Page:The family kitchen gardener - containing plain and accurate descriptions of all the different species and varieties of culinary vegetables (IA familykitchengar56buis).pdf/91

 They will come very acceptably into use in March and April; or a few of the large Onions can be planted in September; they will divide into several roots or scallions, and can be drawn for use as above, and a few more can be planted early in Spring, to draw for the same purpose.

.—It is very important to have good seed, therefore, select the most uniform roots in September, and plant them fully under ground, in rows one foot apart, and two feet from row to row. Let the ground be in excellent condition, for the stronger the plants, the finer the seed, which will be ripe in July or August, according to the weather. As soon as the heads begin to open and show the black seeds, they must be cut off and put into a sheet to dry. Clean it out well when perfectly dry—all seeds keep best in bags hanging in an airy room, and Onion seed will be perfectly good for three years. To grow Onions for pickling, sow the seed thinly in a bed in March or April, at the same time that the general crop is planted. No further culture is required, except hand-weeding, as their thickness in the bed will prevent their growing large,and will cause them to come to maturity sooner. They should be lifted in clear sunshine weather, as it improves their color. The White or Silver-skinned is the sort usually grown for this purpose.

The Onion crop is an interesting portion of gardening to every good housewife. She is ever solicitous that it should be full and certain. As it requires to be powerfully manured, we throw out the following hints for her special use. As we have intimated, Onions will grow on the same soil year after year, without any deterioration, provided it is liberally supplied with nutrition; for this purpose the following ingredients, always plentiful about every house, and generally thrown to waste, can be most beneficially applied. Soot spread over the ground, either before or after the crop, or thinly over the young plants—urine thrown over the ground during the Winter