rpi i.] The Cultivation of Onions. 



641 



During the drying, should the weather be showery, the 

 bulbs should be constantly stirred, to prevent second growth 

 and the formation of fresh roots. When the bulbs are per- 

 fectly dry, they should be collected and stored either on the 

 barn floor, or on specially constructed drying shelves. These 

 shelves are placed along the length of the barn — one above the 

 other, as in a book case — and are constructed of 3 in. laths 

 placed lengthways about 1 in. or ij in. apart, to allow the 

 air to penetrate freely. The bulbs should be moved about 

 once a week, to avoid "sweating," or dampness of the crop. 



Growing for Exhibition.- — When growing for exhibition 

 purposes, seed pans or shallow boxes, filled with a light loam 

 compost, should be prepared and placed in a frame or in a 

 cold greenhouse to be protected from winter frosts. The seed 

 should be sown thinly in December or January, and liberally, 

 though not excessively, watered. As soon as the seedlings 

 are large enough to handle, they should be pricked out singly 

 into small pots and replaced in the frame. 



When the weather is suitable, as soon as possible after the 

 middle of March, they should be permanently planted out, in 

 a sunny position sheltered from the cold winds, in rows 9 in. 

 to 12 in. apart, the distance between plant and plant in the 

 row being also 9 in. to 12 in. A liberal supply of liquid 

 manure (a weak solution of sheep or cow manure with soot in 

 suspension) should be applied once a week. The greatest 

 care should be taken in handling the bulbs, as the forcing 

 causes the skin to be very tender, and the slightest bruise 

 will cause their early decay. 



Growing Pickling Onions. — There are several differences 

 in cultivation when onions are grown for pickling. In this 

 case, the soil is prepared in exactly the same way, but the 

 drills are 7 in. apart, and a much larger quantity of seed is, 

 used; no thinning of the young seedlings is required. Thus 

 the density of the crop and the struggle for existence prevent 

 the bulbs from attaining any but a pickling size. As a rule, 

 however, large onion growers grade out the small bulbs for 

 pickling purposes rather than make a special cultivation. 



In preparing for pickling, the small onions should be 

 steeped in boiling water for a short time, then drained and 

 allowed to cool. This makes peeling much easier. The 



