed may also be sown without the use of a seed drill. 
 In that case I would mark out rows with an ordinary garden 
 marker, twelve inches apart and one inch deep ; then 
 3 
 
34 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 scatter the seed in them thinly but evenly, or drop a 
 pinch of five to eight kernels every six inches in the row, 
 cover by drawing a steel rake lengthwise of the row, and at 
 last firm the soil by walking heel-to-toe fashion over each 
 row, or by means of any ordinary roller. The use of the 
 seed drill, however, is by far the most convenient and 
 satisfactory Avay. 
 
 People who grow onions and other vegetables for their 
 own use only, usually are not in the position to possess or 
 use a garden drill. Many have not even a hand wheel-hoe, 
 which I consider much more indispensable for them. I 
 myself seldom use a seed drill in the home garden,-asl find 
 that hand sowing is much more convenient and expedient 
 for the comparatively short rows and the great variety of 
 small seed lots. The majority of home gardeners usually 
 prefer to buy rather than grow what dry onions they may 
 need. If they can once be induced to give the new way, 
 hereafter described, a thorough trial, I am sure they will find 
 it easier and more convenient than the old method, and 
 too satisfactory in every way to be again abandoned. 
 
 The New Onion Culture. 
 In my experiments with the Prizetaker and Spanish King 
 onions, then yet novelties, in 1888 and 1889, and while 
 trying to make every seed count, I discovered several 
 things new to me. One is that few vegetable plants stand 
 the transplanting process with greater ease than onion seed- 
 lings; another, that the crop can be made to mature 
 several weeks earlier by starting the plants under glass 
 and setting them out in the open in early spring ; a 
 third, that not only the size of the individual bulbs, but 
 also the number of bushels per acre can be largely increased 
 by these means; a fourth, that the dreaded task of weeding 
 is reduced to a minimum ; and i fifth, that the crop is made 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 35 
 
 generally more valuable and profitable than when grown in 
 the old way. 
 
 A full-fledged new system has been evolved from these 
 first trials and accidental discoveries, and is now quite 
 generally known as ''The New Onion Culture," a name 
 under which I introduced it in 1890. 
 
 While the idea is not new, its application is. Gardeners 
 in Old England have for many years practiced a similar 
 system in growing extra large and fine bulbs for exhibition 
 purposes, and in some parts of the United States onions for 
 bunching have also been grown in the same way. There 
 is no record, however, showing that anybody before me 
 has ever thought of applying the system to field culture on 
 an extensive scale. Now it is being practiced by many 
 progressive growers with eminent success, and continues to 
 grow in favor with all who have tested it. 
 
 For myself, I have little use for the older plan, simply 
 because the new system secures me several times the net 
 proceeds that I can get by following the other. But I do 
 not grow Danvers, nor Wethersfield, nor any of the old 
 standard kinds, and never attempt to keep my crop over 
 winter for spring sales. Quite the contrary. I always aim 
 to throw my whole crop into the market as early in fall as 
 I can get it ready, and thus avoid risk and losses. 
 
 I can grow a selected, large variety of the Yellow Dutch 
 type (which, by the way, is a most excellent keeper, and 
 even if grown thus early is well suited for wintering over 
 if desired) and sell it in August at the good prices then 
 usually ruHng, long before the old-school onion grower has 
 a ripe bulb. 
 
 For main crop, however, I grow the large new varieties 
 of the Yellow Spanish type, Prizetaker, Spanish King, etc., 
 especially the former, and for a white sort the newer White 
 Victoria. The new onion culture is particularly suited to 
 
36 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 all large foreign sorts, and the trouble is only that we find 
 so few long-keepers among them. The Prizetaker, however, 
 keeps fairly well, and when properly grown and cured can 
 be wintered over successfully. I often grow them to weigh 
 a pound and a half apiece, and find no difficulty to sell 
 them at a good price. 
 
 Selection and preparation of the land are the same, 
 whether onions are to be grown after the one or the other 
 plan, and earliness also is a chief point of importance in 
 either case. The plants should be ready for setting out in 
 the open ground just as soon as the latter can be prepared 
 according to directions given in preceding chapter. 
 
 Growing the Plants. 
 
 The first and chief thing — and really the only difficulty 
 to be met in practicing the new way — is to grow the plants. 
 Perhaps we might ~ buy them. Mr. A. J. Root, of Ohio, 
 one of the first men who saw the advantages of the new 
 system and helped to develop it, was also the person who 
 first hit upon the idea of growing* onion plants for sale. 
 Quite a business was done in this line the past season. 
 Probably it will not be long before Prizetaker and White 
 Victoria onion seedlings will be quoted by the thousand and 
 hundred thousand in all seed catalogues. 
 
 Most growers, however, will prefer to raise their own 
 plants. I do, because I save money by so doing. Of 
 course, they must be grown under glass and in artificial 
 heat. In this locality the plants should be ready to go out 
 into the open air not much later than first week of May, 
 and consequently seed should be sown from middle of 
 February to middle of March at the latest. This is a very 
 important point if we grow Prizetaker or other large, late 
 sorts. Poor plants, set late, I find, are more liable to 
 produce worthless, thick-necked -jomps than to produce 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 37 
 
 fine, sound, well-finished bulbs. With the ordinary earlier 
 sorts there is less risk from this cause, but an early start is 
 important just the same, for without it we will lose our 
 chances of securing the high prices of the crop ruling 
 the markets previous to the advent of the main crop. 
 
 For the purposes of the home-grower a box filled with 
 nice, clean sandy loam and set in a kitchen window will 
 answer. Buy an ordinary paper of the desired onion va- 
 riety and sow the seed thinly, either in rows two or three 
 inches apart or broadcast, cover with fine soil or sand 
 to the depth of a half or three-quarters of an inch, and 
 firm well. Apply water as needed to keep the soil moist 
 (not wet), and after the plants make their appearance pull 
 up all weeds that may start. If the onion seedlings are 
 " as thick as hair on a dog," they will require thinning, 
 and, at any rate, if in the least crowded, the tops should 
 be shortened by shearing or clipping for the purpose of 
 making the young plants short and stocky. One good 
 plant is worth more than a dozen poor, spindling things. 
 A good plant is easily transplanted and sure to pass 
 through the operation uninjured, no matter how dry the 
 weather may be. The crowded, spindling plant, however, 
 is liable to lose its life under unfavorable conditions, and, 
 at any rate, will require an unreasonably long time to get 
 established in its new quarters, and to begin a new, strong 
 growth. 
 
 Heretofore I have grown my plants in hot-beds, some- 
 times even in cold frames. For the colder Northern 
 States artificial heat is indispensable to secure all the ad- 
 vantages of the new method. Cold frames may do in the 
 South. I also prefer glass sash, while in milder climates 
 muslin-covered frames may give all the protection needed. 
 
 The hot-bed should have a mild, lasting heat, which can 
 be secured by an eighteen-inch layer of well-tempered^. 
 
38 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 closely-packed horse manure, or a mixture of horse and 
 sheep manure. It is not necessary, nor even desirable, to 
 use extremely rich soil. An ordinary rich, sandy loam or 
 sandy muck, freshly drawn and spread over the manure 
 about six inches deep, is better and safer than old hot-bed 
 compost, which is liable to be infected with fungus spores, 
 and pcrhajis full of animal life. A mixture of clean sand 
 
 Fig. 7. 
 
 Overcrenvded. Just Right. 
 
 Onion Seedlings. 
 
 and rich, clean loam is all right. A little lime may be 
 added to the hot-bed soil as a precaution against the multi- 
 plication of earthworms. 
 
 Frequently the young seedlings, after having taken a 
 good start, suddenly lose their bright, healthy color ; the 
 ends of the tops dry up, and many of the plants die down 
 entirely — all without apparent cause. I think if soil is 
 prepared according to my directions, not made excessively 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 39 
 
 rich by adding great quantities of manure and ashes, the 
 seedlings will grow all right. 
 
 For the future, I shall prefer to grow my plants in the 
 greenhouse, either in flats or in bench beds. Here Feb- 
 ruary is often our coldest month, and hot-bed making at 
 that time not always an easy or pleasant task. In the green- 
 house we can start our plants just at the proper time, no 
 matter how the weather may be. Manure heat, also, is not 
 always reliable, and the grower goes much safer when he 
 trusts in one of Hitchings & Co.'s boilers, and a system of 
 hot-water pipes. 
 
 - I believe that most home gardeners could afford to run 
 a simple, cheap, small greenhouse, for the conveniences in 
 table delicacies, in flowers, in plants for spring setting, etc., 
 which it can be made to furnish during the season when 
 out-door gardening is out of the question. Certainly, the 
 *' onion grower for profit " should have a house of this kind, 
 and really I cannot see how he can well afford to get along 
 without it. Its possession practically insures success from 
 the start, while the onion-plant crop in it may be preceded 
 by a crop of forced vegetables, or flowering plants, etc., 
 and followed by a crop of tomato, pepper, ^gg, and other 
 plants. In fact, such a house need not be idle many months 
 of the year. 
 
 In Figs. 8 and 9 the reader will find plans of two simple 
 and cheap greenhouses suited to this purpose. The single 
 span may be 18 feet wide, or the double-span house 20 feet 
 wide. To give bench space sufficient for raising the first- 
 class plants required to plant an acre of ground, make the 
 narrower house 25 feet, and the wider one 22 feet long. 
 This will be about right. Either house, including boiler, 
 heating-pipes, and all other fixings, should not cost much 
 over ^^00. Their demands for coal and attendance will be 
 
40 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 very modcrale. To raise plants for larger areas, make the 
 house correspondingly longer. 
 
 Many growers are not in the i)osition or humor to put so 
 much money in a greenhouse. With j)lenty of hot-bed 
 sashes at one's disposal, it is easy enough to erect a struc- 
 
 FiG. 8. 
 
 SCALK OF I'KKT 
 
 Cheap Gkbbnhuusb fok Raisini; Onion Plants. 
 
 Fig. 9. 
 
 SCALK l>l' KKKl' 
 
 J I ■ I I I I 1 I r— r— , ; , 
 
 2 4 t. b ;(| ,u ._.(, 
 
 Cheap Double Span Gkhenhoushs. 
 
 ture, such as illustrated in Fig. 10. A simple framework, 
 a few boards, the benches, the sashes for a roof, and a flue 
 running through the center of house, connected at lower 
 end with the fire-place and at the upper end with a chim- 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 
 41 
 
 ney — include about everything that is needed. The actual 
 cash outlay need not exceed ^50. The illustration makes 
 the management plain and further description unnecessary. 
 Right here, however, I wish to say that the frequent 
 renewal of the bench soil is not only desirable, but dictated 
 by prudence. Germs of plant diseases and insects soon 
 accumulate in old soil under the congenial conditions of 
 uniform warmth and moisture. The safest way is to 
 remove every bit of soil out of the houses every fall, and 
 
 Fig. 10. 
 
 SCALE OP FEET 
 
 2 4 G 8 10 :5 
 
 Pit Roofed with Hot-Bed Sashes. 
 
 put in a new supply. Devices such as shown in Fig. 11, 
 which represents a one-man hod, and Fig. 12, which repre- 
 sents a box to be carried between two persons, come very 
 handy in carrying soil into and out of the greenhouses. 
 
 Our first aim in raising plants must be to get the beds, 
 benches, or flats well occupied with plants, and yet avoid 
 overcrowding, which would lead to crippling the plants. 
 If we make furrows three inches apart and about one-half 
 to three-quarter inches deep, and can manage to get an 
 even average of 12 to 15 plants to the inch of row, we will 
 have about 500 plants on a square foot; and this will be 
 
42 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 just about right. There will be no undue crowding. Drop 
 25 to 30 seeds to the inch of row (making allowances for 
 losses or failure of germination), cover, and firm well. In 
 the right kind of soil and the proper temperature, such 
 seeding will give plants enough to come up to our standard. 
 
 Fig. II. 
 
 One-Man Hod. 
 
 When bottom heat fails, as it occasionally does in so-called 
 hot-beds, a large portion of the seed is liable to lie dormant 
 in the ground for a long while, perhaps until the time that 
 
 Fig. 12. 
 
