492 
* — 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
* 
Onion continued. 
the weather is fine; it should not, however, be worked 
when in a wet state. The whole surface is best if lightly 
dug over with a spade or fork, and the soil thoroughly 
broken and levelled, so that raking will be unnecessary for 
securing a fairly uniform surface. If the soil is as dry 
as it should be, and moderately light, it may then be well 
trodden or rolled previous to preparing drills for the seed. 
Onions succeed and form the best bulbs on firm ground, 
and the seeds should be but lightly covered. A custom 
which was at one time in general practice, namely, that of 
sowing them in narrow beds, and cutting alleys between, 
is, apparently, fast becoming obsolete, and the crop cul- 
tivated in an open quarter instead. Shallow drills should 
be drawn lft. apart, and of as near as possible an even 
depth, the seeds scattered thinly along them, and lightly 
covered. The whole surface may then be trodden over 
again, in a direction at right angles to the lines of seed; 
or rough stones, &., may be removed carefully with 
a wooden rake, and the bed afterwards rolled. Divi- 
sions may readily be made, if they are desired, and 
beds of any size formed, by omitting to sow a line at 
each of the given distances of so many feet width. It 
is important that the foregoing operations should only 
be performed in fine weather, and when the soil is in a 
workable condition. The principal crop of Onion seed 
should be sown as early as possible in the month of 
March, as various circumstances and the weather permit ; 
but, if frost, snow, or heavy rains prevail, it is best to 
defer the operation till the middle of the month. The 
after-treatment will chiefly consist in keeping weeds 
removed, and in thinning out the Onions gradually, when 
large enough, until they are from Sin. to 6in. apart; if 
extra-sized specimens are desired, a greater distance 
should be allowed at the final thinning. Deep hoeing, so 
beneficial to most kitchen garden crops, is not so to Onions, 
as the object with these is to keep the ground solid, so 
that the bulbs may be the more enlarged on its surface 
than they would be likely to become if surrounded 
with soil. Narrow hoes may be lightly used between the 
rows; but hand-weeding is best in the lines, and thin- 
ning of the crop should also preferably be done by hand. 
In very dry seasons, watering is at times advisable; but 
it should never be practised when the plants show signs 
of forming thick necks instead of their proper bulbs. 
The system of sowing in drills lft, apart has many 
advantages over the old method of scattering the seeds 
broadcast, as sufficient space is thereby afforded the 
plants on either side, and weeding, thinning, and all 
other necessary attention are much more readily be- 
stowed. A little soot, applied thinly over an Onion 
bed with the hand in showery weather, is of material 
help to the crop when growing; to use it in dry 
weather would be unsafe, on account of its burning 
properties. Towards the latter part of sammer, when the 
tops begin to bend down and show signs of dying away, 
it is time to pull up the bulbs. For this operation, ad- 
vantage should be taken of dry weather, and the bulbs 
laid with their bases towards the sun, on a hard surface 
if possible, where they can be turned over occasionally 
and thoroughly dried before being stored. Different varie- 
ties are best kept and stored separate from each other, 
as their keeping qualities vary considerably. Those cal- 
culated to keep longest should especially be thoroughly 
ripened and dried. They are best tied up in bunches, 
and suspended to the rafters of a cool, dry, shed or loft 
where frost is merely excluded. If placed in a position 
exposed to heat, to much moisture, or even hung against 
the walls of a shed, new growth would be encouraged, 
and the bulbs would soon be useless in conse- 
quence. Where a large quantity of Onions are grown, 
and time cannot be spared for tying them up, they may 
be stored, several bulbs deep, in a similar place to that 
above recommended, and be encased with a covering of 
Onion—continued. 
clean, dry straw. 0 3 
are sometimes preserved in good condition until late in 
spring. 
Autumn-sown Onions. Onions may be sown in autumn 
for two purposes : first, for pickling or for drawing as re- 
quired for use in spring; and, secondly, for the purpose of 
transplanting at the latter season. Spring-sown bulbs 
grow to a large size, under good cultivation, by the 
autumn; after they have been allowed a resting season, 
jnstead of further enlarging, they invariably tend to pro- 
duce a fiower-stem. But if seeds of a large-growing, 
early sort are sown thickly towards the latter part of 
summer, so that time is only allowed them to form very 
small bulbs, these may be stored and replanted in March, 
with the result that a large proportion, at least, will 
enlarge so as to form finer specimens the following year 
than could be secured in a similar soil and position, in 
one season from spring-sown seeds. Again, earlier 
and finer produce may be obtained by sowing in August 
or early in September, and transplanting in the new year 
so soon as weather permits. All varieties are about as 
hardy as each other; none are secure against a very severe 
winter, without being sown in a warm position or provided 
with some protection, The Tripoli or Italian Onions 
require a long season to ripen perfectly, and are, conse- 
quently, best sown in autumn; White or Silver-skinned 
varieties are also valuable for autumn sowing, as, under 
such treatment, they form useful bulbs early the following 
season. Any of the varieties that succeed well, when 
spring-sown, may also be considered equally good for 
autumn sowing. The ground should be prepared in a 
manner somewhat similar to that already detailed, but 
the seed drills should be made rather deeper, to guard 
against frost lifting out the plants in winter. In the 
process of transplanting, the roots should be preserved 
as much as possible. On a small scale, little trenches 
may be made, and the roots only inserted, leaving the 
plant above the surface; but where large quantities 
have to be transplanted, the dibber must be brought 
into requisition. A greater or less proportion of any 
autumn-sown Onions invariably run to seed, as might 
be expected from their natural habit of flowering the 
year after being sown. Spanish Onions, so largely im- 
ported into, and highly esteemed in, this country, are 
cultivated chiefly from seeds, sown thinly, in a warm 
situation, about November, protected with mats, &c., 
afterwards, and transplanted into rich soil about April. 
These varieties deteriorate under cultivation in this 
country, probably from being insufficiently hardy to with- 
stand our climate. 
Seed-sowing of Onions for Pickling. Silver-skinned 
varieties of Onion are preferred for pickling, on account 
of their flesh being nearly white, and of a better appear- 
ance than when coloured. Two-bladed—so named because 
of its peculiarity in only producing two blades or leaves 
—is a very small and an early variety most useful for 
pickling purposes. Seeds may be sown in early spring, 
and also in autumn, in a bed where the soil is poor rather 
than rich, the object being to get a large quantity of 
bulbs; the smaller they are, the better. The seeds 
should be scattered broadcast for pickling Onions, thickly, 
but, at the same time, as evenly as possible, and thinning- 
out will be unnecessary. 
Seed-saving. Only specimens of a good 
large size, according to the variety, should be selected 
for seed-production. Varieties or forms soon deteriorate, 
if selection is not rigidly practised. Plant the bulbs in 
good soil, and in a sheltered position, early in February, 
and tie up the flower stalks as soon as they require sup- 
port. When the seed vessels turn brown, and begin to 
burst, cut the heads, and dry them in the sun; or place 
in paper bags, and suspend them, head downwards, 
shape and of 
Long-keeping varieties thus treated’ 
