GROWING THE PLANTS 173 



in the North is either in a hotbed or greenhouse) and transplanting 

 the seedhngs to the field where they are to complete their growth, 

 when they are from three-sixteenths to three-eighths of an inch 

 in diameter. This method is considered especially adapted to 

 growing the large and foreign types of onions, and as already 

 noted is used in the production of " Texas Bermudas." It is 

 also sometimes used on a limited scale by market gardeners in 

 the North for the production of the Prizetaker and other large 

 onions. 



The chief advantages claimed for this method of growing onions 

 are earlier maturity and larger size of bulbs, greater uniformity 

 in stand and in size of specimens, larger yields, higher prices, and 

 saving in the cost of weeding. 



The chief disadvantages are that the expected advantages do 

 not always materialize, that it takes considerable time, trouble 

 and equipment to grow the plants, and that the transplanting is 

 an enormous task. If the plants are placed three inches apart 

 in the row it takes nearly 175,000 to set an acre. Although the 

 individual plants can be set quite rapidly, and there is no particular 

 difficulty in making them live, the setting of even one acre involves 

 a very large amount of tedious labor. No one should ever under- 

 take to grow a large area of transplanted onions until after giving 

 the method a thorough trial on a conservative scale. 



Growing the Plants. — One difficulty likely to be encountered 

 in trying to grow onions by the transplanting method is that the 

 plants often fail to reach transplanting size at the time they should 

 be transplanted. To get the full benefit of this method in earliness, 

 it is necessary^ to set out the plants very soon after it would be 

 possible to plant seeds in the open. Although it is sometimes 

 claimed that plants can be grown to transplanting size in six 

 weeks, it is more likely to take double that time during the short, 

 dark days of February and March. In localities where outdoor 

 gardening usually begins about April 1, onions should be trans- 

 planted not later than April 15, and the seeds for growing these 

 plants should be sown in a greenhouse or fire hotbed not later 

 than January 15. Otherwise the size of the plants is likely to be 

 disappointing. The seed should be sown in rows three to four 

 inches apart in the hotbed or on the greenhouse bench. The 

 soil of the seed-bed should be thoroughly mixed and well prepared. 

 The watering should be very carefully done in the dark winter 

 weather. A fairly low temperature should be maintained, and 



