Keep the weeds down, and about the time for sowing Onion seed, transplant these Onions 

 to the open ground, giving them a rich soil and plenty of room. Every one will form a large 



bulb, and very early. 

 13 



11 



NEW ITALIAN ONIONS. 



The hot-bed work and 

 transplanting will be 

 some trouble, but the 

 troublesome hoeing and 

 hand-weeding and thin- 

 ning of young Onions 

 will be avoided, which 

 all Onion growers know 

 is no small labor. We 

 hope many of our read- 

 ers will try a few in this 

 way, at least, as we 



have pursued vhis course of culture for some years with the most gratifying results. It is doubt- 

 less known to most of our readers that it has been considered difficult to grow Onions from 

 seed at the South, because the warm weather checks their growth before bulbs are formed. 

 The hot-bed plan suggested we think will remedy this evil, but the one usually pursued 

 is to plant what is called ONION SETS. These are small Onions, about the size of large 

 peas. The seed is sown in the spring in broad rows, in a poor soil, and very thick, where 

 they have not space to make a fair growth. About twenty-eight pounds of seed are sown to 

 the acre. The result is a large quantity of stunted Onions, that are taken up in July and dried 

 thoroughly on the ground. They are then stored away to be 

 sold for planting the following spring. These, when planted in 

 the spring, produce good Onions, and are used extensively in 

 the South. It is, of course, a good deal of labor to raise a 

 bushel of these little Onions, and they generally sell at high 

 prices, from $10 to $15 a bushel. 



Another Onion very largely grown by those who cannot suc- 

 ceed with seed, or who want early green Onions, is the ENGLISH 

 POTATO ONION, which is the best underground variety. A large 

 Onion produces, the first season, under ground, a large cluster 

 of Onions, like that shown in the engraving, but the size is POTATO ONION. 



reduced. Many of them, with good culture, will be half the size of ordinary Onions. These are 

 put out in the spring, and very early they are ready for use as summer Onions, and are a great 

 favorite with market gardeners. It is this sort that is usually sold in bunches in the markets. 

 Those that are allowed to remain in the ground during the summer make very large bulbs, 

 to be sold or re-planted the next spring for small Onions. They are rather poor keepers, and the 

 practice here is to spread them on the floor of a barn-loft and cover with straw, where they will 

 freeze and keep frozen all the winter. They will then be in pretty good condition, but if kept in 

 a warm place they must be turned every day, or they will rot, as they will if subjected to fre- 

 quent freezing and thawing. If they were good keepers they would be very popular. The 

 price is always high, generally about $5 a bushel. 



Another variety not so good or so popular as Potato Onion, is 

 the TOP ONION. When large Onions of this sort are planted, 

 each one sends up a strong stem, just like the seed-stem of the com- 

 mon Onion, but instead of bearing on its top a number of seeds 

 it produces a cluster of small Onions, just as we show in the engrav- 

 ing. Next spring these small Onions are planted, and each one pro- 

 duces a full sized Onion. They can be eaten during the summer, 

 and are often sold in bunches, or they can be kept for winter use for 

 spring planting. Each of these large Onions, of course, produces 

 a cluster of small ones after a season's growth. Onion culture has 

 become such an important interest, throughout our country, and in fact, throughout the civilized 

 world, that we thought it important to give pretty thorough information on this subject. 



157 



TOP ONIONS. 