 Box FOR Carrying Soil by Two Persons. 
 
 the plants should be set. To provide against such acci- 
 dent, I always sow seed in manure-heated beds much more 
 thickly than required under favorable conditions, using 
 one and a half to two ounces per, ordinary three by six 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 43 
 
 sash. Should the greater portion of the seed germinate 
 promptly, the plants would soon stand too thickly, and 
 must be thinned out. By all means use all reasonable 
 means to obtain strong, stocky plants, not weakly, spindling 
 things. On success in this hinges the final success. I like 
 to have my onion plants, when to be set out, not less than 
 three-sixteenths and, better, fully one-eighth inch in 
 diameter at the bottom. 
 
 For a week or two prior to transplanting plenty of air 
 and exposure should be given. I usually remove the 
 sashes entirely from the hot-beds. That this cannot be 
 done with the greenhouse is its only disadvantage. If you 
 cannot harden the plants properly otherwise, and when 
 grown in flats, the latter may be removed to cold frames 
 for some days or weeks, and here subjected to the im- 
 portant hardening process. True, the onion is considered 
 hardy, and able to endure considerable frost without injury. 
 Pampered, coddled greenhouse plants, grown quickly in 
 congenial environments, have to be gradually accustomed 
 to hardships, or they will suffer. A single light frost would 
 kill them if set out in open ground without previous 
 hardening off. 
 
 When the young plants are of proper size and condition, 
 and the soil in good working order and prepared accord- 
 ing to directions, no time should be lost to begin the job 
 of transplanting, and to push it to completion as rapidly 
 as possible. 
 
 To set the 150,000 or more plants required to plant an 
 acre is no child's play, although mere children may be 
 trained to perform the labor. The miscellaneous lot of 
 youngsters that I usually engage for this work are doing 
 well, I think, if they set out 2000 plants each per day. As I 
 pay them about fifty cents a day, to plant an acre would cost, 
 therefore, in labor of transplanting alone, not less than $45. 
 
44 ONIONS FOR PROFIT, 
 
 The regular hands employed by professional gardeners 
 and truckers, however, are accustomed to handle and set 
 all kinds of plants, and among these hands we will find 
 some capable of putting out from 6000 to 8000 plants a 
 day. The onion grower who controls that kind of labor 
 will not be scared by the task of planting onions in this 
 way by the acre, or acres. Mr. A. J. Root, of Ohio, esti- 
 mates the cost of setting the plants at ^25 per acre. Mr. 
 John F. White, of Mount Morris, N. Y., who grew three 
 acres by the new method this year, and intends to more 
 than treble that area next season, tells me that twelve of his 
 men — all used to handling celery and cabbage plants — will 
 plant an acre of onions in a day. The cost of the job, 
 therefore, depends altogether on the kind of labor you can 
 get. 
 
 I always aim for the largest yield, and for this reason 
 crowd my plants all I dare to. I find that twelve inches 
 distance between the rows is just about right. Mr. White 
 thinks of making them ten inches apart in future, but I 
 would advise against it. 
 
 One of the greatest mistakes, however, that we are apt to 
 make, and that all who have tried the new method, myself 
 included, have heretofore invariably fallen into, is to set 
 the plants too far apart in the rows. In growing onions by 
 the old method, we thought nothing of leaving from one to 
 three plants to the inch of row, and we expected to see the 
 bulbs crowd each other sideways, and grow in heaps and 
 tiers. Just take a look at the illustration of part of a field 
 showing the old way of growing onions, and see how thickly 
 they stand in the rows. Then, look at the next picture, 
 which shows onions grown by the new plan, and note how 
 far apart the bulbs are. The mistake here made is quite 
 apparent. There are great gaps in the rows, and only here 
 and there are the onions close enough together to give a 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 
 45 
 
 full crop. Now and then somebody claims that the old 
 method gives him nearly as big a yield as the new one. I 
 only wonder that it does not often give a much larger one. 
 When we set onions from four to six inches apart in the 
 
 Fig. t: 
 
 Glimpse of Onion Field. — The Old Way. 
 
 rows (and it seems hard work to make boys — and men, too, 
 — who wish to get over the ground at a good rate, set their 
 plants as close as desired and ordered) we should not 
 
 Fig 14. 
 
 
 Glimpse of Onion Field. — The New Way. 
 
 look for more than half a crop. Even the largest varie- 
 ties (Prizetaker, Victoria, etc.) require not over three 
 inches space in the row, and ordinary kinds should not 
 be planted more than two inches apart. This point is of 
 
46 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 greatest importance. If we neglect to set all the plants 
 that we have room for, we must not complain if the crop 
 falls short of our expectations, and far short of what the 
 land is able to produce. 
 
 Setting the Plants. 
 
 The first step in the operation of setting the plants is to 
 
 mark out the rows. A garden marker, such as is shown in 
 
 Fig. 15, is quickly and easily made, and will do well enough 
 
 when you have nothing better. You have to pull it over the 
 
 Fig. 15. 
 
 Simple Hand Marker. 
 
 ground, and when you want to see what the marker is doing 
 you have to walk backward, like a river-crab, and in the 
 meantime perhaps get out of the right direction yourself 
 
 I like a marker that is to be pushed ahead, not pulled 
 after you, and that will enable the operator to keep the 
 direction, and see whether he makes straight marks or 
 crooked ones. 
 
 Fig. 16 illustrates an extremely simple device. To make 
 this marker, take three pieces of board, say fifteen or eighteen 
 inches long, rounded off sleigh-runner fashion ; have them 
 twelve inches apart, nail a piece across the top on the 
 straight side, and fasten a handle, as'shown. 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 
 47 
 
 A barrow marker is shown in Fig. 17. Have the teeth 
 slanting slightly backward. The illustration makes a further 
 description unnecessary. 
 
 Fig. 16. 
 
 Simple Push Marker. 
 
 I prefer the roller marker, illustrated in Fig. 18, to 
 all other similar devices. Any light garden roller will 
 
 Fig. 17. 
 
 Barrow Marker. 
 
 do, even if made rather roughly out of a piece of oak or 
 chestnut log, say three or four feet long and a foot or so in 
 diameter. A plain roller could be made to answer, if you 
 
48 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 will stretch two clothes lines across, and then roll the 
 machine along over them. This makes good marks for 
 setting plants, and one can get them perfectly straight in 
 this manner, a task not quite so easy with the ordinary 
 marker. It is more convenient, however, to fasten .pieces 
 of rope around the roller, one foot apart, one for each mark. 
 But the greatest advantage of this device is that cross-marks 
 can be made at the same time. Simply nail pieces of rope 
 or clothes-line lengthwise of the roller between the ropes 
 
 Fig. i8. 
 
 ROLLEK MaKKEK. 
 
 encircling it. The cross-marks will serve as a kind of guide 
 to the planters, and, if they are careful, or are held strictly 
 to the mark, they can easily set the plants at a uniform dis- 
 tance of each other. If the cross-marks are, say, one foot 
 apart, set three Prizetaker plants between each two marks, 
 and one right in it. 
 
 In clean, mellow loam or muck, and with good plants, 
 the task of setting the plants is aiT easy one. Some of my 
 planters prefer to do the job with the fingers alone, without 
 
THE OLD A AD THE NEW. 
 
 49 
 
 using a dibber. But it is hard on a tender finger, especially 
 on the index finger, that has to punch the holes. Usually, 
 it is more convenient to make the holes with a dibber, 
 which may be simply a sharpened stick of hard wood, with 
 or without handle, or a dibber as illustrated in Fig. 19. 
 
 Fig. 19. 
 
 Steel Dicbek. 
 
 Fig. 20. 
 
 This is made of a piece of thin steel, seven and one-half 
 inches long and one and one-half inches wide, shaped and 
 supplied with handle or knob, as shown. 
 The surface should be finished off on an 
 emery wheel. 
 
 Carefully pull the plants from the seed-bed 
 or flat. Straighten them out in bundles ; if 
 the fibrous roots are excessively long clip off 
 the ends, and also twist or cut off part of 
 the tops if they are rather long and weak. 
 You can get an idea about the way this 
 should be done by examining Fig. 20. The 
 untrimmed plants, if they are at all long and 
 unwieldy, are apt to lean or fall over, as 
 illustrated Sn Fig. 21, especially if the 
 weather and soil should be dry at the time 
 of setting. The tops also are liable to be 
 in the way of the wheel-hoe for some time, 
 and the patch has not that appearance of neatness found 
 where the plants were properly trimmed. As shown in 
 4 
 
 /IM 
 
 Trimming the 
 Plants. 
 
50 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Fig. 2 2, they should stand up stiff and strong, like rows of 
 soldiers. The plants thus prepared may be distributed along 
 the rows just ahead of the planters, or the latter may each 
 
 Fig. 21. 
 
 carry a bundle of them as they move along. If you have 
 a number of hands at this work, the better plan is to have 
 a boy attend to the plants and their, proper distribution, so 
 
 Fig. 22. 
 
 ^--^ 
 
 U.v<&x^^ 
 
 # 
 
 -^ N^^:J^^ N>5^5>"<s$5$fv,^-^-- 
 
 Plants Trimmed Before Setting. 
 
 that the planters are always well provided, and will not be 
 compelled to break into the regular job for the sake of 
 getting the needed plants. 
 
 As I have already stated, onion plants are easy things to 
 transplant, and will live if the jc^Jj is half done. But we 
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW. 
 
 51 
 
 desire to have them regain their firm footing and begin a 
 new, vigorous growth as soon as possible after the transfer, 
 and for this reason the planter should not fail to pack the 
 soil firmly about the roots. Every planter, of course, should 
 learn to perform the whole operation quickly and expe- 
 ditiously, and every individual can go at it in his own way, 
 according to his own peculiarities, provided he has nimble 
 fingers and makes quick moves. 
 
 How deep should the plants be set? I think that we 
 should aim to get the lower end of the bulb one inch below 
 
 Fig. 23. 
 
 Setting the Plants. 
 
 a, the wrong way. 
 
 b, the right way. 
 
 the surface of the ground ; but if it gets a little deeper no 
 harm will result from it. 
 
 Youngsters, if employed to set out plants, will bear watch- 
 ing until they have learned how to do the work just right. 
 Sometimes they get into the habit of crowding the plants 
 into the soil in such a manner that the roots are pushed 
 upward, and the plants appear as shown at a, in Fig. 23, 
 while the roots should be inserted as far as possible down- 
 ward, as shown at b. 
 
 A word more in regard to growing onions on the new 
 
52 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 plan in the Southern States. Let me quote from a recent 
 bulletin of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment 
 Station (by Prof. W. F. Massey), as follows: — 
 
 '' There are two ways in which the transplanting method 
 may be practiced in the South : (i) by sowing the seed in 
 a plant-bed in October and transplanting to their perma- 
 nent place in February; (2) by sowing the seed in a cold 
 frame under glass in January and transplanting in February, 
 after gradually hardening them to the air. The Italian 
 and Spanish varieties we consider the best for our purposes. 
 The transplanting of onions in a young, growing state 
 always results in a great increase in size. Why it does so 
 we cannot explain, but the fact is evident. We think it 
 probable that the practice of sowing the seed early in Oc- 
 tober, on well-prepared beds of light soil, and then trans- 
 planting them in February or March to the land from 
 which the celery crop has just been taken, will finally be 
 the rule with us, as the sowing under glass in January 
 involves more skill, trouble, and expense." 
 
VI. 
 THE WORK THICKENS. 
 
 A HARD FIGHT WITH WEEDS. 
 
 WAR TO THE KNIFE. — PROMPTNESS REQUIRED. — HAND-WHEEL HOES. — 
 HAND-WEEDING THE CHIEF EXPENSE. — WEEDING IMPLEMENTS — 
 THINNING.- HOES AND HOEING. — BREAKING DOWN THE TOPS. 
 
 • Whatever method of growing onions you employ, the 
 fight against weeds should be begun promptly and carried 
 to a finish. This means war to the knife. The frequent 
 stirring of the surface soil between the rows and about the 
 plants which it involves incidentally furnishes one of the 
 best means of protection against drought. 
 
 Hand-weeding is a tedious and expensive job. We do not 
 desire to have more of it to do than is absolutely necessary. 
 Promptness in the use of the wheel hoe, and in that of the 
 hand-weeder, will take the sting out of the task. Neglect 
 a patch once, and let it grow up in weeds, and the best 
 thing you can do is to give it up as a bad job. To redeem 
 such a patch would probably cost more than the whole 
 crop would be worth in the end. Under no consideration 
 should an onion field ever be allowed to assume a weedy 
 appearance. 
 
