ONIONS 



ONIONS. 



failed, the vacancies may be filled up by trans- 

 planting sone of those thinned out into the 

 places; the best time for doing this is in the 

 evening, and water must be given for several 

 successive nights. In transplanting, the root 

 only is to be inserted, and no part of the stem 

 buried ; for there is very good reason to be- 

 lieve that naturally the bulb grows entirely 

 upon the surface, and that growing within the 

 mould is a great cause of their not keeping 

 well. After the lapse of another month they 

 must be thoroughly gone over for the last time, 

 the weeds eradicated, and the plants thinned 

 to 6 inches asunder; after this they in general 

 only require to be weeded occasionally by 

 hand; they must, however, be kept completely 

 free from weeds, and the stirring of the surface 

 which the hoe effects is very beneficial. In 

 order to prevent their running too much to 

 blade, it is a good practice early in July, be- 

 fore the tips change to a yellow hue, to bend 

 the stems down flat upon the bed, which not 

 only prevents the rapid growth of the blade, 

 but causes the bulbs to become much larger 

 than they otherwise would be. The bend should 

 be made about 2 inches up the neck. 



About the close of August the onions will 

 have arrived at their full growth, which may 

 be known by the withering of the foliage, by 

 the shrinking of the necks, and by the ease 

 with which they may be pulled up. As soon 

 as these changes appear, they must be taken 

 up, the bed being frequently looked over ; for, 

 if the whole crop is waited for, the forwardest, 

 especially in moist seasons, are apt again to 

 strike root. They should be spread on mats, 

 &c., in the sun, frequently turned, and removed 

 under shelter at night. In 2 or 3 weeks, when 

 the roots and blades are perfectly withered and 

 void of moisture, and the bulbs become firm, 

 they are fit for storing, being housed in dry 

 weather, and carefully preserved from bruis- 

 ing : previous to doing this, alt mould and re- 

 fuse must be removed from them, for these are 

 apt to induce decay, and spread contagion to 

 all near them. To prevent this as much as pos- 

 sible, all faulty ones should be rejected : in the 

 store-house they must be laid as thin as may 

 be, and looked over at least once a month. 

 Notwithstanding every precaution, many will 

 decay, and more sprout, especially in mild 

 winters; therefore, to preserve some for late 

 use, it is useful to sear the roots and the sum- 

 mits with a hot iron, care being taken not to 

 scorch the bulb. 



For the winter standing crop the only addi- 

 tional directions necessary are, to tread in the 

 seed ^egularly before raking, if the soil, as it 

 ouu r h. to be, is dry and light. They must be 

 kept constantly clear of weeds, as well as of 

 the fallen leaves of trees, which cause them to 

 spindle and become weak, but they need not be 

 thinned, as they serve as protections for each 

 other. Early in spring they are to be weeded, 

 and, as may be necessary, transplanted for 

 bulbing. There are several modes of cultiva- 

 tion lately introduced or revived, which pro- 

 duce onions of superior size and goodness. 

 The great obstacle to the production of fine 

 onions in England is the want of a sufficient 

 continuance of warm weather ; or, at least, the 

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inclemency of the early part of the year pie 

 vents the insertion of the seed until so late, 

 that the most genial season to vegetation passes 

 away whilst the plants are in their infancy; it 

 is the obviating this unfavourable circumstance 

 that causes the superiority of the several plans 

 hereafter detailed. 



It is a practice that originated in America, 

 and which has met with the decided approval 

 of Mr. Knight and others, to sow in May; to 

 cultivate the plants as in the other crops; and, 

 in October, the bulbs, being of the size of nuts, 

 are to be taken up, dried, and housed, as directed 

 for the full-grown bulbs. About the middle of 

 the following March they must be planted out 

 in rows 6 inches apart each way, and after- 

 wards cultivated in the same manner as the 

 other crops. If sown earlier than May, they 

 run to seed when transplanted. Another mode 

 nearly as efficacious, and which, I understand, 

 has been practised for a great length of time 

 in the south of Essex, is to sow in the latter 

 part of August, to stand the winter, and in 

 March, early or late, according to the forward 

 growth of the seedlings, to be planted out in 

 rows at the before-directed distance, and culti- 

 vated as usual. 



In Portugal they sow in a moderate hotbed 

 during November or December, in a warm 

 situation, with a few inches of mould upon it; 

 and the plants are protected from frost by hoops 

 and mats ; in April or May, when of the size 

 of a swan's quill, they are transplanted into a 

 light, rich loam, well manured with old rotten 

 dung, to bulb. 



It would seem, from the practice of Mr. Mac- 

 donald, gardener to the Duke of Buccleugh, at 

 Dalkeith, that transplanting alone is of great 

 benefit. "His soil," he says, "is not very fa- 

 vourable to the growth of the onion, being light 

 and thin ; and it was not until after many ex- 

 periments he was able to obtain fine bulbs, and 

 which he at length accomplished by sowing in 

 the end of February, and about April trans- 

 planting them at the usual distance in drills, 

 first dipping the root into a puddle, consisting 

 of 1 part soot and 3 parts earth, mixed with 

 water; the work being performed in moist 

 weather." The puddle, as is observed by Mr. 

 Sinclair, can be of no other use than to assist 

 the rooting of the plants. 



To obtain seed, some old onions must be 

 planted during February, or early in March. 

 The finest and firmest bulbs being selected, and 

 planted in rows 10 inches apart each way, 

 either in drills or by a blunt-ended dibble, the 

 soil to be rather poorer, if it differs at all from 

 that in which they are cultivated for bulbing. 

 They must be buried so deep that the mould 

 just covers the crown. Early in spring their 

 leaves will appear. If grown in large quan- 

 tities, a path must be left 2 feet wide between 

 every 3 or 4 rows, to allow the necessary cul- 

 tivation. They must be kept thoroughly clear 

 of weeds, and when in flower have stakes 

 driven at intervals of 5 or 6 feet each side of 

 every 2 rows, to which a string is to be fasten- 

 ed throughout the whole length, a few inches 

 below the heads, to serve as a support, and 

 prevent their being broken down. The seeds 

 are ripe in August, which is intimated by the 



