Fayetteville Observer

Onion.

The onion is one of the best products of the garden. The soil best adapted to their growth should be light and well enriched with very old stable manure or compost. Dig the bed carefully with a spade, and make the surface fine and even with an iron rake. The seed should be sown as soon as the ground can be got in good condition. Make the drills one foot apart and cover the seeds about an inch; finish by pressing the earth well upon the seeds, with a board laid lengthwise on the row and walking across it. Thin out the plant to an inch or two apart and keep them free of weeds. The white onion is the best for early use, or for pickling; the yellow or silver skin for a main crop; and the large red will keep the longest.

For early use in spring, the white is generally sown in August, and the beds covered with straw or litter in winter.

The potato onion is liked by some persons; it grows large, and the flavor is very mild. They should be planted as soon as the frost is out of the ground and in rows a foot apart. The onions should be barely covered; as they grow, draw the dirt up over them with the hoe; they will be ripe enough to dig the latter part of August.