THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 315 



and the outside peeled off, leaving the stem white and clean. The 

 onions are then tied in small bunches by means of a soft white string, 

 the tops trimmed slightly, and the bunches packed in crates or 

 baskets for shipment or sale on the local market. This phase of the 

 onion industry is limited to small plantings and is well suited to the 

 needs of the general market garden. During the springtime and 

 early summer large quantities of ordinary young onions are pulled 

 when the bulb is about the size of a fifty-cent piece, the roots and 

 tops are trimmed, and they are then bunched and sold for stewing 

 purposes. So far as known, this class of onions is not shipped to any 

 great extent, but is sold mainly on local markets. 



Home Production of Onion Seed. The bulbs, or "mother 

 bulbs," as they are commonly called, for the production of onion seed 

 should be grown in the same manner as those intended for mar- 

 keting, except that more care should be taken throughout. Some 

 seed growers prefer to use 6 pounds of seed to an acre for the pro- 

 duction of seed bulbs instead of 4 pounds, as ordinarily used in 

 growing for market, in order that the bulbs may crowd and not 

 become too large. The planting, culture, and harvesting of the 

 bulbs are practically the same as for first-class marketable stock. 

 Onion-seed growing is a two-year process and two crops are con- 

 stantly to be cared for. After growing the bulbs the first summer 

 they must be stored over winter and replanted the following spring 

 for the production of seed. Meantime the crop for the next year's 

 planting must be coming on in order to have a crop of seed every 

 year. The first requisite for the growing of the best seed is a clear- 

 cut ideal of the exact shape, form, color, and general characteristics 

 sought' in the variety being grown. The second requisite is the 

 growing of seed from bulbs of that exact type for the greatest possible 

 number of generations. Two selections should be made, the first 

 to include but a small number of the very finest and most ideal bulbs 

 from which to produce the stock seed to be used the following year 

 for the growing of the seed bulbs, and the second to include the bulbs 

 from which to grow the supply of seed for the market. By keeping 

 the very best stock separate and using the product for propagation 

 the entire strain will be gradually improved. Bulbs a trifle below 

 the ideal market size, or about 1^ to 2 inches in diameter, are the 

 most profitable for seed production. 



Bulbs that are to be used for seed productions should be allowed 

 to become thoroughly ripe in the field. After pulling they should 

 be stored in crates under a roof where they will have plenty of ven- 

 tilation and be protected from sun and rain. Before freezing 

 weather begins the onions should be graded and removed to a house 

 where both ventilation and temperature can be controlled. The 

 temperature of the storage house should at no time be so low as to 

 cause the bulbs to become frosted. A temperature of 32 F. for a 

 short period will do no harm, but should not be allowed to continue. 

 If the bulbs become frosted, heated, or sweated in storage they will 

 sprout before planting time and be greatly injured for seed purposes. 



