707 



and at Lemu north of Bida, the price of medium onions, about 

 six to the pound, is l^d. per lb. (Dudgeon, N. Nig. Gaz. 31st July 

 1909, p. 157). 



The cultivation requires skill and constant care; but it 

 appears to be well understood in Nigeria. At Lemu, where the 

 cultivation is of some importance, '' the seed is sown closely in 

 beds of soil enriched with manure and covered over with straw; 

 when the young plants are a few incfies in height they are trans- 

 planted into other beds and cow and goat manure is strewn over 

 the surface. The whole cultivation is done during the dry 

 season and the plants are watered daily from calabashes. In 

 the Kano and Zaria districts, a similar method of cultivation is 

 employed, but the beds are usually more extensive and the 

 watering is done by means of the ' shadoof ' as well as tlie 

 calabash" (I.e. p. 158). In the Canary Islands the seed is sown 

 broadcast in beds in October, seedhngs transplanted in December 

 into new beds, the leaves being shortened by 1 or 2 in. at the time ; 

 set outin rows about 8 in. apart. The harvesting commences about 

 the 10th of April and continues through the latter part of this 

 month and May. The white variety comes into the market a little 

 earher than the red and hence commands a better price. When 

 gathered the onions are left lying on the land for 3 or 4 days to dry 

 in the sun; they are then strung into ropes and so prepared for 

 ^ale. The soil is very hght and the ploughing very shallow; bat 

 naturally well-drained; manured with farm-yard manure, Peru- 

 vian guano or Cactus guano, irrigated, and the strain is preserved 

 by alternating with Indian Corn or Potatoes, or by planting the 

 onions in newly cleared ground every other year. Seed is 

 obtained from bulbs replanted 12-14 in. apart in November, the 

 top of each bulb being first sliced to induce the growth of several 

 heads (sometimes 10), which ripen during the end of June and 

 first half of July. The heads are picked as they mature, spread 

 on sheets and dried in the sun, and the seed separated by rubbing 

 with the hand. About 1 lb. of seed is produced from every 

 20 onions; but the red seed is sMghtly heavier than the white 

 (Kew Bull. Oct- 1887, pp. 3, 4). 



Bef, — '' Onion Disease at Bermuda {Peronosjyora Schleide- 

 niana)/' in Kew Bull. Oct. 1887, pp. 1-23, including " Report by 



Mr. Arthur Shipley on the Onion Crop in the Canary Islands." 



*' Allium Cepa,'' in Diet, Econ. Prod. India, Watt, i. 1889, p^}. 169- 



171, *' Cultivating Onions in Egypt," in Joum. Bd, Agric, 



March, 1895, pp. 333-335.— — '* The Onion and Its Cultivation/' 

 Olemiy, in Journ. Roy. Agric. Soc. vi. 1895, pp. 257-275 Occur- 

 rence of Quercetin in the Outer Skins of the Bulb of the Onion, 

 Allium Cepa, Perkin & Hummel, pp. 1295-1298 (From Trans. 



€hem. Soc. London, 1896), Onion Culture, Watts, U.S. Dept. 



Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 39, 1896, pp. 1-30. " The Brined 



Onion Industry," in Journ. Bd. Agric. Dec. 1902, pp. 349- 



354. " Onion Cultivation/' Agric. News, Barbados, ii. Sept. 



12th, 1903, pp. 294-295; iii. Sept. 10th, 1904, pp. 289-290. 