 Wheel Hoes. 
 
 The first thing we need is a good hand-wheel hoe. There 
 are a number of them in the market that do first-rate work, 
 and may be relied upon. I like the Planet, Jr. as well as 
 any other, and for a large field the double-wheel hoe is the 
 most necessary and convenient, although it is well to have 
 a single-wheel hoe, too. Some people like the Gem of the 
 
 53 
 
54 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Garden. For cultivating among onions and other closely 
 planted stuff in the earlier part of the season I ordinarily 
 use a Gregory's finger-weeder, which, with a little practice, 
 does excellent work. It has four knives, or weeding blades, 
 
 ,.Lll4I.i J^J^f^^^^ 
 
 Double-Wheel Hoe. 
 
 two in front, which can be set narrower or wider, at will, 
 instantaneously by a simple twist of the operator's hands, 
 and made to cut close to the row, or even into it, to remove 
 a stray weed, and two stationary blades a little further back. 
 
THE WORK THICKENS. 
 
 55 
 
 For the earlier ciiltivatings we want one or the other of 
 these double-wheel hoes. They straddle the row, and allow 
 the operator to direct all his attention upon a single row. 
 The single-wheel hoes, among them the Planet, Jr., and 
 Ruhlman's, which latter is also a serviceable implement, 
 come handy after the onions are half grown. 
 
 No man can hope to be successful in commercial onion- 
 growing without being well equipped with these imple- 
 ments, or without using them, less as weed slayers^ as they 
 have sometimes been called, but rather as preventives 
 against weeds. 
 
 Fig. 25. 
 
 Single-Wheel Hoe. 
 
 The fight should begin before weeds can be seen. The 
 drill roller, which firms the soil after the seed has been 
 deposited in the ground, leaves a mark indicating the exact 
 location of the row as plainly as can be desired. There is 
 no need of waiting until the plants are up. A week or ten 
 days after the seed is sown by the old method, or imme- 
 diately after the plants have been set by the new system, 
 the wheel hoe should be started. Do the work thoroughly, 
 letting the cutting blades go as close to the rows as is safe, 
 
56 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 This is easy and quick work. Any strong, half-grown boy 
 can go over an acre in a day in this way, and we can 
 therefore well afford to thus stir the soil between the rows 
 pretty frequently. 
 
 In fact, this is necessary. We have frequent rains thus 
 early in the season which pack the soil and result in the 
 formation of a crust over it. This must be broken as often 
 as it forms, in order to admit air to the roots of the plants, 
 and also to form a sort of soil mulch over the surface, 
 which is very serviceable in preserving soil moisture should 
 a dry spell follow. The rule is, therefore, to start the 
 wheel hoe just as soon after a rain as the surface of the 
 ground is dry enough to be easily pulverized. Besides this, 
 repeat the operation as often as possible in dry spells. I do 
 not believe that you can overdo the matter. 
 
 Hand Weeding. 
 
 Next comes hand weeding. This usually involves the 
 greatest expense in the production of an onion crop, and 
 is the chief trouble we meet in the undertaking. The new 
 method, however, requires a great deal less of this expen- 
 sive and tedious labor on hands and knees. This is an 
 advantage that offsets more than fully the labor required in 
 transplanting. 
 
 Half-grown boys are well suited to do the work of hand 
 weeding, if you can keep them under strict surveillance 
 and steadily at work. Each one is provided with some 
 sort of weeding implement, and works on hands and knees 
 while straddling his row. Teach them to keep their feet 
 nicely between the rows. 
 
 In loose, mucky, or sandy soil the work can be done 
 entirely with the fingers, but I should prefer a Lang hand- 
 weeder even then. There are quite a number of tools that 
 may be used for this purpose. I show some of them in Fig. 
 
THE WORK THICKENS. 
 
 57 
 
 26. An ordinary iron spoon, shown at a, such as you can buy 
 at the nearest hardware store for five cents, does very well. 
 If you have a metal-handled table knife, with point broken 
 off, bend the blade in a curve and sharpen both sides (see ^), 
 and you can use it as a weeder. Or you may take a section 
 of an old mowing-machine knife (see c) or a piece of iron 
 hoop (see //), and fasten it to a short handle. At e you 
 see the Lang weeder, and at / the Hazeltine, either of 
 which can be purchased at small cost at any seed store. 
 Whatever tool you have, use it to scrape the surface of the 
 
 Fig. 26. 
 
 Weeders. 
 
 ground, with all the tiny weeds or sprouting weed seeds it 
 may contain, away from the onion rows. Hilling is not 
 required or allowable. Always let the wheel hoe do its 
 work just ahead of the we.eders. It will lighten the job. 
 In Fig. 27 I show the use of Lang's hand-weeder, and in 
 Fig. 28 that of a table knife, fixed as already stated. These 
 are my favorite tools for this work. Other growers may 
 follow their own preferences. 
 
 If the grower has used seed enough to secure a full stand 
 some of the plants will most likely grow pretty thickly in 
 
58 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 the rows. It is true, as said before, that onions bear con- 
 siderable crowding. Yet this should not be overdone. I 
 believe in judicious thinning ; and there are often so many 
 
 Fig. 27. • 
 
 Lang's Weedek in Use. 
 
 plants that thinning is absolutely needed to prevent an un- 
 reasonably large number of the onions being too small to 
 sell well. At the second weeding, therefore, I have plants 
 
 Fig. 28. 
 
 Table Knife as Weeder. 
 
 pulled up where they stand closer together than one to the 
 inch of row. Better do this, ahd* secure a more uniform 
 and good size of the bulbs. 
 
THE WORK THICKENS. 
 
 59 
 
 Hand weeding among onions grown by the new method 
 is not quite so formidable. The transplanted onions have 
 the start of the weeds from the very beginning, and they 
 stand so uniformly, and comparatively wide apart, that a 
 good share of the weeding can be done in a standing posi- 
 tion, and by the use of specially prepared hoes, instead of 
 on hands and knees. In Fig. 29 may be seen the kind of 
 hoes I use and like. The one shown 2X a\ find most ser- 
 viceable in working among the onions in the row. It is 
 made by cutting off the sides of the blade of a worn-out 
 
 Fic. 29. 
 
 Hoes for Onion Weeding. 
 
 ordinary hoe, such as may be found on almost any place. 
 At b you see another way of making a really good and ser- 
 viceable tool out of a useless thing, such as these dull old 
 hoes usually prove to be. At c is shown a weeding tool 
 made by fastening the blade of a Hazeltine weeder to 
 a hoe handle. The hoe, d, is simply a piece of iron hoop 
 bent as shown, and fastened to a handle. 
 
 Whatever tools of this kind you may have, use them per- 
 sistently enough to keep down all weed growth. As the 
 onions are nearing their full size, they may form such a 
 mat over the ground that wheel hoes cannot be used any 
 
60 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 longer. Yet weed growth will not stop. The small weeds 
 are not apt to give much trouble at that time, but the 
 coarser kinds, and those favored by hot weather, like purs- 
 lane, will now try to take possession of the ground. Purs- 
 lane in these rich grounds grows rapidly, and may' com- 
 pletely hide the soil before you are hardly aware of it. This 
 is the time for fighting weeds with hand hoes. Just walk 
 through the onions carefully backward and draw the hoe 
 along over the ground between the rows, cutting off the 
 weeds or pulling them out. Purslane should, if possible, 
 be gathered up and taken out of the patch. By all means, 
 keep the ground clean. 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
 Rolling Down the Tops. 
 I have never seen any good resulting from the practice J 
 
 of breaking down the tops of onions for the sake of hasten- 
 ing their ripening. Well-grovvn onions will ripen up all . 
 right in due season, and if some specimens, owing to mis- 
 management, or for reasons of their- own, are bound to 
 make scallions, they will do so, even if you roll down the 
 tops. 
 
VII. 
 
 IRRIGATION AND CULTIVATION. 
 
 AS MEANS OF FIGHTING DROUGHT. 
 
 A SOIL MULCH. — MUCKY COMPOST AND WOOD- ASHES, — SUB-EARTH 
 SOAKING. — SURFACE IRRIGATION. — BOX-DITCH. — SUB-IRRIGATION 
 BY TILE. — IRRIGATION BY WATER PUMPED INTO TANKS. 
 
 It is a mistake to think that cultivation is merely a 
 means of checking or destroying weeds. In reality this is 
 only an incidental benefit. We stir the soil chiefly for the 
 purpose of (i) helping plant growth by admitting air to 
 the soil, thus promoting chemical changes which fit plant 
 foods for ready assimilation by plant roots, and (2) pre- 
 venting the rapid evaporation of the soil water. Cultiva- 
 tion gives us an easy way of providing a soil-mulch through 
 which the water does not readily pass upward. Weeds 
 are simply a manifestation of Nature's kindness to man. 
 They force him to stir the soil when, otherwise, he would be 
 apt to neglect it, letting his plants suffer for want of food 
 and water, and suffering pecuniary loss himself. I cannot, 
 therefore, consider weeds a curse. They do their share of 
 good as a reminder and spur to the flagging grower, and 
 perhaps as much as they do harm. At least they are a 
 necessary evil. "* 
 
 Preventing Injury by Drought. 
 In localities with fairly regular rainfall the grower can 
 usually succeed in growing good onion crops without arti- 
 ficial irrigation, if he plants on retentive soil which rests 
 on porous sub-soil, and practices the thorough cultivation 
 
 61 
 
62 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 recommended in preceding chapter, as means of carrying 
 his crop unharmed through the dry spells of longer or 
 shorter duration liable to occur in any year. The heavy 
 applications of compost, especially if muck (used as absorb- 
 ing material) is one of its constituents, and perhaps of wood- 
 ashes, also aid in the retention of moisture. 
 
 Means of Irrigation. 
 
 In some localities, however, artificial irrigation is abso- 
 lutely required to insure success ; and almost anywhere it 
 is a good thing to have as an additional safeguard against 
 possible failure. 
 
 Wherever there is a never-failing supply of water — a 
 stream, a pond, a canal — near the field and higher than its 
 level, or one that can be easily raised to the ground level, 
 it will pay the grower well to utilize it for irrigation, even 
 if the first expense of plant, piping, etc., should be consider- 
 able. In the selection of onion ground I would always 
 prefer a piece that could be easily brought under irrigation. 
 Soil of a sandy character, sandy loam, or sandy muck is best 
 fitted for the purpose. Clay soils are suitable only when 
 they contain, and are made porous by, an abundance of 
 humus. 
 
 A simple and effective method of irrigation is the one in 
 use on Mr. John F. White's place near Morris, N. Y. At 
 the foot of a hill, and slightly sloping away from it, is a 
 tract of deep, rich, sandy muck. A little brook, flowing 
 down the hillside, furnishes a small but never-failing water 
 supply. This can be turned into a deep ditch, dug just at 
 the foot of the hill on a dead level, and forming the head 
 of the lowlands. Another ditch, parallel with the other, 
 forms the boundary on the lower side, and the two ditches 
 are connected by a number of parallel cross-ditches as 
 shown in Fig. 30. All these ditcTies are provided with 
 
IRRIGATION AND CULTIVATION. 
 
 63 
 
 flood-gates to dam up the water when required. Ordinarily 
 these flood-gates, except the one at b, are raised, and the water 
 flows along in its natural course unobstructed. But when 
 the soil begins to get dry, and shows the need of water, 
 the mountain brook is turned into the head ditch dXb, and 
 the latter filled to overflowing. This alone will give the 
 whole strip next to the head ditch (i 1 1 1), a number of rods 
 in width, a pretty good soaking in a comparatively short 
 
 Fig. 30. 
 
 Plan of Field Under Irrigation. 
 
 time. Then by opening the flood-gates at the head of 
 the cross-ditches the water is turned into the latter, 
 allowed to rise to the top at the next set of flood-gates, 
 and by overflow and by soaking in, well distributed over 
 another strip parallel with the head ditch (2222). Then 
 these flood-gates are again vraised, and the water allowed to 
 flow into the next section of the ditches, and so forth, 
 until the entire area has been well soaked. Just as soon as 
 the surface has again become dry enough for cultivation, 
 the ground should at once be stirred by means of the 
 wheel-hoe. 
 
