THE KITCHEX GARDEX. 



end and tread the bed evenly all over, pressing and 

 scuffling the soil in rows from end to end thoroughly. 

 Again rake all over, making the whole as even as 

 possible, and drawing off in process all additional 

 stones, &c. Then stretch a garden-line from end to 

 end of the bed at one side, and draw drill-rows as 

 shallow as possible with the comer of a small hoe 

 along it. If it can be arranged to have these drills 

 running north to south so much the better, as the 

 sun will have freer play around the plants. Continue 

 to draw these drills at distances of four to five or nine 

 inches apart until the whole piece is covered with them. 

 The next process is to carefully sow the seeds in 

 these drills. As many as three or four drills may be 

 sown each time the bed is traversed. "WTien sown, 

 commence again at one end of the first drill, place a 

 foot on either side of it, and with the feet proceed to 

 cover the seed in the drill with the soil lying on 

 either side. "V\nien all is scuffled in, again rake the 

 whole bed over across the drills, drawing yet again 

 all stones, &c., across with the rake, and the bed is 

 completed, and ready for germinating into plant and 

 its future growth. In the case of light soils it is 

 certainly a further aid, following the last raking, to 

 run a roller over all, as these plants delight to grow 

 in firm soil, however necessary it may be to have it 

 well prepared for them. 



During the month of May, or subsequently, the 

 young seedling plants will have assumed a size and 

 consistency when further aid to progress may be 

 given. Choose a small hoe, such as can be freely 

 used between the rows, and hoe carefully between 

 the j'oung plants. In some districts a short-handled 

 hoe is used rapidly and with some advantage ; as by 

 stooping and using the length of the arm en prods, 

 a majority of the excess of the young seedlings may 

 be cut out at this, the first hoeing, and before they 

 attain a sufficient size to injure such as are ultimately 

 to stand for growing and final ripening. This hoe 

 is drawn along the rows straight, and the comer is 

 here and there made to cut transversely across any 

 row when excess of young seedlings need cutting 

 out. From three to four rows are hoed each time the 

 workman goes across the bed. 



Early in the following month of June, a second 

 hoeing will generally be requisite. At this hoeing, 

 thinning out and the final " setting out " of such 

 plants as are selected to remain will have to be 

 finished. According to the preparation of the 

 ground, its depth and manure supply, so must the 

 process be conducted. When good preparation has 

 been made, bulbs averaging from ten to twelve 

 inches in circumference may be expected, and the 

 young plants should accordingly be thinned out to 

 distances of about six or nine inches apart in the 

 rows. The only attention beyond which such a bed 



375 



requires is to be kept free from weeds during the whole 

 remaining part of the season. This is readily insured 

 by occasionally hoeing the bed over. During dry 

 seasons artificial waterings are of great benefit to 

 them. It is by means of such that the fine Onions 

 imported from Spain, as sold in Italian ware- 

 houses in this country, are obtained. During 

 the autumn the crop will show signs of cessation of 

 leaf-growth, when bulbing will commence. Should 

 the stalks be at all strong, and whilst some stalks 

 fall, yet others persistently stand, the bed should be 

 gone over, when each erect one with half a twist of 

 the hand may be made to lie, without in anywise 

 injuring it. By this means the crop will ripen off 

 more uniformly, individual examples throughout 

 being better formed and ultimately better ripened. 



It is bad practice to let the crop be too long upon 

 the bed after initial maturity has been reached. The 

 more uniformly all the tubers can be induced to 

 ripen off together the better therefore. The surest 

 sign of maturity is to be seen in the fact that the 

 stem or collar immediately above the bulb, in the 

 place where it is bent over, has become small. When 

 it has assumed this small- waisted state, it matters 

 not how green the fistular and now recumbent leaves 

 are, then is the time to pull them up. Each one has 

 to be taken hand-hold of, drawn, and laid upon its 

 side; the whole being so laid that they make rows 

 bottom upwards, close together, about three feet 

 across. Here they will lie for a few days, when, 

 with a wooden rake, di-aw them over (each row) into 

 the vacant spaces previously existing between their 

 former beds. Should the ground be at all weedy, 

 hoe it over and rake off the weeds before drawing 

 the bulbs over thereon. Generally about four or five 

 such turnings will be requisite to insure that the 

 crop be properly ripened. During rainy seasons, 

 the process being more difficult, this time may be 

 subject to extension. Every effort must be made, 

 however, to hurry the process, else the crop will 

 become discoloirred, and certain of the least ripened 

 bulbs will be subject to decay, especially so should 

 maggot pests attack them — pests to which the Onion 

 is subject, and to which reference will presently be 

 made. 



During a dry day, when the crop is properly 

 ripened, the green leaves having decayed, the whole 

 must be harvested. Each btilb should be taken in 

 the hand and have the dried leaves and loose scales 

 removed, all being subsequently placed upon a dry 

 airy shelf in a cool shed. It is not important that 

 they be spread out very thinly. When properly 

 dried, they are found to keep very well in heaps under 

 such a system of protection as this. According to the 

 manner in which they have been perfectly ripened, 

 or otherwise, so -^-ill the future need be of turning 



