350 GATHERING, STORING AND PACKING 



Mushrooms for sale care should be taken that the 

 growths are quite fresh and have a pretty pink colour. 

 Those inclined to turn black realise a poorer price. 

 Larger quantities are packed in punnets, small rounds 

 or sieves well papered round, the Mushrooms being 

 tightly packed with the smooth portion upwards. 

 A good portion of stem is cut with them. If sent 

 daily or three times a week there is no fear of stale 

 Mushrooms and in packing cover the baskets over 

 with paper and tie down. For private use, if sent any 

 distance large punnets are useful, as these can be nicely 

 packed in hampers and it is always well to be careful so 

 that breakages do not occur. Mushrooms are very 

 tender. Those who have caves or underground cellars 

 can furnish supplies all the year with little trouble, 

 and during the summer from June to October ridge- 

 shaped beds in the open, given a good top covering 

 with litter are reliable. 



ONIONS. 



Very large quantities of Onions are grown for 

 market and home supplies, and of late years more atten- 

 tion has been paid to large bulbs for cooking and exhi- 

 bition. The autumn sown of the Tripoli section are 

 the mildest in flavour, but they do not keep so long as 

 the spring sown, so that it is well to market the stock 

 as soon as full grown. They are sold in bags. For 

 private supplies large quantities of the green Onions 

 are not so much required, but in market gardens they 

 are grown for bunching when green in spring. These 



