642 



The Cultivation of Onions. 



[NOV., 



onions should then be steeped in a strong solution of common 

 salt for about a day, then carefully drained, and allowed to ' 

 dry thoroughly. Finally, they should be put in bottles con- 

 taining vinegar, which has been well spiced with cloves, 

 peppercorns, coriander, ginger, &c. 



Production of Pickling Onions in Holland. — The growing 

 of pickling onions on a large scale suffers rather severely | 

 from competition from Holland, and owing to various repre- 

 sentations made to the Board of Agriculture as to the serious 

 effects of composition from this source, investigations * were 

 undertaken by the Board in the year 1902, which showed that 

 the social and economic conditions under which the industry j 

 was conducted in the Netherlands differed in many respects 

 from those existing in this country. 



These differences, however, were not sufficient at that time 

 to enable the brining factories to place their goods on our 

 markets at prices persistently lower than those at which 

 English goods have been quoted, and, in fact, the evidence 

 collected by the Board, both in the Netherlands and in this 

 country, went to show that the prices paid by pickling firms 

 for first quality Dutch silverskins in brine delivered in London 

 were, in some seasons, higher even than those quoted for 

 home produce. The secret of the success of the Dutch com- 1 

 petition was considered to lie mainly in the fact that the 

 onions exported from the Netherlands presented, on the 

 whole, a better appearance, and met more readily the require- 

 ments of the pickling firms, because more effective methods 

 and greater care were employed in their preparation for 

 brining. These methods are described in the report, and an ! 

 account is given of onion cultivation in Holland. 



Onion Pests. — The two principal pests of the onion, viz., 

 onion fly and onion mildew, are dealt with in the Board's 

 leaflets, Nos. 31 and 178. 



Varieties of Onions Recommended. — (a) For Market Pur- 

 poses : White Spanish, Bedfordshire Champion, Giant 

 Zittau, Nuneham Park, Rousham Park Hero, (b) For Ex- 

 hibition Purposes : Ailsa Craig, Southampton Champion, 

 Golden Globe. (c) For Pickling Purposes : Silverskin, 

 Queen Pickling. 



Report on the Dutch Brined Vegetable Industry. (Cd. 1368, 1902. Price 8d ) 



