ONTARIO 



4378 



ONTARIO 



onions eaten raw are almost half as nutritious 

 as boiled potatoes. When cooked, half of the 

 nutrition is lost, but in that form they are 

 more easily digested, and most of the odor 

 disappears. Pickled onions are widely used, 

 alone or in combination with other vegetables. 



Bermuda, Strassburg, Spanish and Portuguese 

 onions are most esteemed. California, Mexico, 

 Italy and Spain are noted for the size and 

 quality of their onions, owing to soil and cli- 

 mate conditions. 



Onion Culture. Onions may be grown from 

 the tropics to the coldest regions of the tem- 

 perate zone. Soil is one of the most important 

 items. Good, rich soil in a warm, sunny loca- 

 tion is necessary, and sufficient drainage and 



Carbohydrates, 9.9_^v Protein, 1.6 



Fat ,0.3 

 Ash, 0.6 



FOOD ELEMENTS IN AN ONION 

 The heat-producing value of onions is very low 

 only 220 calories per pound (see CALORIE). 



freedom from weeds are highly important. The 

 soil should be enriched with manure or other 

 fertilizers. Early in the year, when the soil 

 has been plowed, harrowed and made mellow 

 to a depth of four or five inches, seed from the 

 previous year is sown in drills about nine to 

 fifteen inches apart. The seed is covered with 

 a quarter of an inch of soil, and the surface is 

 made firm. As soon as plants appear, weeding 

 must be started, and it must be continued. 

 When the tops of the plants fall over it is an 



indication that the bulbs are mature. They are 

 then gathered and allowed to cure for a few 

 days, usually in the sun. Some onions are sent 

 to market direct from the soil; others are 

 stored for winter delivery. If onion bulbs are 

 planted for the production of seed they must 

 be allowed to ripen thoroughly in the field. 



The greatest enemy of onion crops is the 

 grub of a small fly known as the onion fly. It 

 lays its eggs on the ground near small plants. 

 When the maggot appears it feeds upon the 

 bulb and kills it. No practical cure has been 

 found. To protect the crop against an attack, 

 however, as soon as small onion shoots appear, 

 treat the rows with a whitewash of lime and 

 water thick enough to make a thin surface 

 crust. The maggots cannot penetrate this, but 

 the young plants can break through it without 

 difficulty. 



For illustration of members of the lily family, 

 see page 3432. 



ONONDAGA, on on daw' ga, a tribe of North 

 American Indians, belonging to the Iroquois 

 stock, and forming one of the Five (afterward 

 six) Nations (see FIVE NATIONS). Their origi- 

 nal home was along the shores of Lake Onon- 

 daga in New York state, but they controlled 

 territory as far north as Lake Ontario and 

 southward to the Susquehanna River. They 

 were the official guardians of the council fire of 

 the Iroquois. In the eighteenth century some 

 of the tribe were converted by French missiona- 

 ries and migrated to the Roman Catholic Iro- 

 quois settlement in Canada. The rest remained 

 in New York and loyally supported the Iroquois 

 league. After the War of Independence the 

 majority of those who supported the league 

 moved to a reservation on Grand River, On- 

 tario, where their descendants now live. About 

 300 live on the Onondaga reservation in New 

 York. See IROQUOIAN INDIANS. 



NTA'RIO, formerly UPPER CANADA, 

 or CANADA WEST, is the most populous and 

 wealthy province of the Dominion of Canada. 

 Extending from the province of Quebec on the 



east to Manitoba on the west, its geographic 

 position makes Ontario the connecting link be- 

 tween the east and west, the old and the new, 

 in the great Dominion of which it forms a part. 



