492 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Onion continued. 



the weather is fine; it should not, however, be worked 

 when in a wet state. The whole surface is best if lightly 

 dug over with a spade or fork, and the soil thoroughly 

 broken and levelled, so that raking will be unnecessary for 

 securing a fairly uniform surface. If the soil is as dry 

 as it should be, and moderately light, it may then be well 

 trodden or rolled previous to preparing drills for the seed. 

 Onions succeed and form the best bulbs on firm ground, 

 and the seeds should be but lightly covered. A custom 

 which was at one time in general practice, namely, that of 

 sowing them in narrow beds, and cutting alleys between, 

 is, apparently, fast becoming obsolete, and the crop cul- 

 tivated in an open quarter instead. Shallow drills should 

 be drawn 1ft. apart, and of as near as possible an even 

 depth, the seeds scattered thinly along them, and lightly 

 covered. The whole surface may then be trodden over 

 again, in a direction at right angles to the lines of seed; 

 or rough stones, &c., may be removed carefully with 

 a wooden rake, and the bed afterwards rolled. Divi- 

 sions may readily be made, if they are desired, and 

 beds of any size formed, by omitting to sow a line at 

 each of the given distances of BO many feet width. It 

 is important that the foregoing operations should only 

 be performed in fine weather, and when the soil is in a 

 workable condition. The principal sowing should be 

 made as early as possible in the month of March as 

 various circumstances and the weather permit; but, if 

 frost, snow, or heavy rains prevail, it is best to defer 

 the operation till the middle of the month. The after- 

 treatment will chiefly consist in keeping weeds removed, 

 and in thinning out the Onions gradually, when large 

 enough, until they are from Sin. to Gin. apart ; if extra- 

 sized specimens are desired, a greater distance should 

 be allowed at the final thinning. Deep hoeing, so bene- 

 ficial to most kitchen garden crops, is not so to Onions, 

 as the object with these is to keep the ground solid, so 

 that the bulbs may be the more enlarged on its surface 

 than they would be likely to become if surrounded 

 with soil. Narrow hoes may be lightly used between the 

 rows ; but hand-weeding is best in the lines, and thin- 

 ning of the crop should also preferably be done by hand. 

 In very dry seasons, watering is at times advisable ; but 

 it should never be practised when the plants show signs 

 of forming thick necks instead of their proper bulbs. 

 The system of sowing in drills 1ft. apart has many 

 advantages over the old method of scattering the seeds 

 broadcast, as sufficient space is thereby afforded the 

 plants on either side, and weeding, thinning, and all 

 other necessary attention are much more readily be- 

 stowed. A little soot, applied thinly over an Onion 

 bed with the hand in showery weather, is of material 

 help to the crop when growing ; to use it in dry 

 weather would be unsafe, on account of its burning 

 properties. Towards the latter part of summer, when the 

 tops begin to bend down and show signs of dying away, 

 it is time to pull up the bulbs. For this operation, ad- 

 vantage should be taken of dry weather, and the bulbs 

 laid with their bases towards the sun, on a hard surface 

 if possible, where they can be turned over occasionally 

 and thoroughly dried before being stored. Different varie- 

 ties are best kept and stored separate from each other, 

 as their keeping qualities vary considerably. Those cal- 

 culated to keep longest should especially be thoroughly 

 ripened and dried. They are best tied up in bunches, 

 and suspended to the rafters of a cool, dry, shed or loft 

 where frost is merely excluded. If placed in a position 

 exposed to heat, to much moisture, or even hung against 

 the walls of a shed, new growth would be encouraged, 

 and the bulbs would soon be useless in conse- 

 quence. Where a large quantity of Onions are grown, 

 and time cannot be spared for tying them up, they may 

 be stored, several bulbs deep, in a similar place to that 

 above recommended, and be encased with a covering of 



Onion continued. 



clean, dry straw. Long-keeping varieties thus treated 

 are sometimes preserved in good condition until late in 

 spring. 



Autumn-sown Onions. Onions may be sown in autumn 

 for two purposes : first, for pickling or for drawing as re- 

 quired for use in spring ; and, secondly, for the purpose of 

 transplanting at the latter season. Spring-sown bulbs 

 grow to a large size, under good cultivation, by the 

 autumn; after they have been allowed a resting season, 

 instead of further enlarging, they invariably tend to pro- 

 duce a flower-stem. But if seeds of a large-growing, 

 early sort are sown thickly towards the latter part of 

 summer, so that time is only allowed them to form very 

 small bulbs, these may be stored and replanted in March, 

 with the result that a large proportion, at least, will 

 enlarge so as to form finer specimens the following year 

 than could be secured in a similar soil and position, in 

 one season from spring-sown seeds. Again, earlier 

 and finer produce may be obtained by sowing in August 

 or early in September, and transplanting in the new year 

 so soon as weather permits. All varieties are about as 

 hardy as each other ; none are secure against a very severe 

 winter, without being sown in a warm position or provided 

 with some protection. The Tripoli or Italian Onions 

 require a long season to ripen perfectly, and are, conse- 

 quently, best sown in autumn; White or Silver-skinned 

 varieties are also valuable for autumn sowing, as, under 

 such treatment, they form useful bulbs early the following 

 season. Any of the varieties that succeed well, when 

 spring- sown, may also be considered equally good for 

 autumn sowing. The ground should be prepared in a 

 manner somewhat similar to that already detailed, but 

 the seed drills should be made rather deeper, to guard 

 against frost lifting out the plants in winter. In the 

 process of transplanting, the roots should be preserved 

 as much as possible. On a small scale, little trenches 

 may be made, and the roots only inserted, leaving the 

 plant above the surface ; but where large quantities 

 have to be transplanted, the dibber must be brought 

 into requisition. A greater or less proportion of any 

 autumn-sown Onions invariably run to seed, as might 

 be expected from their natural habit of flowering the 

 year after being sown. Spanish Onions, so largely im- 

 ported into, and highly esteemed in, this country, are 

 cultivated chiefly from seeds, sown thinly, in a warm 

 situation, about November, protected with mats, &c., 

 afterwards, and transplanted into rich soil about April. 

 These varieties deteriorate under cultivation in this 

 country, probably from being insufficiently hardy to with- 

 stand our climate. 



Seed-sowing of Onions for Pickling. Silver-skinned 

 varieties of Onion are preferred for pickling, on account 

 of their flesh being nearly white, and of a better appear- 

 ance than when coloured. Two-bladed so named because 

 of its peculiarity in only producing two blades or leaves 

 is a very small and an early variety most useful for 

 pickling purposes. Seeds may be sown in early spring, 

 and also in autumn, in a bed where the soil is poor rather 

 than rich, the object being to get a large quantity of 

 bulbs ; the smaller they are, the better. The seeds 

 should be scattered broadcast for pickling Onions, thickly, 

 but, at the same time, as evenly as possible, and thinning- 

 out will be unnecessary. 



Seed-saving. Only specimens of a good shape and of 

 large size, according to the variety, should be selected 

 for seed-production. Varieties or forms soon deteriorate, 

 if selection is not rigidly practised. Plant the bulbs in 

 good soil, and in a sheltered position, early in February, 

 and tie up the flower stalks as soon as they require sup- 

 port. When the seed vessels turn brown, and begin to 

 burst, cut the heads, and dry them in the sun; or place 

 in paper bags, and suspend them, head downwards, 



