i6 



measured, the globular form of the Danvefs "tells." When 

 overgrown by too thin planting of seed this onion is at times 

 rather coarse in structure, but ordinarily it is very compact, 

 fine of structure, heavy, and a good keeper. When well rip- 

 ened, I find it keeps equally well under the same circumstances 

 as the common Flat onion. The earliness of the Danvers 

 onion is a great gain in short seasons, or very wet ones ; and 

 as this onion begins to form its bulb quite early in its growth, 

 ("bottoms down" is the farmer's phrase,) it presents marked 

 advantages over the flat sorts for early marketing. In the 

 Boston market the Danvers sells for somewhat more a barrel 

 than the Red. 



Having had considerable experience in selecting onions for 

 seed purposes, I find that I can obtain a much greater pro- 

 portion of handsome, well-developed seed onions from 

 onions that have been raised from seed stock that has been 

 carefally selected through a long series of years, and am led 

 to believe that there can be "pedigree" onions as well as 

 p-digree cattle, and that seed raised from them can be relied 

 on under the same conditions to give a handsomer onion 

 than can the average of seed. 



WHITE PORTUGAL. 



The cultivation of this early onion is mostly confined to 

 the raising and planting of what are known as ''Setts" or 

 Button onions, or onions for early family use, as it is a poor 

 keeper. It is a sweet, mild onion, of a good size for family 

 use, though averaging considerably smaller than the varieties 

 that have been described. Here let me say, that, for family 

 use, except for frying, the common onions of the market are 

 much too large to be economical, — the two outer layers of 

 an onion four inches and upwards in diameter, though mak- 



