1136 



ONION 



anil third thinnings may be used on the table. Fig. 

 ISaO. It is very important that the best grade of seed 

 be used, for the Onion deteriorates rapidly from seed 

 which is not well grown nor carefully selected. There 

 are great nxirabers of varieties. The most popular 

 standard field Isinds are Southport Red and Yellow 



>, ^^ .?' 



Globe, and these are also to be advised for the main 

 reliance in the home garden. For early use and for 

 variety, great numbers of kinds may be selected from 

 reliable seed catalogues. Some of the quick-growing 

 southern Onions are excellent for early use. 



There are two general methods of propagating the 

 Onion— by seeds and by bulbs. Onion seed is ordinarily 

 known as "black seed," although there is no Onion seed 

 which is not black. The main field crop is grown from 

 seeds, as explained in the articles which follow. The 

 Onion seed of the market is produced from full grown 

 and typical bulbs of the desired variety. These bulbs 

 are grown from seed and are kept over winter as other 

 Onions are. In the spring they are planted out in rows 

 two feet apart and as near together in the row as they 

 will stand. Tlicy sfnd up a flower stalk which blooms 

 in earl) -ummim r. ,in.l i\n -. . .1 is liarvested. 



Prci|.j- 1 ' ,1 l.vi-d for the purpose of 



seenrni_ ' . use or for the special 



early SI :- 1. .im, , I i,,; iim recent years, all the 



very t;til> i.r l.uiicLi Uukju.s ucic raised from bulbs, but 

 recently a so-called "new Onion culture" has come into 

 vogue, which consists in sowing seeds in hotbeds or 

 coldframes and transplanting the young plants. Bulb- 

 propagation is of three general categories: (1) The use 

 of bulblets or " top Onions " which appear on the top of 

 the flower-stalk in the place of flowers; (2) the use 

 of bulbels or separable parts of an Onion bulb, known 

 as "multipliers," or "potato Onions"; (.1) the use of 

 ordinary bulbs which are arrested in their growth, 



Bulblets, or top Onions, are shown in Fig. 1531. If 



one of these bulblets is planted in the spring, it 



quickly produces a young bulb, and the growing bulb 



maybe pulled at any 



JM- ft 



I 





■^^4$^ 



time and eaten. If 

 allowed to remain 

 in the ground, how- 

 I V ' r, it sends up 

 .1 -i:ilk (either the 

 I ir second year) 

 u lii.-h bears a clus- 

 t,.r of bulblets, 



1521, ' iTiion field. with flowers, on its 



top. Tliere are two 

 or tliitf x.aiiis .,1 i<>|> ( luions on the market, although 

 the leading ones are the white and the red, these names 

 applying to the color of the bulblets. The so-called 

 "Egyptian Onion" is atop Onion; also the "tree Onion." 

 Multipliers are shown in Fig. l,=),32-3. Instead of con- 

 taining a single "heart" or core, as in most Onions, it 

 contains two or more. When the Onion is planted, each 

 of these cores or bulbels sends out leaves and grows 

 rapidly for a time; that is, the old or compound bulb 

 separates into its component parts. The growing 

 bulbels may be pulled and eaten at any time. If allowed 

 to remain in the ground, each of these bulbels will make 



ONION 



a compound bulb like that from which it came. Some- 

 times flower-stalks are produced from multiplier or 

 potato Onions. The best results with multipliers are 

 secured when the bulbels are separated on being 

 planted, for each one has room in which to grow. Two 

 or three kinds of multiplier Onions are known, the 

 variation being chiefly in the color of the bulb. 



Onion sets are merely ordinary Onions which are 

 irrest( <1 m their growth, and when planted will resume 

 ,;rowth They are grown from seed. The seed is 

 *.own \(ry thick on rather poor land, so that the young 

 I nibs soon reach the possibilities of their growth: they 

 mature when still very small. These small 

 bulbs or sets are then harvested and kept 

 1* over winter, and used for planting the follow- 



ing spring. When planted they grow rapidly 

 _ and may be pulled and used for the table. 



If allowed to remain in the ground, they 

 send up flower-stalks and produce seeds, 

 as common Onions do. Sets are not allowed 

 to seed, however, since the seeds from sets 

 would probably produce an inferior race of 

 Onions. Any variety of seed-bearing Onion 

 may be grown and propagated as sets, al- 

 though there are relatively few that give uni- 

 lod results. In the trade. Onion sets are usu- 

 ally designated as yellow, red or white. In order to 

 secure good results from Onion sets, it is essential that 

 the sets be small and firm. They should not be over 

 one-half inch in diameter, if they are of the best. If 

 they are much larger than this, they tend to run to seed 

 rather than to produce bulbs. Sometimes the very small 

 and inferior Onions are saved from the regular crop 

 and are used as sets the following spring. Such sets 

 are generally known as "rareripes." Usually they do 

 not give the best results. 



The varieties of Onions are numerous. In 1889 

 (Annals Ilort.) 78 varieties of "set-d" Oninns were 



formly j 



1530. Bunch On 



early spring soNvine. 



offered by American dealers, and also about 20 kinds 

 of multipliers, potato Onions and sets. For purposes of 

 careful scientific study, the varieties may be classified 

 into geographical races, but for purposes of description 

 they may be assembled into groups characterized by 

 such arbitrary features as form and color of bulb. 



