AMERICAN ONIONS. 
ONIONS. 
The Onion must have a clean and very rich soil, or it will not do well enough to pay for the 
trouble. Use well rotted manure freely, and be sure to get the seed in as early as possible in 
the spring, no matter if it is ever so cold and unpleasant, for if Onions do not get a good 
growth before hot, dry weather, the crop is sure to be a failure; then thin out early, and 
keep the soil mellow and clear of weeds, and if your seed is good, you will have a large crop 
of Onions. On no other conditions can you 
hope for success. The Onion is very sensitive, 
and it won't do to slight it in the least. Sow 
in shallow drills, not less than a foot apart. 
When the young Onions are three or four 
inches high, thin so that they will stand about 
two inches or more apart, according to kind. 
Disturb the roots of Onions as little as pos- 
sible, either in thinning or hoeing, and never 
hoe earth toward them to cover, or hill, as we do 
most other things. Four pounds of seed are suf- 
cient for an acre. American Onions are quite 
different from those of Europe ; they are generally smaller, with a finer neck, bulb much more 
freely, are stronger, less sweet, and much better keepers. Our little engraving shows the lead- 
ing native sorts reduced to quite one-sixth natural size. Figure 1, Wethersfield Red; fig. 2, 
Early Red ; 3, Danvers Yellow ; 4, Large Yellow ; 5, White Portugal, which is a foreign sort 
so hybridized or acclimated as to become a native. 
As before intimated, while the European varieties of Onions lack a great many of the good 
qualities belonging to the "native Americans," they possess some peculiar to themselves, and 
which certainly entitle them to favorable notice. They are mild, sweet, and large. It is no 
strange sight to see peasants eat for their dinner, with brown bread alone, and with apparent relish, 
an onion that would weigh a pound. These foreign Onions seem to succeed pretty well in the 
South. We thought it best to give engravings of a few of the leading sorts. Fig. 6 represents 
the Large Strasburg ; 7, Large Oval Madeira; 8, Large Round Madeira; 9, White Lisbon; 10, 
Silver-Skinned, the favorite sort for pickles. 
For several years past there has been a good deal of excitement among the seedsmen and 
gardeners of Europe, respecting some new Italian Onions of monstrous size, and very mildj supe- 
rior flavor. Being in Europe when these Onions were attracting considerable attention, we saw 
some of them weighing as much as four pounds, and had the best of evidence of their fine 
flavor. We obtained seed and sent it all over the country, particularly to the South, for trial. 
The reports were generally favorable. The larger kinds, and they are the best, are wonderful in 
size, beautiful in appear- 
ance, sweet, and of 
pleasant flavor, and ex- 
cellent for summer, au- 
tumn and early winter 
use. The engravings 
represent the principal 
kinds, very much re- 
duced, but show the 
comparative size and 
form. Fig. 11, New 
Giant Rocca, of Naples, 
one of the best ; 12, foreign onions. 
Blood Red Italian Tripoli ; 13, Large White Flat Italian Tripoli, one of the best; 14, Marzajola, 
verv early, but not as large or showy as the others. 
To those in the North who would secure a good crop of these Onions — and in fact, to all 
who have difficulty in growing a crop from seed early — we advise the following plan : Sow the 
seed thickly in roM^s in a hot-bed early. When severe weather is over and the glass is 
wanted for other purposes, it will not be needed for the Onions, as they are pretty hardy. 
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