THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 211 



pull them from the soil, let them dry thoroughly 

 in the sun, and then spread them thinly in a dry 

 loft till there is danger of their freezing. Even 

 there they will keep better, if covered deeply with 

 straw, hay, etc., than in a damp cellar. Wherever 

 the air is damp and a little too warm, onions will 

 speedily start to grow again, and soon become 

 worthless. After the crop has been taken, the 

 ground should be treated as at first, thoroughly 

 enriched and pulverized late in autumn, and left 

 to lie in a rough state during the winter, then pre- 

 pared for planting as early as possible. I pre- 

 fer March sowing of the seed to April, and April, 

 by far, to May. In England they try to plant in 

 February. Indeed, as I have said, I have had ex- 

 cellent success by sowing the seed early in Sep- 

 tember on light soils, and letting the plants grow 

 during all the mild days of fall, winter, and early 

 spring. By this course we have onions fit for the 

 table and market the following May. In this lati- 

 tude they need the protection of a little coarse 

 litter from December I to about the middle of 

 March. Only the very severest frost injures them. 

 Most of us have seen onions, overlooked in the 

 fall gathering, growing vigorously as soon as the 

 thaws began in spring. This fact contains all the 

 hint we need in wintering over the vegetable in the 

 open ground. If the seed is sown late in Septem- 



