Onions. 247 



roots turned to the south, but when a large breadth is grown 

 they must be ripened where they grew. After a few days, when 

 thoroughly dry, they should be topped, cleared of loose skins, 

 and stored in a dry, cool, airy place. They should never be laid 

 more than a few inches deep and on a floor or in trays having 

 a bottom of narrow laths with spaces between, so that a current 

 of air can play freely around them. Damp must be carefully 

 guarded against or they will not keep. One of the very best 

 ways to keep Onions sound through the winter is to bunch or 

 rope them. When bunched they may be strung on poles, and 

 in this way a large quantity may be stored overhead in a com- 

 paratively small shed without interfering with the floor space ; 

 or they may be hung on pegs on an outside dry wall. A few 

 degrees of frost will not harm them, and if it comes severe 

 they can be carried inside and piled in a heap until the weather 

 changes, when they can be returned to the wall again. 



Autumn-sown Onions. For these select ground which has 

 been liberally treated for a previous crop. As soon as possible 

 after the ground is cleared it should be dug or ploughed, but 

 not deeply, or there may be some difficulty in the dry summer 

 weather in getting a tilth suitable for sowing. If the land is 

 ploughed, cross-ploughing is advisable, followed by rolling, 

 harrowing, and working about to break all clods and get a fine 

 tilth. During this time spread and work in suitable fertilizers, 

 as indicated at the conclusion of this article. Finish the work 

 by levelling and then rolling again to get a firm seed-bed, such 

 as this plant prefers. Drill in the seed in the same way as 

 advised for spring sowing. This should be done in August, 

 near the beginning of the month in the north and towards the 

 end of the month in the south. The advantages attending 

 autumn sowing are that the bulbs grow larger, they ripen 

 earlier and are thus better suited than spring-sown ones for 

 places subjected to a heavy average rainfall, and they are 

 seldom, if ever, attacked by the Onion Fly. 



As soon as the rows can be seen, weeding must be attended 

 to and persisted in, so that the plants are left in a perfectly clean 

 condition to face the winter. During winter and spring a 

 portion can be drawn for bunching, and early in the spring 

 they should be finally thinned to Gin. apart in the row, the 



