THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 213 



latter two and they came up freely. This is proof 

 that Gibraltar onions enjoy a higher temperature 

 than other varieties. The Gibraltar plants grew 

 like magic. By April 6 I had sheared their tops 

 the second time, and they were quite stocky. I at 

 once began setting them in the open bed, which I 

 had prepared for them in the family garden. This 

 was underdrained, sandy soil, well manured in the 

 fall and prepared in the early spring with a top 

 dressing of hen manure and wood ashes. Slightly 

 dressing off the rootlets to balance the sheared tops, 

 I set them 6 inches apart and 12 inches asunder. 



" Our spring was a moist one with warm days 

 and cool nights, and my Gibraltar plants acted as 

 though they had never been moved, although they 

 had to take a few light frosts. From that time on 

 they received the same care and culture that I gave 

 the other varieties later. They kept up their vigor- 

 ous growth and July 13 I made a note in my garden 

 diary that they had commenced to bottom. The 

 hot, dry weather seemed to contribute favorably to 

 their bulbous growth. 



" While they did not ripen quite evenly, it was 

 of small consequence, and favorable to my retail 

 trade. I pulled the last one September 10. The 

 aggregate weight of my special bed of Gibraltar 

 onions, 10 x 12 feet, was 76 pounds, the largest 

 specimen weighing 13 ounces. The others ran from 

 3 to 9 ounces, the bulk of them weighing 6 to 8 

 ounces apiece. An 8-ounce Gibraltar is a beauty, 

 and two of them will separate an onion lover from 

 his nickel on sight. I received the uniform price of 

 5 cents a pound for them, and sold again and again 

 to the same customers. A few plants I had left 

 were set out in the market garden in less fertile soil, 

 and made a nice lot of onions, though not so large." 



