CHAPTER XII 

 Growing Onions in the Southern States 



REPORT FROM PROF W. F. MASSEY OF NORTH CAROLINA 



It was long the general opinion, and is still the 

 opinion of some, that in the South the onion crop must 

 always be treated as a biennial and grown from sets. 

 It was thought that the crop could not be produced in 

 the warmer climate of the southern states the same 

 year from spring sown seeds. 



The reason for these erroneous notions was that 

 the southern gardener copied too closely the methods 

 laid down in books written for the North. Thus, 

 sowing the seed at the time which is proper for the 

 northern states resulted in sets rather than onions, 

 because the hot weather comes too soon for them and 

 causes them to stop growing. But when, we took into 

 consideration the hardiness of the plant and the differ- 

 ence in climate, and sowed the seed in February instead 

 of April, we had as long and cool season for them as 

 in the North, and the result was fully as good a crop 

 of ripe onions as can be grown anywhere. 



But the development of market gardening in the 

 South of late years has brought a demand for an early 

 onion which can be bunched when half grown and 

 put on the market green. For this purpose, the sets 

 are essential. We grow the sets by sowing seed very 

 thickly in soil of only moderate fertility early in April. 

 We use the Queen onion for this purpose, as it is a 

 very early sort and is also quite hardy in the winter. 

 The sets are taken up as soon as the tops ripen and 



