GARDEN MANUAL FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES. 
73 
Louisiana or Red Creole has been culti- 
vated here for a century—supposed to 
have been brought here first from the 
south of Europe; we presume the bulbs 
produced but few seeds. It is hard to 
say from what variety this Onion origin- 
ated; having been planted here for so 
long it has become a distinct kind. It is 
not as red as the Wethersfield, and not 
as light as the Strassburg; in flavor it is 
similar to the two last named varieties, 
but much stronger than the Italian kinds. 
In this latitude the seed should be sown 
from the 15th of September to about the 
10th of October; if sown sooner, a good 
many will throw up seed staiks, which 
impairs the keeping quality of the 
Onion. We sow the seed broadcast, pro- 
tect the seed beds by spreading green 
moss over them, which is removed every 
evening and réplaced in the morning. 
Some gardeners use Lataniers for cover- 
ing the beds. When the seed is coming 
up, say in 7 or 9 days, the cover has to 
ene > 
be removed entirely; but if the weather 
is dry the watering has to be continued. 
They thrive best in loamy soil. Can be 
planted in the same ground for years, 
and require no rotation as other crops. 
When the plants have reached the size 
of a goose quill, they are transplanted 
into rows which can be from one to two 
feet apart, according to the mode of 
cultivation, and about five or six inches 
apart in the rows. The ground should 
be prepared before setting ut the 
plants. We generally shorten the tops 
and roots. In April the Onion will be 
ready to be taken up. In sections where 
it is too cold to sow Onion seed in the 
fall, the Creole seed can be sown in Janu- 
ary and February; in that case they 
should be sown very thinly in drills, 
thinned out to a proper stand, and by the 
end of spring they will produce a good 
size Onion. ‘Growers here use very little, 
if any fertilizers, but it can be used 
Try Steckler’s New Calico Bush Butter Beans. 
with advantage. For spring sowing we 
