68 On the Cultivation and the Varieties of the 



Onions from Setubal. Very fine, large, and mild ; in form 

 nearly flat ; principally exported through Lisbon. 



The Onions from Setubal and Lisbon, have very fine, thin, 

 outward skins, which easily flake off, being loose, or shrivelled 

 round the crown ; and are of a light, bright, shining, brown 

 colour. The Silver Onion (of which the outer skin is nearly 

 as white as milk) is a common variety, in many places. It is 

 very mild, and grows to a good size, but does not keep, nor 

 bear transporting well. In the Alto Douro, Beira, Coimbra, 

 and the interior of the country, there are very fine large 

 Onions, which, however, cannot be considered as distinct 

 varieties, their size and quality depending chiefly on the soil, 

 and mode of cultivation. At Ovar, which is near the sea, 

 and has a very sandy soil, a small hardy Onion is produced, 

 which is, in size and flavour, much like the common Onion of 

 this country. It keeps through the year, but is not worth 

 importing. At that place, a great deal of Garlic is grown, for 

 exportation to Brazil, which is much esteemed, and of a com- 

 paratively mild flavour. It may be worthy of remark, that in 

 those small Onions, which have the crown or top, and the 

 outward skin thick, and tinged, or rather veined, with green, 

 the taste and flavour is much less mild, and they are apt to 

 affect the stomach. 



The general practice of cultivating the Onion in Portugal 

 is : to sow the seed very thinly, in November or December, 

 on a moderate hot-bed, in a warm situation, with a few 

 inches of rich light loam upon it, and to protect the plants 

 from frost, by mats and hoops. In April or May, when 

 they are about the size of a large swan's quill, they are 



