The Onion

Allium cepa.

The Onion is a half-hardy biennial plant: the roots and leaves, however, are annual; as they usually perish during the first year. The bulbs, for which the plant is generally cultivated, are biennial, and differ to a considerable extent in their size, form, and color. The flower-stalk, which is developed the second year, is from three to four feet in height, leafless, hollow, swollen just below the middle, and tapers to the top. The flowers are either white or rose-colored, and are produced at the extremity of the stalk in a regular, globular group, or umbel. The seeds ripen in August. They are deep blue-black, somewhat triangular, and similar in size and form in all the varieties. An ounce contains about seventy-five hundred seeds, which retain their vitality two years.

Soil and Cultivation.—The Onion requires a light, loamy, mellow soil; and, unlike most kinds of garden or field vegetables, succeeds well when cultivated on the same land for successive years. With the exception of the Top and the Potato Onion, all the varieties are raised from seed. Previous to sowing, the ground should be thoroughly spaded over or deeply ploughed, and the surface made smooth and even. The seed should be sown as early in spring as the soil may be in good working condition. Sow in drills fourteen inches apart, and half an inch in depth. When the plants are three or four inches high, thin them to two inches asunder; and, in the process of culture, be careful not to stir the soil too deeply, or to collect it about the growing bulbs. The onions will ripen in August, or early in September; and their full maturity will be indicated by the perfect decay of the leaves, or tops. The bulbs may be drawn from the drills by the hand, or by the use of a common garden-rake. After being exposed for a few days to the sun for drying, they will be ready for storing or the market.

Preservation.—The essentials for the preservation of the bulbs are a low temperature, freedom from frost, dryness, and thorough ventilation.

Seed.—For the production of seed, select the ripest, firmest, and best-formed bulbs; and, in April, transplant them to lines two feet and a half or three feet distant, and from nine to twelve inches apart in the lines, sinking the crowns just below the surface of the ground. As the plants advance in height, tie them to stakes for support. The seeds ripen in August: and the heads, or umbels, should be cut off when they assume a brown color; for then the capsules begin to open, and shed their seeds. After being threshed out, the seed should be exposed to the action of the sun until it is thoroughly dried; for, when stored in a damp state, it is extremely liable to generate heat, and consequently to lose its vitality.

Varieties.—Few of the numerous varieties are cultivated to any extent in this country. Many of the kinds succeed only in warm latitudes, and others are comparatively unimportant. The Danvers, Large Red, Silver-skin, and the Yellow seem peculiarly adapted to our soil and climate. The annual product of these varieties greatly exceeds that of all the other sorts combined.

Blood-Red. Thomp.

French Blood-red. Dutch Blood-red. St. Thomas.

Bulb middle-sized, or rather large, flattened; skin dull red,—the coating next within glossy, and very dark red. The internal layers are palest at the base; and, except at the top, are only colored on their outsides. Each layer is paler than the one which surrounds it; till the centre is reached, which is white.

It is a good keeper, but one of the strongest flavored of all varieties. It imparts to soups, or other dishes of which it may be an ingredient, a brownish or blackish color.

Brown Portugal. Thomp.

Brown Spanish. Cambrai. Oporto.

A medium-sized, roundish, or flattened onion; neck small; skin yellowish-brown,—next interior layer not tinged with red. It is a popular variety in some parts of France; and is remarkable for its productiveness, excellent quality, and keeping properties.

Danvers.

Danvers Yellow.

This comparatively recent variety was obtained by selection from the Common Yellow. It is somewhat above medium size, and inclined to globular in its form. Average bulbs measure three inches in diameter, and two inches and three-fourths in depth. The skin is yellowish-brown, but becomes darker by age, and greenish-brown if long exposed to the sun; the flesh is similar to that of the Yellow,—white, sugary, comparatively mild, and well flavored.

The superiority of the Danvers Onion over the last named consists principally, if not solely, in its greater productiveness. When grown under like conditions, it yields, on the average, nearly one-fourth more; and, on this account, the variety is generally employed for field culture. It is, however, not so good a keeper; and, for shipping purposes, is decidedly inferior to the Yellow,—its globular form rendering it more liable to decay, from the heat and dampness incident to sea voyages.

When cultivated for the market, the land is thoroughly ploughed, and well enriched with fine decomposed manure. The surface is then harrowed, and next raked free of stones, and lumps of earth. The seed is sown in April, usually by machines, in rows fourteen inches apart, and three-fourths of an inch in depth; three pounds of seed being allowed to an acre. The crop is treated in the usual form during the summer; and ripens the last of August, or early in September. When the tops have entirely withered, the bulbs are raked from the drills, and spread a few days in the sun for drying; after which they are sorted, and barrelled for storing or the market. The yield varies from five to eight hundred bushels per acre.

Deptford. Thomp.

Brown Deptford.

Very similar to, if not identical with, the English Strasburg. "It sometimes exactly agrees with the description of that variety: but it occasionally has a pale-brown skin, without any tinge of red; and, when this is the case, its flavor is milder than that of the last named."

With the exception of its more globular form, the bulb much resembles the Yellow Onion of this country.

Early Silver Nocera.

Early Small Silver Nocera. White Nocera. Thomp. Blanc Hatif de Nocera. Vil.

This is a very small variety of the Early Silver-skin, with a small, occasionally roundish, but generally oblate bulb. The skin is white; but the layers beneath are striped with bright-green lines. The leaves are very small. Sometimes the bulb has only a single leaf, frequently but two; and, if there are more than four, the plant has not its true character.

It is an excellent sort for pickling; and is the smallest and earliest variety known,—being fifteen or twenty days earlier than the Early Silver-skin: but it is very liable to increase in size, and to degenerate. Very little known or cultivated in this country.

Early Red Wethersfield.

