CHAPTER VI 



The Fragrant Bulb on Sale 



Now after harvest we will take an inventory of 

 the stock that we have in our possession ready for 

 turning- into cash : 



What do we have ? 



First, a lot of Gibraltar onions — mammoth bulbs 

 weighing from three-fourths to two pounds apiece, 

 or fully up to the size of the imported Spanish onions 

 found in our stores ; a little lighter in color, but if 

 grown on sandy soil and well cured, just as perfect 

 and as handsome, and undoubtedly even milder in 

 flavor and finer grained than the imported, and less 

 subject to the rot which spoils a large percentage of 

 the imported bulbs, sometimes even before they come 

 into the hands of the groceryman. I will not deny, 

 however, that the Gibraltar is subject to the attacks 

 of a black fungus which apparently comes from the 

 outside, causing at first a discoloration on one side, 

 and finally ending in a softening of the tissues. This 

 rot may become a serious matter if we try to keep the 

 bulbs for any length of time, and I usually, in such 

 case, lose several per cent of my stock from this cause. 

 It is for this reason that I urgently advise growers 

 of Gibraltar onions to put the crop on the market as 

 early as possible after the bulbs are harvested. 



While I, under my conditions, find it advisable to 

 clean up the Gibraltar crop by November or December, 

 I have reason to believe perfectly sound and well cured 

 bulbs of this variety may be kept much longer in good 

 condition if stored in a cool and perfectly dry place. 



