ONIONS W. H. ELLIS, LIVONIA, N. Y. This article will be confined to the onion business as conducted by the growers of South Lima, N. Y.; the fundamental principles are the same everywhere. THE SOUTH LIMA ONION LANDS Some thirty-five years ago there was a swamp of about seven hundred acres lo Icated at what was then called Hamilton Station, now South Lima, which for sanitary reasons was drained. Soon some of this land was used for the purpose of growing broom corn, willows, etc. Finally onions were tried on a small tract and the result was so satisfactory that South Lima muck sprang into prominence as an onion producing section, and has held a leading place ever since. The entire seven hundred acres have been cleared and nearly one-half of it is annually devoted to the cultivation of onions. VARIETIES The varieties presented by seed houses are many but by a process of elimination have been reduced to very few. Ten or twelve years ago, growers usually sowed an equal amount of red and yellow seed. Sometimes the red sold better than the yellow, sometimes the reverse. But at the present time there seems to be almost no demand for the former; the yellow variety is grown almost entirely. It is said that one reason for the change is that the Jews, who are among the largest consumers of onions, never buy red ones. The Yellow Globe Danver is a popular variety and for early maturity is probably the best. The Ohio Yellow Globe is also good and perhaps will yield more bushels to the acre than the other varieties, but the Southport Yellow Globe is the most generally grown here. The Danver and the Ohio are slightly flattened at the top. The Southport is almost a perfect sphere, with an extremely small neck, and is a good keeper. SEED Where to obtain the best seed is a question which puzzles every grower. Every catalog will claim that the seed it advertises is the best, or at least as good as any, but every year some one is taken in by a house selling onion seed of poor quality. Sometimes a firm will sell seed which will grow onions of as many different colors as Joseph's coat, and if one looks at the package in which the seed came he will find this legend, "This company gives no warranty, expressed or implied, in regard to its seeds." The best way is to grow one's own seed. When securing onions, carefully select the best bulbs, choosing for color, shape and size. From a bushel of bulbs will often be gathered three or more pounds of seed. By putting the seed in a tub of water and throwing away all that does not quickly sink to the bottom, only the good is saved. The seed grown by a South Lima man, tested at New York State College of Agriculture a year ago with seed from several of the largest seed houses, was found to be the best. Five pounds of seed that will test 80 per cent. or better should be enough for an acre. It used to be said that one ought to sow at least six pounds in order to have some for maggots and other troubles that are sure to beset the crop, but the smaller amount is more in favor now. FERTILIZERS After the seed question comes that of fertilizer - certainly an important one. The onion is a gross feeder and plant food must be supplied in liberal quantities. It should be a kind that is quickly available. A high-grade fertilizer with 4-8-10 analysis is a popular brand, though some prefer to use 2-8-10. In either case about a ton to the acre should be sown broadcast before the seed is sown. Some prefer to sow but part of the fertilizer then and the balance later in the season when the onions are one-half or two-thirds grown. If the season is a dry one it is doubtful if the crop derives much benefit from the late sowing. Good results are often obtained from sowing nitrate of soda in the middle of the summer if there happens to be a wet period. If a second application of fertilizer is to be made it is a good plan to use a disc just before sowing the fertilizer, which will leave a little trench on each side of the row; then, with the hand fertilizer machine, sow the fertilizer in the trench. If this is followed by a mulcher (a machine that looks like a small lawn mower) the ground will be leveled and the fertilizer will be deep enough for the moisture to make it quickly available. FITTING THE SOIL AND CULTIVATION As soon as ground can be worked in the spring is the time to begin fitting for onions. It is a good plan to have the plowing done in the fall. Some fit the land on which late celery was grown the previous year, without plowing at all. A spring-tooth harrow followed by an acme and that in turn by a float will make a bed of muck land in splendid condition and ready for the seed. With a Planet, Jr., or Iron King drill there should be little trouble in getting the seed on evenly. The drill should be set so as to sow about one inch deep with rows fourteen inches apart. There is a great tempation to make the rows closer but they are much harder to work. As soon as the little onions begin to show above the ground, work should begin. Several makes of weeders have been put upon the market in the last two or three years that have been a great help. Some growers still look askance at the manufacturers claiming that any machine that will destroy a weed will not tear out a tender little onion. It is true that they will destroy some, but the difference in cost in going over a field with a weeder and of weeding by hand will more than compensate for the onions that are killed. Hand weeding is what makes onion growing so costly. Hand weeding has to be done three or four times, but with the judicious use of a weeder this can be reduced to once or twice. Weeding should be followed by almost constant work with the cultivator until the onions are quite large. The onion is a surface crop and care must be exercised not to cut the roots when the plant has grown large enough to send them out of the row. For this reason a shove hoe is probably the best |