CHAPTER X 



Onion Varieties 



With reference to the methods of propagation, 

 onions may be divided into three classes : ( I ) Onions 

 produced by division of the bulb; (2) onions produced 

 from top sets or button onions, and (3) onions grown 

 from black seed. The last named may be separated 

 into two subdivisions, namely, American and foreign 

 types. 



According to Professor Bailey's Annals of Horti- 

 culture, about twenty kinds of multipliers, potato 

 onions and sets were offered by American dealers 

 in 1889. 



The leading variety of the first class (onions 

 produced by division of the bulb) is the Potato onion 

 or Multiplier, shown in Fig 47. 



This is most largely grown in southern localities. 

 The yellow variety has been in cultivation for many 

 years, while the white sort is of much more recent 

 introduction. The bulbs are thick, compact, tender if 

 eaten soon after pulling, and very mild and sweet in 

 flavor. Fall planting is generally resorted to with 

 this variety, the sets being placed in drills four or 

 five inches deep. As the name "Multiplier" indicates, 

 if a large bulb is planted, division occurs during the 

 season of growth, resulting in the formation of from 

 three to ten or more bulbs from the parent. If sets 

 are planted, they will make single large onions, but not 

 multiply. The plants begin active growth very early 

 in the spring and may be bunched and marketed at a 

 good profit, or may be allowed to mature. In the 



