380 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



cultivation. For a detailed discussion on the culture 

 and uses of this crop, see Farmers' Bulletin No. 232. 



ONION (Allium cepa) 



526. History. The onion has been grown .ice re- 

 mote antiquity. The oldest historic records frequently 

 refer to its culture and its use as an article of food. It 

 probably originated in the southern part of Europe or in 

 countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. A great 

 variety of types has been developed. The most marked 

 progress in the breeding of the modern globular bulb has 

 been made within the last 25 years. 



527. Botany. The onion belongs to the lily family, 

 which also includes the asparagus. It is generally a bien- 

 nial, although some forms, as the multipliers, are peren- 

 nial. Usually it is grown as an annual for the bulbs, and 

 sometimes for the tops, which are used in seasoning. 

 True stems are not produced. The portion above the 

 bulb is often as valuable for food as the bulb itself. The 

 bulbs are variable in color, being white, yellow, red and 

 intermediate shades of these colors. The seed stalks are 

 long, slender and hollow. They bear dense, showy, 

 round heads of small white or lilac-colored flowers. In- 

 stead of producing flowers, some forms, as "tree" and 

 "top onions," produce clusters of sets or bulblets which 

 are planted to produce bunching onions or mature bulbs. 

 The seeds are black, angular and flattened. 



528. Importance. This is one of the most important 

 vegetables in the world, being grown in nearly all coun- 

 tries and ranking third in commercial importance in the 

 United States. (U. S. D. A. Farmers' Bulletin 354, p. 

 5). Fourteen million bushels, valued at $10,000,000, 

 were grown in this country in 1908. The annual impor- 

 tations from Spain, Egypt, Bermuda and the South Sea 

 Islands amount to about 1,400,000 bushels. Its wide 



