328 The Principles of Vegetable- Gardening 



light soils in parts of the state with a warm winter and moderate 

 rains." — Pacific Rural Press, May 5, 1900. See Huntley, Bull. 22, 

 Idaho Exp. Sta., for recent experiments on the transplanting of 

 onions. 



In 1889 (Annals Hort.) 78 varieties of "seed" onions were 

 offered by American dealers, and also about twenty kinds of mul- 

 tipliers, potato onions and sets. For purposes of careful scientific 

 study, the varieties may be classified into geographical races, but 

 for purposes of description they may be assembled into groups 

 characterized by such arbitrary features as form and color of bulb. 

 Goff (6th Kept. N. Y. State Exp. Sta., for the year 1887, pp. 190- 

 214) classifies first by shape of bulb and then by color. He 

 makes four primary groups: bulb oblate, spherical, top-shape, 

 oval or pear- shape. Each of these groups is divided into three 

 sections: color white, yellower brownish, red or reddish. Another 

 classification (Bailey, Bull. 31, Mich. Agric. College, 1887) makes 

 three primary sections on methods of propagation : propagated by 

 division (multipliers), by bulblets or "tops," by seeds (or sets). 

 The last section (seed onionsj is divided into bulbs silvery white 

 and bulbs colored, and these groups are divided on shape of bulb. 



The maggot is a serious onion pest. It burrows in the root. 

 There is no practical means of combating it except to use infested 

 lands for other crops. The rust and smut diseases may be held in 

 check to some extent by Bordeaux mixture spray. Rotation is the 

 best remedy for smut. Following are references to recent experi- 

 ment station literature on onion troubles : 



Onion Thrip, N. Y. Bull. 83, p. 680, with illus. ; Iowa Bull. 27, 

 p. 139: Fla. Bull. 46: Kerosene emulsion, 1 to 10. 



Downy mildew, Wis. Eept. 1, pp. 38 44, desc. and illus.; 

 Conn. Kept. 13, pp. 155, 156; Vt. Rept. 10, pp. 61, 62. 



Remove all blighted vegetable matter. Weak Bordeaux. 



Smut, Conn. Rept. 13, pp. 119-148, desc. and illus.; Conn. 

 Rept. 19, pp. 176-182: Transplant seedlmgs or use sets. 



The onion has been cultivated from the earliest times. For 

 history, see Sturtevant, Amer. Naturalist, Jan., 1890, pp. 36-40. 



Special treatises on onion-growing in North America are: 

 Greiner^s "Onions for Profit," and "The New Onion Culture;" 

 Greiner and Arlie^s "How to Grow Onions;" Orange Judd Com- 

 pany's "Onion Book." 



