June, 1917 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
161 
lu transplanting', the plants 
i must be handled in such a way 
i that they will not suffer from lack 
i of moisture and Avilt. This can 
be done in a number of Avays : — 
(1) by taking care not to damage 
the root system; (2) by trans- 
: planting as quickly as possible af- 
» ter removing from the seed bed; 
(3) by puddling the roots at set- 
ting time; (4) by shading the 
tops; (5) by setting in the even- 
ing after the sun has gone 
down, or just before or after a 
rain; (6) by pouring water in the 
hole where the plant is set; the 
Avet soil should be coA r ered A\ - ith a 
j mulch or dry soil; (7) by pruning 
jl the tops of the plant; from one- 
third to one-half of the leaf area 
of cabbage, onion, or tomato 
plants should be cut off so as to 
limit the transpiration of water; 
| care must be taken, however, not 
to injure the central bud or 
“heart” of the plant; (8) by 
sprinkling the soil with water 
with a hose or overhead irriga- 
tion system ; care must be taken 
not to compact the soil, and if it 
is compacted, it should be loos- 
ened as soon as the ground is fit 
to Avork; (9) by setting the plants 
Avhose tissues have been hardened 
by exposure to outdoor condi- 
tions and judicious watering. 
Onions. 
The onion puzzles many ama- 
| teurs ; one writes to inquire if 
good winter onions can be grown 
from “sets” and when answered 
affirmatively comes back with the 
! experience of a neighbor who 
planted “sets” and got no mature 
bulbs but only “roots” that win- 
tered over in the open ground and 
the following year sent up tall, 
i hollow stems crowned with bunches 
of “sets.” 
The most common inquiry re- 
lates to the best method of raising 
onions for winter use, whether 
from “sets” or seeds. 
Planting time is now past ex- 
cept possibly for a late crop of 
“black-seed” onions but the fol- 
lowing brief outline of the onion 
family may be of interest to be- 
ginners if not of value. 
Cultivated onions or onion-like 
plants are named by Bailey under 
six species but only three of these, 
the true onions, will be considered 
here. The others, cives or chives, 
garlic and leek are only occasion- 
ally grown in home gardens and 
are not of general interest. 
Probably ninety per cent, of all 
onions grown for winter use and 
storage, whether by commercial 
growers or home gardners are 
grown from seed. If you want to 
know how onion seed is obtained 
select a sound onion of the Dan- 
vers or Wethersfield type, (onions 
grown in 1916 will be hard to find 
now but a sound bulb shipped 
from the south will answer,) and 
plant it in the garden and by 
October your curiosity will be sat- 
isfied. Do not attempt to raise 
your seed, however, unless you are 
an expert market gardener or 
seedsman as the production of a 
good sti'ain of onion seed requires 
much skill. 
The common onion then is groAvn 
from seed planted in the open 
ground in early spring and the 
crop matures in September or Oct- 
ober. 
But, you say, very good onions 
may be grown from “sets.” Cer- 
tainly if you get the right kind of 
sets and you are quite apt to get 
right kind as the wrong kind, to 
be described later, is seldom offered 
for sale. 
The onion “sets” offered for 
sale this spring and so popular 
witli amateur gardeners are simply 
dwarfed and stunted onions grow n 
1 1 om seed last year. The seed was 
sowed very thickly, late in the 
season and usually in broad 
drills. The object was to produce 
a miniature onion that planted the 
following spring will complete 
its growth. The most desirable 
sets are 1 b to % inch in diameter. 
Larger ones are apt to run to seed 
and smaller ones produce inferior 
onions. Onions from sets mature 
much earlier than those grown 
from seed and of course produce 
green onions for table use much 
earlier. 
This is all very fine but here 
enters another “set” onion, the 
Egyptian or Top Onion. These 
sets, which may be had from seeds- 
men and occasionally found in 
other stores look much like the real 
sets. The top onion set rarely 
produces a sound bulb of long- 
keeping qualities and is groAvn 
wholly for green onions. If left 
in the ground over winter it 
sends up a stalk the following 
season that produces a cluster of 
bulblets or sets on top. Don't 
plant Egyptian or top onion sets 
for winter onions. 
The third common species is the 
multiplier or potato onion. The 
“multiplier” onion instead of be- 
ing solid like the “onion of com- 
merce” grown from seed, consists 
of two, three or more small bulbs 
in one skin. When planted each 
part produces a compound bulb. 
Like the Egyptian the multiplier 
is grown for green onions and is 
of little account otherwise. 
Plums do well on sandy soil. 
Apples do best on a loam soil un- 
derlaid with clay. Many times a 
side hill may be made good use 
of for apples or plums. 