 The opportunities and soil conditions are not often so 
 
64 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 favorable for irrigation as in this case. When the soil 
 does not let the water pass through readily, we have to 
 employ other methods of distributing it over the surface. 
 The simplest way, probably, is to conduct the water to the 
 highest part of the patch, and then let it run down a 
 slight slope, in little depressions made with a hand-plow at 
 regular distances of 6, 8, or more feet apart, according to 
 the porosity of the soil. A vacant row must be left for the 
 water course. 
 
 The water supply may be brought to the highest part of 
 the patch in a kind of box-ditch, as illustrated in Fig. 31. 
 
 Ikkigation from Box-ditch. 
 
 Another good way of distributing the water from a 
 higher source of supply is by means of lines of two-inch 
 tile laid on a slight slope, ten or twelve inches deep. 
 There is no need of providing an outlet, except it be for 
 the sake of drainage in case of heavy rains. Place the 
 tiles in each line closely together. The water will find its 
 way out at the joints, and penetrate the soil on each side 
 to a greater or lesser distance according to the porosity of 
 the soil. This latter point also determines the question of 
 what is the proper width betweefi the lines of tile. In 
 
IRRIGATION AND CULTIVATION. 
 
 65 
 
 some soils, like sandy loam or muck, they may be ten or 
 twelve, or even more, feet apart; in clayey soils it may be 
 necessary to place them as near as four or five feet apart. 
 
 Whenever a water supply, such as mentioned, is not at 
 command, it may perhaps be obtained by letting a wind- 
 mill or steam pump raise it from a pond, stream, or well 
 into large tanks, from which it is to be distributed over 
 the field by means of hose alone, or by a combination of 
 iron pipe and hose, or in other ways that may suggest 
 themselves to the intelligent grower. 
 
 Fig. 
 
 32. 
 
 Now a word of warning. With an unlimited amount of 
 water available for irrigating purposes there is great danger 
 that a good thing will be overdone. Onions are easily 
 and often permanently injured by an over-supply of water. 
 The latter causes an excessively rank growth and thick 
 clumsy tops, which will not permit the bulb to mature and 
 cap over well. Do not let xthe water into the patch oftener 
 than when absolutely needed, and then only enough to 
 moisten, not to soak, the soil. Great caution and the 
 exercise of good judgment are required to keep to the 
 proper medium. 
 5 
 
VIII. 
 
 ENEMIES OF THE CROP. 
 INSECTS AND DISEASES, AND HOW TO FIGHT THEM. 
 
 ONION MAGGOTS. — WHITE GRUB. — WIRE-WORM. — ONION RUST. — ONION 
 
 SMUT. 
 
 I have been growing onions for many years, but I do not 
 believe I have ever lost one half of one per cent, of the crop 
 by the interference of the onion maggot, which proves so 
 destructive to onions in many localities. It was only now 
 and then that I found a single solitary maggot. Whether 
 this is due to the fact that the maggots which attack the 
 onions, cabbage, radish, and similar vegetables, are the 
 larvae of one and the same species of fly, which for oviposi- 
 tion takes radishes as first choice, cabbages next, and 
 onions only when the other plants are not to be had close 
 by, and that I invariably plant radishes and cabbages in 
 closest proximity to the onion patch, I am unable to say. 
 I may state, however, that I cannot discover distinctive 
 differences betv/een the maggots or flies which affect the 
 onion, radish, and cabbage respectively, and that there are 
 always plenty of these unwelcome visitors on my radishes 
 and cabbages. Fig. 33 shows the eggs (a), the larva at 
 work (/5), and the adult considerably magnified (r). 
 
 Prevention is much better and easier than cure. The 
 best thing that can be done is to remove the plantation to 
 a new plot, as far avv^ay as possible, each year, or at least 
 every other year. It is also recommended to puddle the 
 plants, when transplanting in the new way, in a puddle to 
 which sulphur has been added, and to sprinkle sulphur 
 about the plants after they are set. 
 
 Cy6 
 
ENEMIES OF THE CROP. 
 
 67 
 
 All affected plants should be removed and burned as 
 soon as discovered. ' Caustic lime water, especially if 
 made with liquid manure instead of clear water, seems to 
 be a safe remedy, but it will require too large a quantity to 
 be of much practical usefulness on an extensive scale. 
 Slake a peck of fresh lime in one hundred gallons of 
 liquid, let settle, draw off, leaving the settlings undisturbed, 
 
 Fig. 33. 
 
 Onion Maggot. 
 
 and pour the liquid about the plants freely enough so that 
 it will soak down to the place where the maggot is feeding. 
 Every larva touched by this lime water will die. Instead 
 of this remedy we can use solutions of muriate of potash, 
 one tablespoonful to the gallon of water, or of kainit, two 
 tablespoon fuls to the gallon. Plants once eaten into 
 usually rot and die, and for this reason the remedy is 
 not as satisfactory as might be desired. H. A. March 
 of Washington sprinkles crude sulphur, which smells very 
 strong, over his cauliflower plants, and says it seems to 
 
68 OyiONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 drive the fly away. This simple precaution might be tried 
 also in the onion patch. If it drives the fly away from 
 the one crop, it will undoubtedly do the same service to 
 the other. 
 
 At various times I have observed white grubs, as' also 
 wire-worms, etc., feeding at the roots of the onion plants 
 when approaching maturity. I think they must do con- 
 siderable damage by checking growth, and thus decreasing 
 the yield. Try to get ground that is free from these pests, 
 or to get rid of them by fall plowing. Earth-worms, 
 wherever troublesome, may be disposed of by free applica- 
 tions of lime or lime water as used for the maggot. 
 Potash salts will probably have a good effect in ridding the 
 soil of earth-worms, etc., also. 
 
 There may be other insect enemies, mostly very minute 
 — lice, thrips, or mites ; at least I have heard many com- 
 plaints about them, without ever being able to find any 
 such insects on my onions. Rotation, as for the onion 
 maggot, is probably the surest means of prevention. I 
 can suggest no cure. 
 
 Diseases. 
 
 Among fungous diseases affecting the crop we have 
 two, the onion rust {Peronospera Schleideniafia, linger), 
 and the smut {Urocystis cepulce. Frost). The former 
 affects the leaves when the onion is beginning to bottom, 
 or later, making them turn yellow, and ending in their 
 decay. It checks the further growth of the bulb. Pull 
 the crop when seriously affected ; cure the bulbs thoroughly, 
 and put them on the market at once. As this can be 
 done quite early in the season, good prices are often 
 obtained. 
 
 I have tried spraying with various fungicides, but with- 
 out being able to check the progress of the disease after it 
 
ENEMIES OF THE CROP. 69 
 
 had once made its appearance. Changing the location of 
 the patch to a new plot is probably the safest plan of 
 fighting the rust. By practicing the '^ new onion culture," 
 however, we have it in our power to prevent this disease 
 altogether, or at least a serious attack by it. The earlier 
 varieties, White Victoria, Yellow Dutch, and other 
 ordinary standard sorts reach their full size and maturity 
 long before the advent of the rust, and even the later 
 foreign onions usually are too far advanced to be much 
 harmed by it. 
 
 The smut, according to Prof. Bailey, attacks the first 
 leaf or leaves of seedling onions, producing dark, irreg- 
 ular spots, and killing or weakening the plants. Drill a 
 mixture of sulphur and lime, equal parts, into the ground 
 with the seed ; about an ounce of the mixture to 50 feet 
 of drill, as a preventive. 
 
IX. 
 
 THE HARVEST. 
 GATHERING AND TAKING CARE OF THE CROP. 
 
 PULLING IN TIME. — CURING OUTDOORS. — KEEP DRY. — CURING ON BARN 
 FLOOR OR UNDER SHEDS. — ONION CURING SHED. 
 
 When the tops turn yellow and begin to die, the crop is 
 ready to be harvested. Be prompt. It is usually safer to 
 pull the onions a few days too early, than too late. Do not 
 wait until every onion in the patch is dead and all the 
 tops have died down. Onions always ripen up unevenly, 
 and many specimens, at the proper time of harvesting, will 
 be quite green. This should give the grower no concern. 
 If the bulb is good, the green top will soon dry and 
 dwindle away. The danger lies in the tendency of the 
 ripe bulbs to commence a second growth, if left too long 
 in the ground, especially in a wet season. The onion 
 should be kept perfectly dormant. New growth soon spoils 
 it. One of the greatest advantages of the ''new onion 
 culture" is the early ripening of the crop, which brings the 
 time of harvesting and curing into midsummer or early fall, 
 when warm, dry days favor the proper curing. To get a 
 part of the crop into an extra early and willing market, we 
 may even begin pulling the onions before they are fully 
 matured. Sometimes we can make more money thereby 
 than by waiting for more growth and maturity. 
 
 Pulling the Crop. 
 The work itself offers no difficu^lties^ The smallest boys 
 may be employed in " pulling " the crop. It is quick work, 
 
 70 
 
TIJE HARVEST. 71 
 
 too, especially when the onions were grown on the new 
 plan, and are all uniformly large and regular. Each boy 
 (or growai person) may take three or four rows, pulling the 
 onions up by taking hold of each bulb itself, pushing or 
 pulling it over (not by the top unless that happens to be 
 large and strong), and then leaving all the onions pretty 
 much in a windrow along one side. 
 
 Here they are left until fully cured, which in warm and 
 dry weather may require a week's time or longer. If wanted 
 for immediate use, or to meet a present lively demand at 
 .extra prices, there would be no need of waiting for them 
 to cure perfectly. Each grower must be guided by circum- 
 stances, and his own good judgment in this matter. Under 
 ordinary atmospheric conditions it is perfectly safe to cure 
 the onions outdoors. It is the cheapest and least laborious 
 method. The short rains which we are liable to have occa- 
 sionally, during summer and early autumn, will do no 
 harm. The bulbs soon dry again. If there should be a 
 long rainy spell, you may turn the onions occasionally, 
 either by hand, or better, with a wooden rake or fork. 
 
 Gathering for Storage. 
 
 Be sure that the onions are perfectly dry on the outside, 
 when you gather them for storage. Pick them up into 
 bushel crates or baskets, and spread them upon the 
 barn floor or a dry loft. Do not let them stand for days 
 together in barrels, or even in crates and baskets. The 
 bulbs may appear entirely dry, and yet they will sweat and 
 sprout, causing loss and trouble to the grower. If well 
 cured and dry, you can put them upon a dry, airy floor a 
 foot or more deep without danger. But the sooner you 
 go at them, and twist or cut off the remnants of top and 
 root, the better it will be. Then you are safe in storing 
 the onions in slatted crates or ventilated barrels on the 
 l)arn floor or under a dry shed. 
 
72 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 People who grow onions by acres will need considerable 
 storage room, and may find it necessary to put up special 
 curing sheds or cribs. These can be arranged somewhat 
 on the plan of the curing shed shown in Fig. 34. 
 
 This is built like a double corn- crib. Ordinary rough 
 posts, firmly set into the ground, may serve as frame. 
 Divide the storage rooms on each side into shelves, so that 
 you can get the largest possible quantity spread out in 
 layers not over twelve or eighteen inches deep, with plenty 
 of air circulating through and between the layers. There 
 
 Fig. 34. 
 
 Onion Curing Shed. 
 
 should be a driveway clear through the centre of the shed 
 lengthwise. This will facilitate unloading, and loading 
 again when required. 
 
 To be on the safe side, the crop should be gathered and 
 housed just as soon as it is in proper condition. Not a day 
 should be lost after the bulbs are well cured and dry. 
 When it gets to be late in the season, and a long wet spell 
 is threatening, we had better house the crop anyway, and 
 depend on its curing in thin layers on a dry barn or shed 
 floor. 
 
X. 
 
 THE REWARD; 
 
 MARKETING AND STORING. 
 
 THE EARLY MARKET.— VENTILATED BARRELS. — HOME-MADE ONION 
 SORTER. — ONION CRATES. — DOMESTIC SPANISH ONIONS. — WINTER- 
 ING ONIONS FOR SPRING SALE. — STORAGE HOUSES. — PITS. — ESTI- 
 MATES OF COST AND PROFIT. 
 
 My own inflexible rule is to sell the crop, after it is ready, 
 at the first opportunity I have to get a fair price for it. 
 In fact I aim to have it early, in order to sell it early. I 
 find less competition, and therefore better prices, in market 
 during August than I do during September, and less com- 
 petition with better prices during September than during 
 October or November. Besides the crop is a perishable 
 one, and there is constant shrinkage, waste, and loss. 
 The sooner you are rid of it and have the money for it 
 safely in your pockets, the sooner you are relieved of the 
 troublesome task of caring for a perishable article, and the 
 better you are off. This advice is meant especially for the 
 less experienced onion grower. 
 
