Harvesting the Crop of Onions 117 



is an inside grower, and vegetates with a single very 

 slender seed-leaf. If this encounters a surface crust, it 

 will be doubled back and emerge with weakened vitality 

 if at all. No crust should, therefore, be allowed to form 

 over the seed. Every inch of the surface between the 

 rows and amongst the plants must be stirred frequently 

 to prevent the growth of grass or weed seed. This 

 frequent shallow cultivation will be all that is 

 necessary until the bulbs begin to form, when the 

 soil must be drawn from around them so as to 

 expose the entire bulb above ground. The roots all 

 diverge from the center of the bottom of the bulb, so 

 that the exposure of the latter does not interfere with 

 the former. Why expose the bulb! The bulb is com- 

 posed of the thickened base of the leaves. The outside 

 leaves of the exposed bulb ripen and dry before the crop 

 is gathered, and hence the onions are in better condition 

 for housing than those on which these leaves are still 

 succulent. If large sets are planted, having stored up 

 the food for supplying the seed-stalk, they will put 

 forth flower -stalks as soon as rapid spring growth com- 

 mences. These should be promptly removed, or they 

 will prevent the formation of the bulb at the base. 



Approaching ripeness will be indicated by the shrink- 

 ing and weakening of the neck of the stalk just above 

 the bulb. The onions should now be pulled and laid in 

 rows on the ground if the weather is suitably dry, but 

 they must not rest upon each other. If dry weather 

 prevails, allow them to remain five or six days, turning 

 them daily to facilitate drying. If the weather is favor- 

 able, they will now be ready to be carted to the storage 



