The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-25

There is no crop that goes into the ground as
early as onions The crop is one for which the
soil cannot be made too rich, and it will thrive
on the soil where previous crops of the same
klEd nave grown, In preparing the ground for
onlopS 1t is important that it be made as fine as
possible, as it is useless to attempt TO get large
yields on land that is covered with ciods and
humps, the seed being sometimes slow of ger
mlnatlon and easily destroyed. Having thor
oughly plowed the ground it should be worked
over with harrow until every part is rendered
very tlne and the ground thoroughly pulverized.
Then should be spread evenly any quantity of
good. perfectly decomposed stable manure,
not that Which is mingled with coarse litter, but
such as has been put through a process of com
posting, and which is in very fine condition.
The greater the quantity the better, and after
the manure has been hroadeasted the harrow
should again be passed over the location, in Or
der that the manure may be well incorporated
with the soil. 1t may be necessary to use. the
rake as the. crop requires extra care in the be-
ginning, and any neglect at that time. will make
a marked Inference in the field of the crop and
he thorough pulvelizatiOn of the soil saves labor
IN seeding and working the young plants after
they are up.
The cropis mostly worked by hand but wheel
hoes are sometimes used with advantage AS
the seed terminates slowly the grass and weeds
often get the start and occupy the ground before
the young plants are high enough to mark off
the rows, and IN that case it is necessary to be
very careful, as the rows must be cleaned, re
moving: the weeds by working on the knees.
This being done, the ground should be hoed
thoroughly and made very clean, after which the
work will be easier If the crop is grown from
seed the plants should be tlnned to a single
plant for every four inches but if sets are de
sired the seed should be sown thickly and re
main on the ground until the tops are dead.
In putting out sets the same careful prepare
ton of the seed bed should be made and the crop
kept clean from the start 1t is only necessary
to press them gently in position, as they easily
take root, and the rows should be just wide
enough to allow of the hoe thas been demon
strated that mulch between the rows is very
beneficial and assists not only in keeping down
the grass and weeds; thereby saving labor, but
also increases the yield. The amount usually
grown ON an acre depends upon the fertility of
the soil antb the attention bestowed in the cult
Walton. Over 600 bushels have been grown
on some onion farms in New England,
but the crop seems to do better in that region
than in many other sections. When growing
from seed the reds are mostly preferred, but the
white and yellow varieties seem to be the choice
in this latitude. especially the yellow Danvers.
Onions are good winterkeepers, and when frozen
are not always destroyed if left undisturbed
to thaw gradually 1t is a readily salable crop,
and would be feature all farms, as it is in
the gardens but for the labor required in its
cultivation. AS the value of good crop is very
great, however, the profits are no doubt equal
IN proportion, to the expense.