 In the great onion districts of the east the crop is a 
 staple article, and sells readily to regular wholesale buyers 
 in the same way as potatoes are being sold in the great 
 potato districts — by the car load. Buyers always go to the 
 centres of production, and there we usually find the best, 
 because most willing and ready market. 
 
 Local and General Markets. 
 
 The isolated grower away from these centres, no matter 
 whether he grows on a large scale or a small one, has to 
 
 73 
 
74 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 hunt up buyers for his onion crop. In the first place he 
 should try to satisfy the local demand. Inferior, imper- 
 fectly ripened, or thick-necked bulbs may often be disposed 
 of to the neighbors for immediate use at half price or 
 less. Get something for them ; they are of no use otherwise. 
 I have never found any difficulty in selling my earliest 
 onions at a fair price, no matter in what packages they were 
 put up. Sometimes I have sold them from the wagon to 
 grocerymen in Niagara Falls ; ordinarily I ship to Buffalo. 
 A few extra-early white onions I often ship in ten-quart 
 
 Fig. 35. 
 
 Ventilated Barrel. 
 
 or half-bushel (peach) baskets. These baskets are cheap, 
 and make a handy and popular package. Ordinary stand- 
 ard onions are shipped in barrels. The ventilated barrels, 
 of various styles, such as illustrated in Fig. 35 and com- 
 monly used for shipping vegetables, would be excellent for 
 shipping onions. Of course, we cannot afford to buy 
 new barrels for this purpose. I get my supply of barrels 
 from my grocers, who sell their old cracker and sugar 
 barrels at ten cents apiece. In place of the regular head 
 I use a piece of old canvas. 
 
 Uniformity of size greatly improves a lot of onions, 
 
THE REWARD. 
 
 75 
 
 and I believe that careful sorting will pay well. Each size 
 or grade should be put in a package by itself. A device 
 for sorting, such as is illustrated in Fig. '^^6, is easily made 
 out of a few scantlings, slats, and boards. The picture 
 makes the arrangement plain enough, and further descrip- 
 tion will not be needed. 
 
 Fig. 36. 
 
 Home-Made Onion Sorter. 
 
 The larger sizes of the Prizetaker onion I have for 
 several seasons put up and marketed in the manner shown 
 in Fig. 37. The crate is patterned after the crate in 
 which the Spanish and Bermuda onions are imported to 
 our markets. The slats are 19^ inches long, and the end 
 pieces 19^ by 7 inches. The crate holds plump three 
 pecks. In the earlier part of the season they have sold 
 well at from ^i.oo to ^1.25 each. These crates can 
 be had, in the flat, at 12 to 15 cents apiece. 
 
 The Spanish Onion in Market. 
 
 In some local markets, or among rural consumers, these 
 fine, large bulbs sell well in smaller quantities, especially 
 
76 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 after people become acquainted with their superior quality 
 and the absence of excessively strong flavor. In other 
 markets the sale is slow, as buyers sometimes seem to be 
 afraid of these large bulbs, and to prefer for a sweet onion 
 the imported ones, at a much higher figure. In Veality 
 there is little or no difference as regards flavor between 
 the Prizetaker and the imported Spanish, and as we can 
 grow the former, by the " New Onion Culture," to as large 
 
 Fig. 37. 
 
 Onions Crated for Market. 
 
 size as the imported bulb, and at the rate of 1000 to 2000 
 bushels per acre, we should try to make American onion 
 consumers learn the true value of this ''Domestic Span- 
 ish" onion, and induce them to lay prejudice aside and 
 use the domestic bulb in place of the imported article. 
 
 It has been proposed to use the designation '■'■ Domestic 
 Spanish" uniformly as a kind of trade-mark, and thus label 
 
THE REWARD. 77 
 
 all crates containing Prizetaker onions. Whether this will 
 have practical results, and insure the grower a financial suc- 
 cess, the future alone can tell. People are always slow to 
 drop fixed notions and to change tastes once acquired. 
 But it is worth the trial. Certainly such fine, large onions 
 as well-grown Prizetakers are, ought to find favor with the 
 consumer, and sell well. 
 
 Crating Onions. 
 The crate, as shown, makes a light, airy package, well 
 calculated to keep onions dry and sound. Its cost alone is 
 against it. For the first early crop, however, which can be 
 expected to bring a good price, and which will sell best in 
 small packages, crates may be employed to good advantage. 
 They might be made one-third larger, and '' warranted to 
 hold one bushel." 
 
 Feeling the Pulse of the Market. 
 
 In selling a large crop, the methods of the good business 
 man should be adopted. The supply, and consequently the 
 prices, in various parts of the country are by no means 
 uniform. Onions may be plentiful in New York, or Phila- 
 delphia, or Buffalo, and scarce in St. Louis, or Chicago, or 
 Columbus. It will pay the grower who has carloads of 
 onions to dispose of, to be informed about the condition 
 of the various markets which he might find available. 
 .Direct sales can often be made to houses in one or the 
 other of the larger^cities. Get the addresses of one or 
 more good commission merchants in all of the larger cities 
 within reasonable distance from you, and thus be in the 
 situation to feel the pulse of the market. 
 
 Winter Storage. 
 Prices usually rule highest, and often reach almost fancy 
 figures, in spring. Year after year 1 have known white onions 
 
78 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 to sell for from ^6 to ^lo a barrel in the New York markets 
 in March and April. Whoever has proper facilities for 
 wintering onions, and thoroughly understands how to carry 
 them safely through until spring, can do so with a fair pros- 
 pect of largely increased returns from his crop. Of course, 
 there is in this an element of speculation, and consequently 
 some risk for even the expert, and danger for the novice. 
 
 The task, however, does not offer great difficulties. The 
 first thing to do is to sort the onions over carefully, and to 
 select for winter storage none but sound, well-ripened bulbs. 
 They should be perfectly ''capped over," and entirely 
 dormant both at root and top. If there is the least trace 
 of growth, a green point at the heart, a rudiment of live 
 root — reject that onion. 
 
 Next be sure that every onion to be wintered over is 
 dust-dry on the outside. Such bulbs may be stored in 
 layers, or, better, in slatted bushel boxes, in a cool, dry 
 room, where safe from freezing, and they are pretty sure to 
 keep well until spring. 
 
 A grower on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, 
 who annually winters over thousands of bushels, has 
 arranged part of a large barn as an onion storage-room. 
 This is almost frost-proof in the coldest weather. All the 
 walls have a dead air space, with building paper tacked on 
 in the inside of each boarding that forms the hollow space. 
 There are double windows at each end, which are kept con- 
 stantly open except in the coldest weather. For storage- 
 rooms above ground, in cold localities, however, the walls 
 may be made like the one shown in Fig. 37. Set two by 
 four joists, of the desired height, two feet apart upon the 
 foundation walls. Line up each side of the joists with good 
 matched boards, and paper the same with building paper. 
 This will leave a dead air space four inches wide in the 
 center of the wall. On each side of this nail ordinary 
 
THE REWARD. 
 
 79 
 
 rough boards or planks, and cover them with siding on the 
 outside, but with matched boards on the inside, filling the 
 six-inch spaces with sawdust slightly packed. Walls thus 
 built are recommended by Mr. J. Heagerty, of this State, 
 for a fruit storage-room. For onion storage the space may 
 be considerably narrower ; but a room thus enclosed, and 
 with doors and windows made tight, will be as near frost- 
 proof as can be desired. 
 
 Onions must not be stored in these rooms in bulk, but in 
 layers on shelves, or in slatted bushel-boxes or crates, filled 
 
 Fig. 38. 
 
 !;^ building paper- 
 
 7- 
 
 k, SPACE 
 
 I 
 
 m&biM 
 
 wm 
 
 Section of Wall of Storage-room. 
 
 only to within a few inches of the top, so that there will be 
 a free circulation of -air all around, under, and above each 
 box, when they are set one above the other. 
 
 Wintering in Pits. 
 Onions can also be wintered in pits, in same way as pota- 
 toes, roots, or apples are pitted for winter keeping. Be sure 
 
80 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 that the spot selected for the pit is well drained. If water 
 is allowed to get inside, either from the top or bottom, it 
 will surely spoil the onions. Have them dry, and place 
 them upon a dry foundation in a long, conical heap. Cover 
 with clean straw ; then with a layer of earth and a rbofing 
 
 Onions in Pit. 
 
 of boards. A wisp of straw reaching from the onions 
 through the top outside will provide the needed ventilation. 
 Fig. 39 will give an idea of the whole arrangement. Let 
 
 FxG. 40. 
 
 Onions in Pit. 
 
 the onions freeze ; it is an advantage rather than an injury. 
 Consequently, there is no need of covering them with as 
 deep layers of straw and earth, as would be necessary in pit- 
 ting potatoes, or even mangels and qarrots. 
 
THE REWARD, 81 
 
 Perhaps it would do as well, if not better, to reverse the 
 order of things somewhat and arrange the covering as 
 shown in Fig. 40, namely, first a layer of straw, then a 
 board resting on rafters, and finally a coat of earth well 
 patted down. 
 
 Another very simple and convenient way is to put them 
 in a dry place, say a barn gr shed floor, upon a layer of 
 straw or hay, and let them freeze. Then cover with a two- 
 feet layer of the same material, or with mats and blankets, 
 and leave them untouched until they have thawed out again 
 in spring. The onions must not be put nearer than about 
 two feet from the wall, and the space between them and the 
 latter should be filled w^th litter. The freezing method is 
 pretty safe in uniformly cold winters, but a little risky in 
 warm, open winters with frequent violent changes of tem- 
 perature. Never handle bulbs when frozen, and always 
 allow them to thaw out gradually. 
 
 T?iE Profits. 
 
 Now for an estimate of cost of the crop and the profits 
 that are in it. In the very nature of things you will ex- 
 pect this estimate to be a somewhat rough one. The con- 
 ditions, in regard to cost of labor, of manure, of land, as 
 well as the demand for the crop and the prices that can be 
 obtained for it, vary so greatly in different localities and 
 seasons that I can give no figures which would be a safe 
 guide everywhere. - 
 
 The following I submit as a rather conservative estimate. 
 I do not desire to paint the business of growing '•' onions 
 for profit " in unduly rosy colors. The yield (600 bushels) 
 is no more than a good grower should produce under fairly 
 favorable conditions : — 
 
82 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 I.— ESTIMATE OF COST, AND RETURNS FROM THE OED 
 
 METHOD. 
 
 EXPENSES OF CROP PER ACRE. 
 
 Rent of land, ... ^ 6 oo 
 
 Manure, 3 carloads, at ^16, 48 co 
 
 Fertilizers, 20 00 
 
 Hauling, applying manure, 12 00 
 
 Plowing and harrowing, 3 00 
 
 Seed, 6 lbs. at ^2.25, 13 50 
 
 Sowing, .... I 00 
 
 Cultivation and weeding, first time, 15 00 
 
 " " " second " 10 00 
 
 « " " third " 5 00 
 
 Pulling crop, 3 00 
 
 Gathering, hauling, barreling, 35 ^o 
 
 Barrels, or packages, 20 00 
 
 Total, ^191 50 
 
 RECEIPTS. 
 
 By 600 bushels of onions, at 60 cents, $ 360 00 
 
 Deducting expenses, 191 5^ 
 
 Net profit, . ,' , ^168 50 
 
 If reality corresponds with this estimate, the grower is 
 doing pretty well. Even if the i)rice obtained for the crop 
 should be only fifty cents a bushel, the net profits, with 
 ^300 realized from the crop, would still be about $110 after 
 all outlays and all labor at fair rates~are paid for. 
 
 The average crop, it is true, is far below 600 bushels; 
 but we are not aiming for average crops. Our liberality in 
 applying manures, our thoroughness in selecting and pre- 
 paring just the right soil conditions, our good manage- 
 ment generally, should count for something. The average 
 crop can and should by these means be doubled or trebled. 
 A yield of 600 bushels of sound onions to the acre is the 
 very least that the wide-awake^ grower can expect under 
 
THE REWARD, 83 
 
 such selected favorable conditions. Indeed, the chances 
 are that the yield will go above the figure named, 800 
 bushels being within easy reach, and 1000 bushels by no 
 means beyond possibility. Every one can easily make his 
 own calculations as to the profits resulting from such a crop. 
 
