380 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
cultivation. For a detailed discussion on the culture 
and uses of this crop, see Farmers’ Bulletin No. 232. 
ONION (Allium ccpa) 
526. History. — The onion has been grown since re- 
mote antiquity. The oldest historic records frequently 
refer to its culture and its use as an article of food. It 
probably originated in the southern part of Europe or in 
countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. A great 
variety of types has been developed. The most marked 
progress in the breeding of the modern globular bulb has 
been made within the last 25 years. 
527. Botany. — The onion belongs to the lily family, 
which also includes the asparagus. It is generally a bien- 
nial, although some forms, as the multipliers, are peren- 
nial. Usually it is grown as an annual for the bulbs, and 
sometimes for the tops, which are used in seasoning. 
True stems are not produced. The portion above the 
bulb is often as valuable for food as the bulb itself. The 
bulbs are variable in color, being white, yellow, red and 
intermediate shades of these colors. The seed stalks are 
long, slender and hollow. They bear dense, showy, 
round heads of small white or lilac-colored flowers. In- 
stead of producing flowers, some forms, as “tree” and 
“top onions,” produce clusters of sets or bulblets which 
are planted to produce bunching onions or mature bulbs- 
The seeds are black, angular and flattened. 
528. Importance. — This is one of the most important 
vegetables in the world, being grown in nearly all coun- 
tries and ranking third in commercial importance in the 
United States. (U. S. D. A. Farmers’ Bulletin 354, p. 
5). Fourteen million bushels, valued at $10,000,000, 
were grown in this country in 1920. The annual impor- 
tations from Spain, Egypt, Bermuda and the South Sea 
Islands amount to about 1,400,000 bushels. Its wide 
