218 



ONION. 



immediately from Spain, the final distance should be six or 

 seven inches. Keep the whole very clear from weeds, in 

 their young and advancing sia.te. The plants will begin 

 bulbing a little in June ; more fully in July ; and be fully 

 grown in August to large bulbs. In July or August, when 

 the leaves begin to dry at the points, and turn yellow, lay 

 the stems down close to the ground, bending them about 

 two inches up the neck, which promotes the ripening of 

 the bulb, particularly in wet or backward seasons. The 

 crop of full bulbers will be ready to take up towards the 

 middle of August. When the necks shrink, and the leaves 

 decay, pull them wholly up in due time : spread them on a 

 compartment of dry ground, in the full sun, to dry and har- 

 den completely, turning them every two or three days ; and 

 in a week or fortnight they will be ready to house. Clear 

 off the grossest part of th(^ leaves, stalks, and fibres ; then 

 deposit the bulbs in some close, dry apartment, in which 

 sometimes turn them over, and pick out any that decay ; 

 and they will thus keep sound and good, all winter and 

 spring, till May following." 



Culture of a winter-standing crop^ to he drawn for use the 

 succeeding spring. — " Allot a soil rather more light and 

 sandy for the summer crop, on a sub-soil al least equally 

 dry. The compartment, especially for any of the biennial 

 kinds, should lie warm and sheltered. The beds may be 

 three or four feet wide, running parallel to the best aspect. 

 The medium time for the principal sowing falls about the 

 7th of August; and, for a secondary crop, near the 25th. 

 Sew the bulbing sorts and the Welsh perennial separately ; 

 distribute the seed pretty thickly. If the soil be dry and 

 light, tread down the seed evenly along the surface of each 

 bed, and then rake it in neatly. When the plants are come 

 up one, two, or three inches, carefully hand-weed in time, 

 before any rising weeds spread ; not thinning the plants, 

 because they should remain thick, for their chance in win- 

 ter, and to be, by degrees, drawn tliinningly, for use in 

 salads and otherwise ; but reserve a principal supply to re- 

 main till spring. Observe, the W^ elsh onion, in particular, 

 commonly dies down to the ground about mid-winter ; but 

 the root part, remaining v/holly sound, sends up a new, 

 vigorous stem in February and March. At the opening of 

 spring, let the whole of both sorts be well cleared from 

 weeds ; they will continue fit to draw young during all the 

 spring months, till May ; then let some of the buirous kinds 