 1 1. -ESTIMATE OF COST AND PROFITS FROM THE NEW 
 
 METHOD. 
 
 EXPENSES OF CROP PER ACRE. 
 
 Rent of land, $ 6 00 
 
 Manure, 3 carloads, at ;^i6, 48 00 
 
 Fertilizers, 25 00 
 
 Hauling and applying manure, 12 00 
 
 Plowing and harrowing, 3 00 
 
 Marking, i 00 
 
 Raising 180,000 plants, 30 00 
 
 Seed, 7 00 
 
 Transplanting, 45 *^*^ 
 
 Cultivation and weeding, 20 00 
 
 Pulling crop, 3 00 
 
 Gathering, hauling, packing, 35 ^^ 
 
 Barrels and crates, 60 00 
 
 Total, ^295 GO 
 
 RECEIPTS. 
 
 By 1000 bushels, at $1.00, less freight, commission, etc., . ^800 00 
 Deducting the expenses with 295 00 
 
 Net profits, $505 00 
 
 This is in favorable contrast with the results obtained by 
 the old method. The total expenses per acre are greater — 
 in fact, they must increase with the increase in yield. But 
 for reasons already stated, we usually can sell the crop at a 
 higher price per bushel than we could get for onions raised 
 in the old fashion. This makes a vast difference in the net 
 profits. 
 
 I can see nothing to prevent the grower, who has used 
 
84 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 good judgment in the selection of favorable conditions for 
 his undertaking, to raise looo bushels per acre on this new 
 plan. It takes 180,000 plants per acre. The average 
 weight per bulb should be not less than four ounces, if you 
 grow some good strain of the Yellow Dutch, and exceed 
 eight ounces if you grow the Prizetaker. 
 ^ I have had many specimens of the latter variety which 
 tipped the scales at twenty-four ounces, and whole rows 
 with every bulb weighing no less than one pound. The 
 180,000 Prizetaker onions on one acre, each weighing only 
 one-half of a pound, would give 90,000 pounds, or from 
 1400 to 1500 bushels. These, if sold at even a moderate 
 price, leave a big margin of profit for the grower. 
 
 All these calculations and estimates are based upon my 
 own surroundings and local conditions. Each grower must 
 modify them according to his particular surroundings and 
 conditions and ruling prices. Good management and 
 good judgment, especially in respect to selection of most 
 favorable conditions, cannot fail to 'lead to a satisfactory 
 outcome. 
 
XI. 
 
 SIDE ISSUES. 
 
 GROWING PICKLING ONIONS, ONION SETS, BUNCHING 
 
 ONIONS, ETC. 
 
 THE BARLETTA. — GROWING THE CROP. — ONION SET HARVESTERS. — ■ 
 ONION SET CLEANER. -PROFITS IN PICKLING ONIONS. — GROWING 
 SETS. — WINTERING SETS. — GROWING LUNCHING ONIONS.- — GREEN 
 ONIONS FROM BARLETTA SEEDLINGS. — EGYPTIAN WINTER ONIONS. 
 
 Since the introduction of the Barletta (Adriatic Bar- 
 letta) onion, a few years ago, I have taken quite a fancy to 
 growing pickling onions. 
 
 Does it pay? 
 
 It pays — and pays well. It gives us a chance to utilize 
 the labor of quite young boys with good profit. It allows 
 of double cropping, which is not practical to any great 
 extent in growing ordinary onions by the old method. It 
 gives us a product that meets with ready sale, and brings 
 in ready money long before we can get cash returns from 
 the regular onion crop. 
 
 The New Queen, yet quite generally grown as a pickling 
 onion, has always given fiiirly satisfactory results. It is a 
 nice, small, white variety, somewhat flat in shape, and 
 early enough to catch the demand for pickling onions. 
 Many specimens, however, unless much crowded, are apt 
 to grow larger than desirable. 
 
 The Barletta is just the thing in size. It is handsome, 
 round, of pearly whiteness, and altogether the pickling 
 OYiiQTv par excellence. Its advent has made the production 
 of these onions a pleasure. If well-grown, well-cured, and 
 well-sorted, they cannot help tempting even an unwilling 
 
 85 
 
86 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 buyer, but especially the housewife in need of pickling 
 material. The Barletta sells on sight. 
 
 While these pickling onions will grow on any kind of soil 
 suitable for other onions, I would not plant them on those 
 of a clayey character under any circumstances. Why ? 
 Labor, in the production of this crop, is a most important 
 factor. One of our first aims must be to make use of every 
 means within our reach that may serve to avoid all pre- 
 
 The Barletta Onion. 
 
 ventable waste in this large item of expense. Up to the 
 time of harvesting, all seems easy and plain sailing. Then 
 comes the real work, that of gathering and cleaning the 
 crop. If the soil is sandy, or otherwise loose and crumbly, 
 our youngsters will find the task now before them light and 
 pleasant, but long and wearisome if the small bulbs have 
 to be dug out of stiff clay, and separated from large and 
 small lumps of earth by hand. 
 
 In the first place, and as a pr^me condition of financial 
 success, we must understand that the only choice of soil 
 
SIDE ISSUES. 87 
 
 left to us is between sandy loam, sandy muck, and sand, all 
 of which must be free from rubbish, gravel, large stones, 
 and lumps. In other words, any soil that when fairly dry 
 and unfrozen will at any season readily pass through an 
 ordinary coal-ash sifter without leaving a residue, is suit- 
 able for growing pickling onions. 
 
 The soil should be well enriched in somewhat the same 
 fashion as minutely described for growing ordinary onions, 
 although there is no need of being quite so liberal in 
 manure applications. If the land is already quite rich 
 and well filled with organic matter, we might safely dis- 
 pense with organic manures, and put our reliance solely on 
 applications of commercial fertilizers, ashes, dried blood, 
 etc. Land that is not rich nor well supplied with organic 
 matter (humus) should have a good coat of compost. 
 Absence of weed seeds, both in the soil and compost, is 
 also an important point. 
 
 - In regard to the preparation of the soil I have nothing 
 to add to the instructions already given in chapter IV. For 
 sowing the seed, at the rate of about thirty pounds per acre, 
 use the seed drill. Crowd the rows pretty closely together. 
 There is no need of having them wider than ten inches 
 apart. But for the greater ease of cultivation secured by a 
 greater distance, I would put only six inches between the 
 rows. An ounce of fresh seed is enough to plant one hun- 
 dred feet of row or a little over. I usually set the drill to 
 sow about one-half this quantity, and then go twice in 
 each row. I do thrs for the purpose of spreading the seeds 
 in a wide row, rather than crowding them together in a 
 single narrow line ; yet I confess that I am not sure whether 
 this is of any material benefit or not. Although the Bar- 
 letta crop is made in three months' time or less, it is always 
 advisable to put the seed into the ground at the North as 
 soon in spring as soil and weather will permit. 
 
88 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 With the advantage which we secure to the onion plants 
 over weed growth by early sowing, and by a crowding 
 which leaves little room for weeds to start later, the task of 
 hand weeding will not be formidable. The wheel hoe should 
 be brought early and promptly into use, and the weeds in the 
 rows pulled up by hand whenever and as often as required 
 until the crop is well on its way toward maturity. 
 
 When the majority of the tops have died down, which 
 here is usually at the beginning of Jul}', the time for har- 
 vesting the crop has come. If the area is small, pulling by 
 hand may answer, and very small boys even can be em- 
 ployed to do this work satisfactorily. A better and quicker 
 way, however, is to run a common, good-sized garden 
 trowel under the onions, lengthwise of the row, lifting up 
 trowelful after trowelful, and throwing them into a sieve 
 with meshes just small enough to hold the smallest of the 
 bulbs. An ordinary coal-ash sifter is good enough. Sift 
 out the sand and dirt, then em})ty the cleaned onions into 
 baskets or boxes, and strew thinly on rf dry floor to cure. 
 
 If the grower prefers to cure the crop outdoors, which, 
 at that season of hot and dry weather, is a perfectly safe 
 proceeding, the bulbs should be dug up in the simplest and 
 most convenient manner, and left right on the ground until 
 the tops and roots have completely dried away. We ordi- 
 narily have used our narrow-bladed, home-made onion hoes 
 for digging out the bulbs. The blade should be inserted 
 and drawn along in the row just under the bulbs. The 
 Planet Jr. wheel hoe is provided with an attachment — the 
 onion-set harvester, here illustrated (Fig. 42) — which does 
 the work with neatness and dispatch. Any grower of ordi- 
 nary intelligence and mechanical skill, however, can easily 
 construct a serviceable tool for harvesting pickling onions 
 and onion sets from a set of old cultivator wheels, a few 
 pieces of board, and a piece of an old saw-blade. The illus- 
 
SIDE ISSUES. 
 
 89 
 
 tration, Fig. 43, will give some idea of the appearance of 
 the tool. 
 
 Fig. 42. 
 
 Onion-Set Harvester, Planet Jk. 
 
 Fig. 43- 
 
 srllhM. ^f^^''^ 
 
 IIoMK-MADE Device for Harvesting Onion Sets and Pickling Onions. 
 
 Leave the bulbs on the ground until they are perfectly 
 cured, and let them be gathered up when not a particle of 
 
90 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 moisture is on them. They may then be stored — not in 
 boxes, baskets, crates, or barrels, but spread out thinly on 
 a dry floor or on airy shelves, then cleaned and prepared 
 for market at leisure. 
 
 Children can do the job of cleaning the bulbs quite' well. 
 By rolling and rubbing the dry bulbs about in sieves, or in 
 a drum made for the purpose (such as illustrated in Fig. 
 44), they are easily separated from tops and roots. Finally, 
 
 Fig. 44. 
 
 Sieve Drum for Cleaning Onion Sets and Pickling Onions. 
 
 run them once or twice through a fanning-mill to free them 
 from dried skins, tops, and other light rubbish. 
 
 When preparing them for market, the largest bulbs should 
 be sorted out, and each grade put up by itself. Uniformity 
 in size adds greatly to the attractiveness of the lot and per- 
 haps to its money value. The demand in our markets 
 usually begins with September and lasts into October. 
 Gardeners who sell vegetables to consumers on a regular 
 route from the wagon will find that Barletta onions " take 
 well" in early autumn, and retidily,sell at from 10 to 15 
 cents per quart. 
 
SIDE ISSUES. 91 
 
 A small town, of course, is soon overstocked. I usually 
 ship my crop to Buffalo. I put them into ten-quart (peach) 
 baskets, lining the latter inside with paper, to prevent 
 small onions from working out through the cracks. A cover 
 of cheese cloth or stiff paper is fastened over the top. My 
 commission merchants manage to get 75 cents to ^i.oo per 
 basket, so that the average returns usually amount to about 
 80 cents per basket. 
 
 What is the yield ? 
 
 I have no difficulty to raise at the rate of 600 to 800 
 baskets per acre, and the possibilities are probably far above 
 this amount. On the basis of a 600-basket yield, we have 
 the following 
 
 ESTIMATE OF COST AND RETURNS. 
 
 EXPENSES OF CROP PER ACRE. 
 
 _ Rent of land, $ 600 
 
 Manure and fertilizers, 40 00 
 
 Hauling and applying manures, lo 00 
 
 Plowing and harrowing, 3 00 
 
 Seed, 30 lbs., at ^2.25, 67 50 
 
 Sowing, I 50 
 
 Cultivating and weeding, 25 00 
 
 Harvesting, 3 00 
 
 Gathering and cleaning, 48 50 
 
 Baskets, 600, at 3 cents, 18 00 
 
 Total ^222 50 
 
 RECEIPTS. 
 
 By 600 baskets, at 80 cents, $480 00 
 
 Deducting expenses 222 50 
 
 Net profit, ^257 50 
 
 Tempting as this outcome may appear, I cannot advise 
 any one to attempt growing pickling onions thus largely 
 until after repeated trials on a gradually increased scale. 
 
92 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Thorough work in the matter of curing pickling onions, 
 and onion sets as well, cannot be urged too strongly. If 
 the weather is not favorable for our purpose, a kiln or dry- 
 house, if available, may be utilized to best advantage. 
 High heat is not required, nor wanted. 
 
