The Early Onions 



145 



cores are separated and planted as if they were gets; or if 

 they do not readily separate in the hand, the entire onion 

 is planted and a cluster of young onions is produced. 

 . Multiplier onions seldom produce flowers and seeds. If 

 not harvested for green onions, the small bulb grows into 

 a large one which again breaks up into small ones. Some- 

 times the multiplier onions are planted in autumn. These 

 plants are really perennials, continuing themselves by suc- 

 cessive division of the bulb, whereas the ordinary seed 

 onion is usually biennial. 



All green or " bunch " onions, whether grown from bulbs 

 or seeds, may be planted very thick. Usually they stand 

 as close as 2 inches in the row. Often the rows are wide, 

 so that three or four bulbs may stand abreast, but this in- 

 creases the difficulties of tillage and weeding; but it may.be 

 said that weeds are usually not troublesome early in the 

 season, if the land is clean to start with. 



The little onions, or "acorns," from the flower-cluster 

 of the top onion resume growth in spring, as if they were 

 sets, and soon give an agreeable table 

 supply. If left in the ground, the fol- 

 lowing year they will send up flower- 

 stalks the same as will ordinary dry 

 onions; but instead of producing only 

 flowers and seeds, they will bear a 

 greater or lesser number of bulbels 

 with the flowers. ,In old gardens, even 

 in the Northern States, a row of these 

 plants is sometimes allowed to grow at will year after 

 year, supplying enough little bulbs to afford the table 

 supply of green onions. 



64. Cross-section of a 

 multiplier onion, 

 showing the cores, 

 of ■which there are 

 three in this case. 



