ALL 



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nu'tboil, as 1>y it one man mav do «« mucii as 

 tfirvx- : aiiil ic is also the iHo.>t ljiiKli(.ial t(i tlie 

 plants, a>, by stirring tiic srriHuul aljout tltemwith 

 the hoc, it irreatiy t'orwaids liieir growth, as is 

 mostly seen in a few clays after tlie operation h;is 

 hcen executed. This mode is more particiilarlv 

 eliiiiblf for the larger principal crops, for which 

 a good shaq) one-hand hoe, about two inches 

 or not more than two and a half broad, is the 

 Ix-st, carefully cutting up all sorts of weeds. 

 \\ here the onions siand too close thev should 

 Ix; cut out in a regular thinning order to about 

 three inches distance in the lirst hcjcinu;; and in 

 the second, which should be done a month or 

 live weeks after the lirst, in such crops as are 

 not w anted for occasional drawing, they mav be 

 hoed out to four or live inches, or more, leaving 

 tlic strongest plants as nnich as possible for the 

 continuing crop. Where the beds are verv clean, 

 tlie plants may be set out at the first hoeing to 

 these distances. It is of much consequence to 

 the crops that the plants have plentv of room. 

 It will generally be proper to run over them asiain 

 in the same manner a few weeks afterwards^ in 

 order to cut up all adv;uicing weeds, and anv 

 superabundant plants that niav have escaped iii 

 the former operations ; after which thev seldom 

 require any further culture than that of pullinff 

 out such casual strasrgling w ecds aa may present 

 themselves. 



Wl'.ere the crops are small, or where thev arc 

 required for thinning or drawing bv decrees, for 

 use in their young green state an^ in sniall bulbs, 

 the weedinji and thinning, where in clusters, mav 

 generally be best performed bv the hand. 



In the more advanced growth of the crop, 

 vhere the superabundant plants arc occasionally 

 thinned out for use as wanted, thev should be 

 draw n in a regular manner, so as to leave a suf- 

 ficiency of the strongest plants remaining; at mo- 

 derate distances for a crop to attam their full 

 growth. 



It is highly necessarj' to continue to keep the 

 crops very clean from weeds in their advancing 

 growth during the months of Mav, .lune, and 

 July; which begin their principal growing season, 

 if they arc not kept quite free from weeds, and 

 sufficiently thiimed, thev draw up weak and slen- 

 der, by which their bulbing is much retarded. 

 About the middle or latter end of .June the crops 

 begin swelling a little at bottom, but more hillv 

 in July ; and in August the bulbs arrive to full 

 growiii, and are proper for taking wholly up. 

 But about a fortnight, three weeks, or more, 

 before this time, when they begin to bulb, the 

 stems should all be broken down or laid, which 

 is most rcr.dily performed bv tw o persons passing 

 a sniall pole or rod along the beds, so as to strike 

 1 



tile neck.-. i)f ihf onions about tour inches from 

 the buliis. Some, however, twist the necks bv 

 the hand; which eti'ects the business more et- 

 feetnally. The nourislinunt of the plants being 

 in this way diverted from the stem, tends to pio- 

 mote the swelling of the bulbs. 



Towards the middle of August the crops must 

 be examined ; and when the" necks shrink and 

 fall, and the leaves wither, it mav be concluded 

 that the bulbs arc arrived at maturity and have 

 done growing. They should then be pulled un, 

 cleaned, and dried ; which is best done in div 

 weather, on a piece of ground raked and cleaneu, 

 in order to spread them upon, to drv- and harden 

 as they are pulled up. They should lie in this wav 

 a week or more, being turned eveir day or two ; 

 after which the first o^pportunity should be taken 

 to house them. The bulbs must be lirst diveslccj 

 of all adhering earth, loose skins, and the gross- 

 est part of the leaves and neck, rejecting all the 

 bad and bruised ones ; and then they mav be de- 

 posited in any dry upper room, out of the damp, 

 spreading thcui thinly on the Hoor. The closer 

 the room in which they are kept, the better ; but 

 care must be taken to turn them over occasion- 

 ally, and to clear out such as have any tendency 

 to become putrid. 



As in the culture of onions it frequently hap- 

 pens, that through badness of seed, or other 

 causes, persons arc disappointed of a crop, by 

 waiting, in expectation of the plants coming up, 

 till it becomes too late to sow again ; in "such 

 cases, recourse may be had to the practice of 

 transplanting from other beds or jrardens where 

 there are superfluous crops. This business is 

 best done in JSiay, or early in June, and. if pos- 

 sible, in moist weather: having a spot of well 

 dunged ground prepared, the plants should be 

 taken up with good roots, and inimediatcly planted 

 in row s six inches distant, and four inches apart 

 in each row, inserting the roots but a little way 

 into the ground ; for, if planted deep, they do 

 not bulb well. A good watering should be fflvcn 

 as soon as the plants are put in, Bv repeating" 

 the waterings occasionally for a week or fort- 

 night afterwards, the plants will generally grow- 

 freely, and form tolerably handsome bulbs. It 

 is probable that this nieihod might sometimes 

 be adopted in the more early crops w iih ad\an- 

 tage in respect to the size of the bulbs, as it is 

 generally employed in Portugal where the culture 

 of these crops is carried to much perfection. 



Onions for pickling are in trreat request in 

 many places : those proper for this purpose 

 should not be bigger than common round but- 

 tons. In order to procure them of this size in 

 due quantity, some seed should be sown late, in 

 a spot of light poor laud : about the middle of 



