Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-03-12
h Onion Culture.

~ III
THE land best suited to onion growing
is good, rich sandy loan, so deep as to
withstand drought well; clayey soil,
also does we'll if underdrained and
worked, fine; by no, means should they
be planted onl dry, gravelly or sandy
land, subject to injury from drought.
The manure Tor onions should either
be plowed under. in the fall or worked
very fine for application in the spring.
A compost Of horse dung and night soil
suits them well also muscle mud, kelp
or rock weed, composted with yard
manure, Its a gross feeder, and among
the artificial special rnanures to be used
IN connection with dung, sulphate of
potash has been found very useful. Ten
or twelve cords per acre of good COM
post are used, and 50Opounds of sulphate
of potash. ''
The land for the onion bed should be
worked as early as possible in spring,
the object being to make the soil as fine
and rich as possible, but not loose, to
the depth of four or five inches; the
small plow and roller, the disc harrow,
the smoothing harrow, drag and cult
vator, are the tools used by different
farmers,' several repeated workings be-
ing needed to work the land and manure
thoroughly fne.'A IA ~ ~ fA b
The seed is sown, as early in April as
possible, by machine, in rows fifteen
inches apart, at the rate of four to FIVE
pounds to the acre; sometimes, if the
land is very clean, o row of spinach or
other greens Is sown between the rows
of onions; if the land is at all weedy,
however, this can not be done, and the
safest way is not to risk it. The scuflle hoe
and hand wedding are followed up re-
peatedly, until the onions are too large
to admit of culture, when they may be
pulled, for sale green inbunches, If near
a good market.
When the tops drop down in August,
at the time when about half of them are
down, roll an empty barrel over the bed
to break down the others, and in few
days after pull the whole crop, throwing
them into heaps of two bushels, or into
windows containing FIVE or six rows
each. They are left thus for week or
two to dry; if rainy weather occurs,
they will need turning over with wood
en- rake after they begin TO dry, to pre-
vent sprouting. When thoroughly dry,
they are carted to the barn floor and
dumped in heap not over three or four
feet deep, where they may be left until
cold weather Ia November, after which
they keep well either in cold, dry eel.
lar or in dry loft where there is nc
frost. They may also be kept covered
to prevent thawing suddenly, and sold
soon after thawing out. Repeated thaw,
ing and freezing, however, injures them
they require about the same conditions
for keeping as apples, only that it is bet
ter to keep them rather dry to prevent
sprouting. ......1.. 81.
To raise sets" for planting the next
year, obtain the seed known as the White
Portugal; SOW uery thickly, and not toe
early-about the middle of May; let the
land be rather poor and sandy, and moi
MANFRED the same year. The bulbs un
der these conditions will ripen when Of
the size of peas to walnuts; they are
cured and stored just as large OF ion;
and sorted into different sizes for plsnt
ing; the largest, of the size of walnut,
will many"of them throw a blossom
stem, and should be sold early. The
smaller ones, of the size of peas and
beans, will simply grow to large onior
and be in order for punching in June
Sets, when planted the second year
should have rich, strong land, heavily
MANFRED, and since they come off early
may be followed by melons, celery, etc
as second crop.-New Englant
Fa3fIer.