178 



THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES 



one and one-half inches, and when about the thickness 

 of the finger pull the intermediate plants. They are 



eaten raw or used in 

 salads. 



Transplanting or Set- 

 ting Out. Transplant 

 young Onions from hot- 

 bed or coldframe when well hard- 

 ened and the ground is warm, 

 trimming both tops and roots. 

 Ordinary thinnings, if pulled 

 carefully and cut back, are some- 

 times set in other rows. 



Culture of Onions should be 

 constant, the soil being stirred 

 after each rain to preserve the 

 moisture, and to prevent the 

 forming of a crust. In the first 

 place, do not allow the earth to 

 bake over the seeds, after sowing. 

 Cultivation with a wheel-hoe is of 

 great use in the Onion plot; the 

 straddle -row cultivator may be 

 used until the plants are very large. But hand-weeding 

 among the plants is always a necessity, and may be done 

 at thinning-time and whenever the weeds grow large. A 

 good deal of this labor may be avoided by using very 

 well-rotted manure, and by putting the crop on land 



Fig. 85. 

 A bunch of early Onions. 



