ONIONS. 



125 



the plant do not die down as they should, but remain green and 

 continue to grow after the bulbs are well formed, and become 

 what are called "scallions" or "thick necks." This is generiilly 

 due to the planting of poorly selected seed, but sometimes it is 

 not to be accounted for. In such cases it is generally recom- 

 mended to break the tops down, which certainly does no harm, 

 but it is of doubtful value. A better way is to pull such plants 

 as soon as they begin to grow vigorously after once hfvVing 

 formed good bulbs, dry them as much as possible and remove 

 the tops. However, such onions do not generally keep well ana 

 had better be used during autumn and early winter. 



Keeping Onions. — Onions should be kept in a dry, cool 

 place. In a damp cellar they will sprout and grow no matter If 

 the temperature there is near the freezing point. They will 

 stand quite a little frost without much injury, but if frozen and 

 thawed several times they become soft and do not keep well, 

 but start to grow very quickly. The best way of keeping onions 

 is in a cold, dry room in slatted bins or on shelves so arrangea 

 that the air can circulate through them. A very practical plan 

 is to put them in barrels without heads, having holes in the bot- 

 tom and sides and pile these on top of one another two tiers 

 high, first putting down scantling or other material to allow the 

 air to circulate under and around them. If our common onions 

 are frozen solid in the autumn and kept so all winter, they will 

 generally come out right in the spring. A good way to do this 

 is to lay them eighteen inches thick on the floor of a loft and 

 cover with a foot or so of hay. Thus arranged they will not 

 freeze until severe weather sets in and will remain frozen until 

 spring. They may also be put in water-proof bins in the field 

 where grown and treated in the same way. They should never 

 be handled when frozen, as they are apt to bruise. Freezing 

 and thawing several timas seriously, injures them, but if kept 

 frozen and gradually thawed out they come out in very nice 

 condition. After thawing out, they will not keep well, but 

 gaickly start to grow, and should be disposed of at once. They 

 Prizetaker and similar kinds are an exception to this rule and 

 are liable to be ruined if frozen. 



Onion Sets is a term applied to small onions which are 

 planted out in the spring instead of seeds. If onions under 