 Growing Onion Sets. 
 
 Onion sets are also a profitable crop, but their successful 
 management requires rather more skill and experience than 
 that of pickling onions. Perhaps it is not more difficult 
 to produce the one than the other ; but the pickling onions 
 are disposed of in the fall, while the sets have to be win- 
 tered over. The land should be of the same general char- 
 acter as needed for pickling onions, but not more than of 
 medium fertility. Yellow and White sets are in best 
 demand. Select Yellow Dutch and Silverskin or Pearl 
 (Extra Early Pearl, American Pearl), respectively, and, if 
 you want red sets. Early Red. Prepare the soil, and sow 
 seed as directed for pickling onions, ilsing from 40 to 60 
 pounds of seed per acre. Use the wheel hoe promptly, 
 and keep the patch scrupulously clean of w^eeds. When the 
 tops are partially dry, shear them off, or cut them off with 
 a sickle ; then harvest them in the same manner as you 
 would pickling onions. All bulbs that will not readily pass 
 through a sieve with ^-inch meshes are too large for sets, 
 and should be used for pickling, or in other ways. 
 
 Sets not perfectly capped over will not keep well. They 
 should be dead ripe in August or September. ''A good 
 set is a perfectly-formed onion in miniature, a round, plump, 
 little onion with the top all withered up to nothing." 
 Gather them on a hot day while perfectly dry, and at once 
 clean them by running through a fanning mill. Spread 
 them out thinly to dry, and keep them dry until winter 
 sets in. Then store them, in baskets, or on shelves, in a 
 
SIDE ISSUES. 93 
 
 cool, dry room, or freeze them as advised for wintering 
 ordinary onions. Never handle them while yet partially 
 frozen, nor keep them long in bulk after cold weather is 
 past. 
 
 Bunching Onions. 
 
 Bunching onions form one of the most important crops 
 of the market gardener, and about the earliest outdoor 
 crop of the season to bring in money. In all except the 
 extreme northern States, I believe sets could be safely 
 planted late in the fall, rather than in the spring, as now 
 generally practiced. I have thus planted sets of the Early 
 Pearl, and they wintered well without protection, and made 
 good bulbs for bunching. In our trying winters, however, 
 it may be safer to cover the patch lightly with marsh hay 
 or other litter, or defer planting until early spring. Place 
 the sets two inches apart and about as deep, into rows, 
 v/hich may be from eight to twelve inches apart. The soil 
 should be a rich, mellow garden loam. Begin pulling and 
 bunching the green onions when about half grown, and 
 market them as fast as they are wanted. At first, take 
 twelve plants for a bunch, reducing this number gradually 
 as the bulbs grow larger, and until five or six constitute a 
 bunch. 
 
 Sometimes it pays well to grow bunching onions in the 
 green or forcing house. Of course the sets should be 
 planted quite close, say two by four inches, in order to 
 fully occupy the space. In February and March they will 
 bring a good price. For both glass and outdoor culture, 
 seedling plants of the Barletta, started early under glass, 
 may be used in place of sets. Of course the onions will 
 be small, but, as on account of the extreme earliness of the 
 variety they can be produced before other bunching onions 
 come into market, they seem to bring the money. 
 
94 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Then there is the winter or Egyptian Tree onion. Per- 
 sonally I do not consider it worth much. It does not pro- 
 duce bulbs in the ground, but only thick stalks like the leek 
 or a scallion onion, and propagates itself both by division, 
 and by top sets. The plant is of ironclad hardiness* and 
 grows luxuriantly whenever the ground is not frozen. 
 Here we can pull and bunch them in April and May, 
 when other green onions are conspicuous by their absence, 
 and for this reason they often sell well, and at a good price, 
 notwithstanding the fact that they do not possess the true 
 onion flavor. 
 
XII. 
 
 ODDS AND ENDS. 
 
 ONION SEED RAISING.— WEIGHTS PER BUSHEL.— 
 HISTORY AND VARIETIES. 
 
 To produce onion seed, first grow the onions, and select 
 perfect, well ripened bulbs for wintering over in a cool, 
 dry, airy room. Select moderately rich soil ; plow and 
 harrow it well in early spring ; then open furrows six inches 
 deep, and not less than three feet apart. In these set the 
 onions four or five inches apart, and cover with the foot, 
 plow, or a hoe. Where the winters are not excessively 
 severe, the planting may also be done in August, in the 
 same manner as here described. The onions will make a 
 strong growth before winter, and come out all right in the 
 spring without protection of any kind/ 
 
 The great hollow seed stalks are quite liable to be 
 broken over and seriously damaged by heavy winds when 
 the ripening seeds make them top-heavy. If support is 
 given to the plants by little stakes, or by wires or twine 
 stretched on both sides of each row, much loss will be 
 prevented. 
 
 The seed ripens quite unevenly. Each pod must be cut 
 at the proper stage of ripeness, as indicated by the yel- 
 lowish color of the upper part of the stalk and the seed 
 pods. Continue cutting at intervals until all pods are 
 gathered. Spread them thinly in a dry loft, and when 
 thoroughly dry thresh them with the flail, and clean the 
 seed by running it repeatedly through a fanning-mill. 
 
 95 
 
96 
 
 ONIONS FOR rROFIT. 
 
 Then comes the washing. Place a quantity into a tub or 
 barrel of water, stir thoroughly for a few minutes, then 
 gently pour the water off, together with all the pods and 
 light seeds floating on top, leaving the heavy seed in the 
 bottom. This washing maybe repeated once or twice, and 
 the seed should at once be spread out thinly on sheets or 
 boards to dry, in the sun or a dry, warm room. Be sure 
 that it is thoroughly dry before being stored in bulk. 
 
 Weight of Onions. 
 
 I am frequently asked about the legal weight of a bushel 
 of onions. This is not easily answered, simply because 
 some States, as New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, etc., 
 have not thought it worth while to establish a legal weight 
 for onions, while other States have seemed to entertain 
 somewhat differing ideas as to what weight it properly 
 should have. The following is the weight recognized as 
 legal by the States named : — * 
 
 Pounds. 
 
 Arkansas, 57 
 
 California, 
 
 Colorado, 57 
 
 Connecticut, 5° 
 
 Delaware, 
 
 Ceorgia, 57 
 
 Illinois, 57 
 
 Indiana, 48 
 
 Idaho, 
 
 Iowa, 57 
 
 Kansas, 57 
 
 Kentucky, 57 
 
 Louisiana, 
 
 Maine, 52 
 
 Maryland, . 56 
 
 Massachusetts, 52 
 
 Michigan, 54 
 
 Minnesota, 
 
 Missouri, 57 
 
 Montana, 
 
 Pounds. 
 
 Nebraska, 57 
 
 Nevada, 
 
 New Hampshire, .... 
 
 New Jersey, 57 
 
 New York, 
 
 North Carolina, 
 
 North Dakota, 
 
 Ohio, 50 
 
 Oregon, 
 
 Penn.sylvania, 
 
 Rhode Island, 52 
 
 South Dakota, 
 
 Tennessee, 56 
 
 Texas, ' . 57 
 
 Vermont, 52 
 
 Virginia, . _ 57 
 
 West Virginia, 
 
 Wisconsin, 5^ 
 
 Washiftgton, 
 
 Wyoming, 
 
ODDS AND ENDS. 97 
 
 History. 
 
 Little enough is to be said about the early history of the 
 onion, although the fragrant bulb has been known and 
 cultivated as an article of food from olden times. Prob- 
 ably the plant came originally from the East. It is men- 
 tioned in the Scriptures as one of the things for which the 
 Israelites longed when in the w^ilderness. These people 
 seemed to have become quite fond of the "leeks, onions, 
 and garlics " of Egypt, and their love for these vegetables 
 is almost proverbial to this day. Herodotus, long before 
 the Christian era, tells of an inscription on the great 
 pyramid stating that a certain sum (1600 talents) had been 
 paid for'the onions, radishes, and garlic consumed by the 
 workmen during the erection of that massive, awkward, 
 but famous, stone heap. 
 
 The present production of the onion in the United 
 States has reached enormous proportions, and yet hundreds 
 of thousands of bushels are annually imported. These 
 come mostly from Bermuda (the old crop) during January, 
 from Cuba (new crop) during the same month ; from 
 France and Spain, during February and March. It seems 
 to me that California and some of our southern States can 
 grow just as good onions as any of the countries named, 
 and they should try to catch a little of this trade in mild 
 foreign sorts. 
 
 Varieties. 
 Botanically the onion is known as Allium cepa. The 
 generic name is of Celtic origin (" alV meaning hot, or 
 burning). The plant belongs to the Natural Order 
 LiliacecE. 
 
 Hundreds of garden varieties have been introduced, but 
 we have little positive knowledge concerning their origin. 
 7 
 
98 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 Fig. 45. 
 
 '— Tdt=- 
 
 Yellow Globe Danvers. 
 
 Fig. 46. 
 
 •-^^""t'*' 
 
 Red Wetheksfield. 
 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
 
 99 
 
 The sorts most useful to the commerial grower have ah-eady 
 been mentioned. The following is a list of the leading 
 varieties : — 
 
 Wether sfield (^Wethersfield Red). — The leading red 
 market variety ; large, flat, coarse, reliable and prolific. 
 Skin deep purplish red ; flesh white ; flavor strong. A 
 good keeper. 
 
 Danvers {^Danvers Yellow, Round Danvers, Yellow 
 Globe Daiivers). — This is undoubtedly the most reliable 
 market sort, very prolific ; sure to form good bulbs ; early, 
 
 Fig. 47. 
 
 1892 
 
 BYW.A.3.9.©. 
 
 Large Red Globe. 
 
 good-sized, round, smooth. Neck very small, flesh solid, 
 fine grained. A good keeper. 
 
 White Globe {^SoutJiport White Globe). — This is the best 
 of the white market varieties. It is of fine white color, 
 and of perfect globe shape. Large, prolific, reliable. 
 Cure it in the shade if practicable, as this will prevent 
 discoloration of the skin. A good keeper. 
 
100 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Red Globe and Yellow Globe (Southpori) resemble the 
 White Globe quite closely except in color. 
 
 Fig. 48. 
 
 Bsa " 
 
 .B.&©, 
 
 Yellow Dutch. 
 
 Fig. 4;. 
 
 ExTKA Early Keu. 
 
 Yellow Dutch {Yellow Strasbui'g). — This variety is pro- 
 lific, producing solid and fine flavored bulbs. Shape 
 somewhat flat. Largely grown' for market, and for sets. 
 An excellent keeper. 
 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
 
 101 
 
 Extra Early ^^^.— Hardy, reliable, growing quickly to 
 fair size. A favorite sort for mucky soils, and much grown 
 for red sets. It keeps well. 
 
 Silver Skin {^White Portugal, Philadelphia White).— An 
 onion of medium size, handsome appearance, and mild 
 flavor. Largely grown for pickling and for white sets. 
 . Spanish King.— A very large, yellow, mild foreign sort, 
 well adapted for the new onion culture. 
 
 Fig. ^o. 
 
 Pkizetaker. 
 
 Prizetaker,— The best of the very large, mild onions, 
 and most suitable -for the new system of onion growing. 
 It resembles the imported bulbs sold in our markets as 
 " Spanish onions." 
 
 Silver King..— A very large, white, mild-flavored variety 
 of the Italian type. Like all others of that class, it is not 
 a good keeper. 
 
 White Victoria.— A large, white, handsome, mild- flavored 
 variety, well suited for the new onion culture. 
 
102 
 
 ONIOiVS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Red Victo7'ia. — Resembles the White Victoria in every 
 respect except color. 
 
 Bermuda. — There are two kinds of Bermuda onions, a 
 pink and a white one. They make large, flat onions^ but 
 are less reliable than the Italian sorts. 
 
 JVciv Queen {Fea?'l of the Southern States). — A flat 
 white onion of small size and quick growth. In the South 
 (according to Prof. Massey) a good crop of fall onions 
 can be raised from seed of this variety sown in August, and 
 it will be found very salable for pickling onions. 
 
 Fig. .si. 
 
 JVew Mammoth Pouipeii. — A very large onion, of red 
 color and mild flavor. Valuable for transplanting in the 
 South. 
 
 Maggiajola. — An early, flat, white onion, of small size ; 
 good for pickles. 
 
