*9 



several of my correspondents, some of whom have grown 

 them of market size the first season as far south as Texas. 

 As a rule such onions are hardly as large as those grown far- 

 ther north, but yet amply large enough for market. To give 

 the rule concisely, if gardeners in the south wish to raise 

 onions from the black seed so that they will grow to market 

 size the first season, they should procure seed grown as far 

 north as possible; and vice versa, gardeners in the North 

 who wish to grow their own setts should procure southern 

 grown seed. If in these southern latitudes two years are 

 given to the maturing of the crop, the first year, the ground 

 is prepared as already directed, excepting that it is but lightly 

 manured ; broad, shallow drills, from one to two inches in 

 width, are made about ten inches apart, and these are sown 

 early in spring, very thickly, at the rate of about thirty pounds 

 to the acre, and the crop becomes mature in July, when it is 

 pulled and stored in cool, airy lofts, being spread very thinly 

 over the floor, — those raised from the White Portugal onion 

 to a depth of about two inches, and those from the yellow 

 sorts to a depth of about four inches. A gentle raking occa- 

 sionally is of advantage to promote dryness and to prevent 

 sprouting. The yellow variety is the best for keeping, and 

 hence will bear the confinement incident to transportation 

 with less injury ; but the clean, white appearance of the onion 

 raised from the white setts gives them the preference in the 

 market. Attempts are often made in the north by market- 

 gardeners to raise their own setts and thus save the large 

 outlay often required to purchase them, — for most of the early 

 onions now used in the northern cities are raised from the 

 setts. The attempts to raise them in the north were former- 

 ly for the most part a failure ; a large proportion of the setts 

 so raised pushing seed shoots and thus spoiling the onion for 

 market purposes, for the reason that northern grown seed 



