VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AND CULTURE. 261 



roots being milder and of greater size than in most coun- 

 tries. 



It is a good plan to make the beds just wide enough for 

 three rows, say thirty inches wide, with a narrow alley be- 

 tween, which may be filled with sweet corn or cabbages, 

 after the crop is laid by. 



But in common gardens beds four feet wide and the 

 rows thereon twelve to fourteen inches wide are most con- 

 venient. The soil of the beds must be finely dug, the sur- 

 face rolled smooth, and all the clods beat fine that may 

 have escaped the spade. The drills should be drawn very 

 shallow, as the best onions grow upon the surface of the 

 ground. For this reason, it is well to roll the bed, or beat 

 it smooth with the back of the spade, before making the 

 drills. Some soak the seed twenty-four hours before plant- 

 ing, but to little advantage. Do not sow very thickly — 

 only one or two seeds in a place. A seed every inch is 

 quite thick enough, as thinning out, when too thick, is apt 

 to injure the remainder. Cover the seeds about half an 

 inch with fine sifted soil, and press down the earth upon 

 them by a roller, or walking over them on a plank. 



• When they come up, thin them out gradually in the 

 drills, to six inches apart. Keep the bed clean and free 

 from weeds, and stir it frequently, but not deeply, with a 

 hoe. Do not hill the earth up against the bulbs ; but draw 

 it away from them with the fingers, as they keep better 

 if grown pretty much above the ground. There is no 

 crop more easily raised or preserved, if the ground is rich 

 enough, and the bulbs made to grow upon the surface. 

 After the young onions have got a good start, it is best 

 to drop the hoe entirely and resort to hand-weeding. In 

 dry weather, a thorough drenching in weak liquid manure, 

 or soapsuds, is excellent. For pickling, the white kind 

 should be sown much more thickly, and thinned out until 

 about one or two inches apart in the row, which will cause 

 them to ripen early, before they have become too large. 



