ONIONS 319 



Seed of the Bermuda onion. The seed of this type of onion is 

 not grown in the United States. Many attempts have been made 

 to produce it here but without success thus far ; that is, the seed 

 grown here does not reproduce the same grade of bulbs as that 

 produced by the seed grown in Tenerife. The seed crop of Texas 

 is too uncertain and the yield too small to maintain the industry, 

 and when produced in California the type is changed to such an 

 extent as to render the resulting crop unsatisfactory. 



This variety should be called Tenerife instead of Bermuda. 

 The trade, however, recognizes this type under the name Ber- 

 muda, and it is likely that this designation will hold, regardless of 

 the territory in which the seed or the mature bulbs are produced. 



Soil for the Bermuda onion. Land which is naturally fertile, or 

 which can be made rich by the addition of a sufficient quantity of 

 stable manure or commercial fertilizer, should be chosen for this 

 crop. Soils of a sandy, loamy nature are preferred, and if possible 

 should be so situated that irrigation can be practiced ; for, as a 

 rule, the rainfall in this zone is not to be depended upon to make 

 a satisfactory crop. 



Cultivation of the Bermuda onion. Seed is seldom sown in the 

 field where the crop is to mature, but in seed beds. These beds 

 are from 1 2 to 15 feet wide, of any desired length, and very level, 

 to permit of irrigation. The seeds are sown in drills from 3 to 

 4 inches apart, and the bed irrigated from time to time as is neces- 

 sary to produce good strong plants. The seeds are usually sown 

 about October 15, and the plants kept growing rapidly until the 

 first of December, when they are transplanted to the field. In 

 transplanting, the seedlings are drawn and set in exactly the same 

 manner as described in connection with plants grown in hotbeds. 

 The land on which the onions are to mature, if not perfectly level 

 so as to admit of irrigation, is either laid off in beds or in contour 

 lines to admit of applying water during the growing season. By 

 the first of December well-grown seedling plants should have a 

 thickness between that of a rye straw and that of a lead pencil. 

 They are then dibbled out to stand 5 or 6 inches apart in the row, 

 in rows 1 2 to 15 inches apart. Clean cultivation and sufficiently 

 frequent watering to keep the plants constantly growing should be 

 given until about the middle of March, when the water is withheld 



