AMERICAN ONIONS. 



ONIONS. 



The Onion must have a clean and very rich soil, or it will not do well enough to pay for the 

 trouble. Use well rotted manure freely, and be sure to get the seed in as early as possible in 

 the spring, no matter if it is ever so cold and unpleasant, for if Onions do not get a good 

 growth before hot, dry weather, the crop is sure to be a failure; then thin out early, and 

 keep the soil mellow and clear of weeds, and if your seed is good, you will have a large crop 



of Onions. On no other conditions can you 

 hope for success. The Onion is very sensitive, 

 and it won't do to slight it in the least. Sow 

 in shallow drills, not less than a foot apart. 

 When the young Onions are three or four 

 inches high, thin so that they will stand about 

 two inches or more apart, according to kind. 

 Disturb the roots of Onions as little as pos- 

 sible, either in thinning or hoeing, and never 

 hoe earth toward them to cover, or hill, as we do 

 most other things. Four pounds of seed are suf- 

 cient for an acre. American Onions are quite 

 different from those of Europe ; they are generally smaller, with a finer neck, bulb much more 

 freely, are stronger, less sweet, and much better keepers. Our little engraving show,s the lead- 

 ing native sorts reduced to quite one-sixth natural size. Figure 1, Wethersfield Red; fig. 2, 

 Early Red ; 3, Danvers Yellow ; 4, Large Yellow ; 5, White Portugal, which is a foreign sort 

 so hybridized or acclimated as to become a native. 



As before intimated, while the European varieties of Onions lack a great many of the good 

 qualities belonging to the " native Americans," they possess some peculiar to themselves, and 

 which certainly entitle them to favorable notice. They are mild, sweet, and large. It is no 

 strange sight to see peasants eat for their dinner, with brown bread alone, and with apparent relish, 

 an onion that would weigh a pound. These foreign Onions seem to succeed pretty well in the 

 South. We thought it best to give engravings of a few of the leading sorts. Fig. 6 represents 

 the Large Strasburg; 7, Large Oval Madeira; 8, Large Round Madeira; 9, White Lisbon; 10, 

 Silver-Skinned, the favorite sort for pickles. 



For several years past there has been a good deal of excitement among the seedsmen and 

 gardeners of Europe, respecting some new Italian Onions of monstrous size, and very mild, supe- 

 rior flavor. Being in Europe when these Onions were attracting considerable attention, we saw 

 some of them weighing as much as four pounds, and had the best of evidence of their fine 

 flavor. We obtained seed and sent it all over the country, particularly to the South, for trial. 

 The reports were generally favorable. The larger kinds, and they are the best, are wonderful in 

 size, beautiful in appear- 

 ance, sweet, and of 

 pleasant flavor, and ex- 

 cellent for summer, au- 

 tumn and early winter 6^HJI^" M^//f ITl^M 10 

 use. The engravings 

 represent the principal 

 kinds, very much re- 

 duced, but show the 

 comparative size and 

 form. Fig. 11, New 

 Giant Rocca, of Naples, 

 one of the best ; 12, 



Blood Red Italian Tripoli ; 13, Large White Flat Italian Tripoli, one of the best ; 14, Marzajola, 

 verv early, but not as large or showy as the others. 



To those in the North who would secure a good crop of these Onions and in fact, to all 

 who have difficulty in growing a crop from seed early we advise the following plan : Sow the 

 seed thickly in rows in a hot-bed early. When severe weather is over and the glass is 

 wanted for other purposes, it will not be needed for the Onions, as they are pretty hardy. 



156 



FOREIGN ONIONS. 