 B arietta. — The earliest of all ; very small ; useful for 
 bunching, and especially for pickling. 
 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
 
 103 
 
 Giant Rocca. — A large onion, of dark-red color and 
 round shape ; valuable for transplanting in the South. 
 
 Fir,. 52. 
 
 Large White Italian Tripoli. 
 
 Large White Italian Tripoli.—.^ very large, white onion, 
 of fine flavor. One of the best white market onions for 
 the Southern States. 
 
 Fig. 53. 
 
 White Pearl. 
 
 White Pearl {Extra Early Pearl, American Pearl, 
 BloomsdalePearl).—A fine white, early onion; good for 
 sets, and pickling. 
 
104 
 
 ONIONS FOR PROFIT. 
 
 Mammoth Red Tripoli. — Resembles White Tripoli in 
 every way, except color. 
 
 Potato Onions {Multipliers). — These produce neither seed 
 nor top-sets, but increase by division of the original bulb. 
 They are early, and valuable for market, especially in 
 more southern localities, but do not keep well. Their 
 color is brownish-yellow. According to reports, a pure 
 v/hite variety of superior merit has recently been introduced. 
 
 Fig. 54. 
 
 White Multiplier Onion Sets. 
 
 Winter Onion (^Egyptian, Perennial or Tree Onion.) — 
 Docs not form bulbs. The stalks are used for bunching in 
 March, April and May, and the crop is often quite profit- 
 able. Increased by top sets. 
 
 Top Onion. — This, like the preceding, forms little bulbs 
 on the top of the stem in the place of flowers and seeds. 
 These bulbs grow in clusters, and are of about the size of 
 hazelnuts. Break the clusters apart, and plant in spring, 
 in the manner advised for sets. , Color red. 
 
HOW TO BE RICH WITH A LIT- 
 TLE LAND. 
 
 I am going to tell about Caleb Jones. 
 
 He has the best-paying garden within a 
 day's journey, and Mrs. Jones has the prettiest 
 flowers. The farm is a good one, well tilled 
 and kept up ; but so are a good many others. 
 His land, if you see it after the crops are off, 
 is about the same as that of other prosperous 
 farmers ; but he always takes the first prize at 
 the County Fair for pumpkins and cabbages — 
 Mrs. Jones for pansies and marigolds. 
 
 They live within four miles of the village, 
 where several hundred people buy their every- 
 day fruits and vegetables. One taste of Jones' 
 sweet corn is enouorh to secure a customer — 
 beans and peas the same. You see what a 
 hold" he has on the market. 
 
 At home they live like lords. American 
 farmers have good things to eat, compared 
 with the rest of the world ; but not one in a 
 hundred lives like Caleb and Mrs. Jones and 
 the little Joneses. 
 
 When two men set out to do the same thing, 
 and one succeeds while the other fails, there is 
 apt to be a reason for it. So, when most of 
 our people have plenty of wants and some 
 have money to lend, there's a reason for that. 
 What is it ? 
 
HOW TO BE RICH WITH A LITTLE LAND. 
 
 Caleb has two or three acres of garden and 
 forty times as much in farm ; but his garden 
 grows larger every year, and his farm grows 
 smaller. He keeps more help than anybody 
 else along that road ; he has more work. His 
 horses are round and sleek ; they seem to 
 enjoy life. Caleb says the only difference is, 
 between him and his neighbors, they are 
 farmers and he is a gardener. I say, he grows 
 what he can sell to advantage, and grows it so 
 that he can. And this is my notion of How 
 to be Rich with a Little Land. 
 
 They are all poor farmers ; but five or six 
 acres of vecretables are worth a hundred of 
 wheat. — depends on the vegetables. What 
 do they depend on ? 
 
 Caleb buys his seeds of a seedsman. He 
 would no more plant poor seeds than raise a 
 colt from a scrawny mare. This accounts for 
 his taking those prizes. His tomatoes, whether 
 a cherry-size, plum-size, pear-size, or apple, are 
 solid and rich in the pulp, of thin, tough skin, 
 rotund, and prolific. Tomatoes of ten years ago 
 were tough and watery, awkward to peel, and 
 not nearly so clear and fair as Caleb's. He 
 buys his seeds of a seedsman. 
 
 There are, however, two sorts of seeds and 
 seedsmen. Take cabbao;e, for instance. You 
 
HOW TO BE RICH WITH A LITTLE LAND. 
 
 can't tell turnip from cabbage. A common 
 practice of seedsmen is to mix them ; and, to 
 prevent your finding it out, the turnips are 
 killed before mixing. Cargoes of poor cabbage 
 seed come from Europe at 30 cents a pound ; 
 it is grown from stalks — they sell the heads. 
 The best cabbage seed is grown on Long 
 Island and in Bucks County, Pa., from selected 
 stalks with the heads on. The seedsmen who 
 mix of course have an eye to cost. They put 
 in a little good seed, to avoid a total failure, 
 which would injure the business. The bulk of 
 the cabbage sold in this country is mixed. But 
 most of the farmers and gardeners do not 
 "suspect it. They sow pretty thick. If a third 
 come up, it's enough ; and, if half of the plants 
 make heads, they are satisfied. While of Long 
 Island and Bucks County cabbage ninety-six 
 or ninety-seven in a hundred seeds come up, 
 and nine out of ten of the plants make full, 
 round heads The difference due to the seed 
 is half or two-thirds of the crop, besides the 
 quality. Take, for another example, tomato 
 seed. The canners save the seed in the waste ; 
 it is average seed and costs nothing. Melon- 
 growers sell their best melons and, late in the 
 season, save seed from the culls — to sell, not to 
 plant. There are tons on tons of seeds that 
 
HOW TO BE RICH WITH A LITTLE LAND. 
 
 are true to name but of common quality — 
 honest but poor. They came from poor plants 
 and will grow poor plants. 
 
 Do you know what a first-rate seed is ? It 
 is bred up, just as a horse or cow or dog or 
 hen is. Vegetables and flowers are poor in 
 their natural state ; they are fair in their usual 
 state ; they are rich in the proper seedsman's 
 proving ground. And the richer they are the 
 more unstable they are ; they tend back, as 
 water runs down hill. 
 
 A first-rate vegetable or flower seed goes 
 back to a lower grade as soon as it ceases to 
 feel the seedsman's care. This care is not 
 cultivation ; it is sorting out and breeding up. 
 
 Caleb trusts no seedsman's seeds in the next 
 generation. He gathers no seeds himself; he 
 buys of his seedsman every year; and so does 
 Mrs. Jones. 
 
 You see, the farmer's and gardener's first 
 anxiety is, not plows and harrows, but seeds. 
 Any plow will plow ; any harrow will harrow ; 
 but first-rate seeds he must have, or fail in his 
 crops. Most gardeners fail and don't know it. 
 
 How did Caleb and Mrs. Jones pick out 
 their seedsman ? They saw an advertisement — 
 here it is : — 
 
HOW TO BE RICH WITH A LITTLE LAND. 
 
 BURPEE'S FARM ANNUAL FREE. 
 W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 4tS N. Fifth St., Philadelphia, 
 
 to get acquainted with you, will send 
 you for 25 cents four packets of 
 named Sweet Peas and one packet of 
 Eckford's "All the New Sweet Peas" 
 mixed, with a book, " All About Sweet 
 Peas," how to grow and trellis them 
 so as to have flowers every day, with 
 illustrations. 
 
 Bush Lima Beans : the only true 
 large Lima — probably you don't know 
 what a good Lima is — 10 cents, to 
 make acquaintance. 
 
 Burpee's Surehead Cabbage, 10 
 cents ; and Burpee's Melrose Melon, 
 15 cents. 
 
 Every seed we sell is to make 
 acquaintance. 
 
 Caleb said to Mrs. Jones : " Let's have that 
 Farm Annual." That's how they are rich with 
 a little land ; and you can. 
 
MANURES: 
 
 How to Make and How to Use Them. 
 
 A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE CHEMISTRY OF 
 MANURES AND MANURE MAKING. 
 
 This new book on the clicmistry of manures and manure making is a 
 (M)iiij)lete ami really iiu])()rta,nt work, written sj)ecially for the use of fanners, 
 liorticulturists, and market "gardeners, by Thank W. SKMrmis, Director of 
 the Fordhook Chemical Laboratory. 
 
 It clearly explains tlur 
 principles underlying soil 
 fertilization and gives the 
 best known scientific meth- 
 ods for i)reparing and apply- 
 ing natural and artificial 
 manures on the farm. It 
 has been demonstrated by 
 several of the State Agri- 
 cultural Kxperimcnt Sta- 
 tions and by scores of pro- 
 gressive farmers that chcmi- 
 v;i\ manures ecjual to the best 
 rcinly-made mixtures can bo 
 made on the farm, without 
 the aid of machinery and at 
 groat saving in cost. The 
 dillwcnt raw materials cn- 
 teriiig into the composition 
 of fertilizers are plainly 
 describeil, and the best com- 
 mercial sources of supj)ly 
 given. Considerable space 
 is devoted to tried and 
 proved formulas, drawn from 
 the latest scientific re- 
 searches in America, Eng- 
 land, France, and (Jcrmany, 
 Simple explanations are also given of some terms in chemical technology 
 used in the State Agricultural Reports and in the general agricultural and 
 horticultural literature of the day. The arrangement and classification 
 are in accordance with the best scientific usage, and every formula is the 
 result of actual field experiment. The preparation of this book has in- 
 volved a large amount of careful work. 
 
 Price, Postpaid, 50 Cents, 
 
 or can be selected FREE as a premium on or- 
 ders amounting to FIVE DOLLARS or more. 
 
 HOWTOMAKE 
 
 AND 
 
 HOW TO USE THEM 
 
 /r PpsllED BY '"'^-^4kvJ> 
 W.ATLEE BURPEE &(? (f "" ^ 
 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 rUBLISITED BY 
 
 W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
Celery for Profit, 
 
 All agree that Celery offers greater chances lor making money 
 than any other garden crop. The difficulties encountered by the 
 old methods of growing, however, made success uncertain, and sure 
 only with comparatively few expert growers. Modern methods 
 make all this uncertainty a thing of the past. From the same 
 area which would give |100.00 in any other vegetable, you 
 
 may take $400.00 or even 
 $500.00 in Celery, if you 
 know how. Tliis new 
 book, just published, is 
 written by T. Greiner, 
 author of Onions for 
 Profit, and other books 
 on gardening. It tells 
 how to dispense with 
 nine-tenths of the labor 
 generally thought neces- 
 sary in Celery growing, 
 and how to make the 
 business pay really big 
 profits. Under the right 
 culture and conditions 
 several thousand dollars' 
 worth of Celery can be 
 raised on a single acre. 
 The l)ook is thoroughly 
 
 complete in every detail, and is embellished with many helpful 
 
 and original illustrations. Here is a glimpse of the table of 
 
 .contents : — 
 
 Generalities-An Introdiu:tion-Tlie Early Celery— The New Celery Culture— 
 The Irrigation Problem— The Fall and Winter Crop— Winter Storage— Mar- 
 keting Problems— Varieties, etc. , etc. 
 
 Price, Postpaid, 30 Cents, 
 
 or can be selected FREE as a premium with any 
 order amounting to THREE DOLLARS or more. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
Burpee's 
 Farm Annual 
 
 is cheerfully given free to an3^one wanting good 
 seeds. But as each copy in quarter-million editions 
 costs nearly fifteen cents, — when everything is 
 counted ; you see we must have some rules — and 
 we dislike rules. 
 
 If you want seeds and have not a copy of the 
 Farm Annual send us a postal card to-day, and 
 it will come free by return mail. 
 
 If you order, no matter how little, and desire 
 the Farm Annual, you have only to ask for it with 
 your order. 
 
 The Edition for 1893 
 
 is better than ever before. A handsome book of 172 pages ; 
 it tells all about the best seeds that gfow, including rare 
 novelties of real merit ; honest descriptions and hundreds 
 of illustrations, with beautiful colored plates painted from 
 nature. Important new features for 1893, — original and 
 interesting. 
 
 Any seed buyer can have a copy free, whether our 
 customer or not, no matter. We count on a fair 
 hearing. 
 
 If you are not a seed buyer, but merely want a 
 nice book — and it is a nice book, — you should enclose 
 ten cents, which is only part of the cost. 
 
 Put yourself in our place. 
 
 W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Seed Growers, 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa. * 
 

 
 
 
 
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