ON THE CULTIVATION OP THE UNDEEGEOTJND ONION IN DEVONSHIRE. 
to be recommended, as, by this means, the crop would undoubtedly precede in maturity, by eight or 
ten weeks, any other sort of Onion in cultivation — an appai'ently trifling circumstance, but, in reality, 
a matter of no slight importance, when it is considered how great desiderata are " early vegetables" for 
supplying families who have left their country-seats for the metropolis at an early peaiod of the vege- 
table season. ' 
If the ground has been well prepared by a substantial di-essing of rotten dung, by deeply digging 
or trenching, and, subsequently, by repeatedly forking over, to expose the under-soil to the pulverizing 
effects of fi'ost and air, it -n-ill be in a fit state for planting at any time, when the weather is open, fi-om 
October to March. 
There is a saying proverbial in Devonshire respecting the planting season of underground Onions — • 
" Plant on the shortest day, and take up on the longest ;" but, in reality, if the plantation be made in 
October, the produce may be secm-ed much cai-Her. Good crops may certainly be obtained, though the 
planting be deferred until Februaiy, or early in March ; but, as before aUaded to, the maturing of the 
produce as eai'ly as possible being in most cases a desideratum, it wiU be requisite to plant correspond- 
ingly early ; and, the best season for doing so, I have observed to be October or November, especially 
as the hardihood of this Onion renders it capable of withstanding severe winters without protection ; 
all that is necessary to be attended to, as regards autumn planting, being to reinsert the bulbs, by 
pressing them down after the loosening of the ground by the action of frost ; or, at most, should the 
■^^'inter prove extremely severe, a slight mulching of leaf-mould, or rotten dimg will amply protect the 
newlj'-planted bulbs. 
Previous to planting, the ground should be rendered tolerably even by levelling down with the 
Potato-fork ; and, if a quantity of wood-ashes, charcoal dust, soot, &c., be at command, to be bestrewed 
on the sm'face, and then lightly forked in, so much the better, as the bulbs will sooner be induced to 
emit roots, and estabhsh themselves in consequence. 
The ground having been made pretty smooth, Hues, or very shallow drills, one foot asunder, should 
be di-awn in the longest direction, for the insertion of the bulbs, ha\'ing first selected the medium-sized, 
and not the largest of the latter ; as I have observed the former to tura out the most prolific, and to 
in-oduce the finest Onions. Even very small ones attain a good size, and sometimes produce offsets 
also, which should be planted a foot apart, inserting them in the grormd with the hand, just deep 
enough to leave the apex of each bulb exposed, and finishing the operation of planting, by running the 
Dutch hoe over the ground to erase footmarks, and lighten it up where trodden down. 
As before observed, no mulching will be requisite unless the winter prove unusually severe ; and no 
fiu'ther attention be required until spring, beyond the reinsertion of the bulbs fh-mly into the ground, in 
case the frost should loosen the soil around them ; but, as spring advances, and while the Onions are 
growing \'igorously, an important operation, as inducing the production of a quantity of offsets, must 
he performed, namely — embrace an opportunity of the soil being in a di'y state to describe a small 
circle round each bulb, and clear away the soil from them with the hand, so as to fully expose the 
bulbs, and leave them growing in the centre of a small hollow cavity. 
As the occmTence of heavy rains, and frequent hoeing and scarifying the plantation, to keep down 
weeds, and preserve the ground in a state permeable to aii- and water, will probably disturb the 
soU, so as to partially cover up the roots again, this operation of hollowing out the groimd around them 
must be repeated as often as it is deemed requisite. 
In the Devonshire cultivation of the Potato Onion, the general practice is to earth them up like 
potatoes, but experience has satisfied me that not only are the clusters of bulbs equally proKfie, but the 
Onions are individually much finer in size arid quality, by adopting the contrary system of exposure ; 
and, moreover, it is obvious, that in a diy season, liquid manure may be occasionally administered to 
them in these hollows most advantageously. 
In keeping the bulbs clear of soO, therefore, in frequently hoeing and loosening the ground among 
them to destroy intruding weeds in embryo, &c., and, finally, in watering them twice or thrice a-week, 
both in dry and showery weather, with diluted manure water, if remarkably fine Onions ai-e desu-ed, 
will chiefly consist their management in the growing season. 
One good result attending the appUance of manm-e in the liquid form to crops of alliaceous vege- 
tables, is that of then- being induced to vegetate with great luxmiance, and consequently to become 
much milder in flavour when emjiloyed for culinary purposes. 
When the crop approaches maturity, the bulb-clusters should be separated, and spread tlainly over 
the ground for a few dry days in June, when they may be assorted, tied in bunches, and suspended 
in a dry any shed or loft, where, being beyond the influence of frost and damp, they will keep 
well imtil the fbUo-iving March, provided care has been taken to completely harden them off by re- 
fe 
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