POPULAR VARIETIES OF GARDEN VEGETABLES. 



215 



AMEHICAN OSIONS. 



OXIOXS. 



The Ouion mast have a clean and very rich soil, or it will not do well enough 

 to pay for the trouble. TJe'c well rotted manure freely, and be sure to get the 

 eeed in as early as possible in the spring, no matter if it is ever so cold and un- 

 pleasant, for it onions do not get a good growth before hot, dry weather, the 

 crop is sure to be a failure ; then thin out early, and keep the soil mellow and 



clear of weeds, and if your seed is good, 

 '""^^ you will have a large crop of onions. On 

 . -^ no other conditions can you hope for suc- 

 ■"' cess. The onion is very sensitive, and it 

 won't do to slight it in the least. Sow in 

 shallow drills, not less than a foot apart. 

 Wlien the voung onions are three or four 

 inches high, thin so that they will stand 

 about two inches or more apart, accord- 

 ing to kind. Disturb the roots of onions 

 , as little as possible, either in thinning or hoeing, and never hoe earth toward 

 them to cover, or hill, as we do most other things. Four pounds of seed are 

 sufficient for an acre. American onions are quite different from those of Eu- 

 rope; they are generally smaller, with a finer neck, bulb much more freely, 

 are stronger, less sweet, and much better keepers. Our little engraving shows 

 the leading native sorts reduced to quite one-sixth natural size. Figure 1, 

 Wethersfield Eed ; fig. 2, Early Red; 3, Dan vers Yellow; 4, Large Yellow: 

 5, White Portugal, which is a foreign sort so hybridized or acclimated as to be- 

 come a native. 



As before intimated, while the European varieties of onions lack a great many 

 of the good qualities belonging to the "native Americans," they possess some 

 peculiar to themselves, and which certainly entitle them to favorable notice. 

 They are mild, sweet and large. It is no strange sight to see peasants eat for 

 their dinner, with brown bread alone, and with apparent relish, an onion that 

 would weigh a pound. These foreign onions seem to succeed pretty well in the 

 south. We thought it best to give engravings of a few of the leading sorts. 

 Fig. 6 represents the Large Strasburg; 7, Large Oval Madeira; ''^. Large Eound 

 Madeira; 9, White Lisbon; 10, Silver-Skinned, the favorite sort ior pickles. 



For several years^past there has been a good deal of excitement among the 

 seedsmen and gardeners of Europe, respecting some new Italian onions of 

 monstrous size, and 

 very mild, superior 

 flavor. Being in 

 Europe when these 

 onions were attract- 

 ing considerable at- 

 tention,we saw some 

 of them weighing as 

 much as 4 pounds, 

 and had the best ol 

 evidence of their' 

 fine flavor. We ob- 

 tained seed and sent 

 it all over the country, particularly to the south, for trial. The reports were 



FOREIGN ONION?. 



