THE ONION. 
The Two-bladed Onion is of a flattish shape, 
middling size, and green colour under its first 
coat. This variety is remarkable for the very 
little foliage it produces, the smaller bulbs 
seldom producing more than two leaves. It 
ripens early, with hard sound roots that keep 
well, but their flavour is strong. 
The Lisbon Onion is generally of a globular 
shape, large size, of a clear white colour, and 
fine skin. A serviceable sort for some pur- 
poses, but too late in ripening to be used for 
a main crop. 
The Underground or Potato Onion is a 
very prolific and useful sort. When ripe the 
skin is of a deepish brown colour; the flavour 
is rather strong, but not so much so as some 
of the others. Instead of seed, this sort is 
propagated by planting the bulbs, from which 
the offsets are so numerous as to yield a very 
heavy crop. It is a most valuable variety, 
and in some places supersedes every other, 
serving the whole season round, and being fit 
to take up by midsummer. 
The Tree, or Bulb-bearing Onion, is a 
curious variety, believed to have originated 
from some other sort in Canada, where, the 
climate being too cold to produce seed, the 
plant made this effort of forming bulbs on the 
top of its stalk to perpetuate itself, and its 
progeny has retained the habit. This variety 
is occasionally met with in cottage gardens, 
but is more an object of curiosity than use, 
although the small bulbs are very good for 
pickling. 
The Welsh Onion (Allium Jistulosum), the 
Ciboule of the French, is a native of Siberia, 
where it is highly prized, and is perfectly 
hardy. In France they have two varieties, 
the white and the red. It is an herbaceous 
perennial, never forming bulbs, but is sown in 
summer to stand over the winter, and supply 
green onions in the spring ; and though strong 
flavoured, it is so hardy as to make it valuable 
for that purpose, although seldom grown. In 
the spring a few plants should be left, which 
will produce abundance of seed. At that 
time of the year, from the appearance assumed 
by this, as well as the other Onions, when 
they begin to grow and acquire strength, they 
have obtained the name of Scullions. The 
old bulbs which have begun to grow are put 
out in the ground, and, together with others, 
autumn sown, and which have stood the winter, 
and grown large, are sent to market in con- 
siderable quantities, in spring and early sum- 
mer, under this name. If ever a distinct 
sort was cultivated under this name, it appears 
to be entirely lost, unless the variety known 
in Wales as the Hollow Leek be taken as the 
true Scallion. 
The Onion delights i.i a deep, free, sandy 
soil, well enriched with manure, attaining on 
such soils a very considerable size even in this 
country. Where such a soil is not to be had in 
a natural state, trouble must be taken to bring 
it as nearly approaching such as possible. 
When rendered as light and friable as possible, 
about the end of March or beginning of April, 
proceed to sow the main crops. As crops 
are much more manageable when sown in 
drills than broadcast, draw shallow drills, 
about one foot apart, and scatter the seed 
rather thinly in them ; then rake the ground 
level, and if the soil is light or very dry, run 
a light roller over the ground to firm the soil, 
and allow the seed to germinate quickly. For 
the convenience of weeding, the ground may 
be laid out in beds of four or five feet wide, 
and containing as many rows each. The crop 
must be strictly attended to and kept clear of 
weeds, and the plants gradually thinned out to 
from four to six inches apart in the rows. The 
thinnings are very useful for present con- 
sumption. The soil should be also stirred 
deeply at every hoeing ; and if the weather 
prove very dry, and a portion be wanted par- 
ticularly fine, they should be watered occa- 
sionally, giving a good soaking whenever it is 
done, and stirring the soil a day or two after- 
wards between the rows. Manured water 
has been applied with very great benefit, two 
or three times during the season, but it should 
not be used too often. When the tops of the 
plants begin to flag and wither, and the bulbs 
are evidently ripening, advantage should be 
taken of fine weather, and the crops should be 
carefully pulled, avoiding to bruise the bulbs 
as much as possible. They should be left on 
the ground for a few days to dry, and then 
be carefully put away in a dry airy place, 
where they can be occasionally looked over, 
and any decaying ones removed. For this 
main crop the best varieties will be found to 
be the Spanish, the Strasburg, the Globe, and 
James's Keeping. For small gardens, the 
first and either of the others will be sufficient. 
If a still greater variety be wanted, the Tripoli 
is desirable, as a mild and useful sort, until 
Christmas. 
In order to have a supply of small green 
Onions in the spring, it is customary to sow a 
small bed or two in rich lightish soil, about 
the beginning of August. For the convenience 
of weeding, they should also be sown in drills, 
and if the season is dry, they should be re- 
gularly watered until up and well established. 
Of course they must be kept perfectly free 
from weeds; and they may be very considera- 
bly protected from frost and cold cutting 
winds by sticking a quantity of fern, or small 
spray of trees, thickly between the rows, when 
the hard weather approaches. The Strasburg, 
Deptford, and Lisbon varieties are the best to 
sow for this crop, although any of the others 