A sub-variety of the Large Red Wethersfield, and the earliest of the red onions. Form and color nearly the same as the Large Red; bulb small, measuring about two inches and a half in diameter, and about an inch and a half in depth. It is close-grained; mild; a good keeper; forms its bulbs, with few exceptions, and ripens, the last of July; being three or four weeks earlier than the Large Red. Cultivated to a limited extent in various places on the coast of New England, for early consumption at home, and for shipment to the South and West.

This variety and the Intermediate are very liable to degenerate: they tend to grow larger and later, approaching the original variety; and can be preserved in a pure state only by a careful selection of the bulbs set for seed.

Early Silver-Skin.

Blanc Hatif. Vil.

This is a small early variety of the Silver-skin, measuring two inches and three-fourths in diameter, and an inch and three-fourths in depth. The neck is small, and the skin silvery-white. It is much esteemed for its earliness and mild flavor, and is one of the best of all varieties for pickling. When cultivated for the latter purpose, it should be sown and treated as directed for the Silver-skin.

Fusiform, or Cow-Horn.

Corné de Bœuf. Vil.

This is a large onion, growing from eight inches to a foot in length. It tapers rather regularly from the base to the top, and is frequently bent or curved in the form of a horn; whence the name. Skin copper-red. It is late, lacks compactness, is very liable to degenerate, decays soon after being harvested, and must be considered more curious than useful.

Intermediate Red Wethersfield.

An early variety of the common Large Red. Bulb of medium size, flattened; neck small; color deep purple.

It is rather pungent, yet milder than the Large Red; keeps well; and is grown to a considerable extent, in certain localities in New England, for shipping.

James's Keeping.

James's Long Keeping. De James. Vil.

This is an English hybrid, said to have been originated by a Mr. James, an extensive market-gardener in Surrey, Eng. The bulb is pyriform, or pear-shaped; and measures four inches and upwards in depth, and two inches or more at its broadest diameter. Skin copper-yellow,—the coating next under it reddish-brown; flavor strong. It is not early, but is much prized for its long keeping; the bulbs not sprouting so early in spring as those of most varieties.

Large Red.

Wethersfield Large Red.

Bulb sometimes roundish, but, when pure, comparatively flat. It is of very large size; and, when grown in favorable soil, often measures five inches or more in diameter, and three inches in depth. Skin deep purplish-red; neck of medium size; flesh purplish-white, moderately fine-grained, and stronger flavored than that of the Yellow and earlier Red varieties. It is very productive; one of the best to keep; and is grown to a large extent, in many places on the seacoast of New England, for shipping to the South and West. It is almost everywhere seen in vegetable markets; and, with perhaps the exception of the Yellow or Danvers, is the most prominent of the sorts employed for commercial purposes. It derives its name from Wethersfield, Conn.; where it is extensively cultivated, and where it has the reputation of having originated.

A sub-variety of the foregoing is cultivated in some localities, with nearly the same variation in form that exists between the Danvers and Common Yellow. It will probably prove somewhat more productive; but it is neither better flavored, nor to be preferred for its superior keeping properties.

Madeira.

Large Globe Tripoli. Romain. De Madère Rond. De Belle Garde. Vil.

This is a roundish, obovate onion, of remarkable size, often measuring six inches and a half in depth, and six inches in diameter; neck thick and large; skin reddish-brown,—the layer next within, pale red.

The variety is much prized for its extraordinary size, and for its mild, sugary flavor. The plants, however, often fail to form good bulbs; and, even when well matured, the latter are liable to decay soon after being harvested. It requires a long, warm season for its greatest perfection. The seed should be sown early, in drills sixteen inches apart; and the plants should be thinned to eight inches apart in the rows.

Not suited to New England or the cooler sections of the United States.

New Deep Blood-Red.

Brunswick Deep Blood-red. Rouge Très Foncé de Brunswick. Vil.

Bulb very small, flattened,—two inches and a quarter in diameter, and an inch and a half in depth; neck small; skin deep violet-red, approaching black. A half early variety, remarkable for its intense purplish-red color.

Pale Red.

Rouge Pale, de Niort. Vil.

Bulb roundish, flattened on the upper side, but not so much so as the Blood-red, of which this may be considered a variety; size medium, two inches and a half in diameter, one inch and three-quarters in depth; neck small; skin copper-red, much paler than that of the Blood-red. Compared with the last named, it is earlier and of milder flavor. This and the Blood-red are much esteemed by some for their extreme pungency and for their diuretic properties.

Paris Straw-Colored.

Jaune des Vertus. Vil.

A large, somewhat flattened variety, much cultivated about Paris; skin fine russet-yellow; neck small. It is not early, but very productive, and of excellent quality.

Pear-Shaped.

Bulb pyriform, measuring four inches and a half in depth, and two inches in diameter at the broadest part; neck small; skin copper-red. It is quite late, but is of good quality, and keeps well.

Potato Onion.

Underground Onion.

Bulb flattened, from two and a half to three inches in diameter, and about two inches in depth; skin copper-yellow; flavor sugary, mild, and excellent. It does not keep so well as many other varieties; but remains sound longer, if the leaves are cut two or three inches above the top of the bulb at the time of harvesting.

The Potato Onion produces no seeds, neither small bulbs upon its stalks, in the manner of many of the species of the Onion family; but, if a full-grown bulb be set in spring, a number of bulbs of various sizes will be formed, beneath the surface of the ground, about the parent bulb. By means of these it is propagated, and an abundant supply often secured in localities where the varieties raised from seed frequently wholly fail, either from the maggot, effects of climate, or other causes.

Like the other kinds of onions, it requires a rich, deep soil, well manured, and dry at the bottom. This should be deeply and thoroughly stirred, and then raised in ridges of moderate height, fifteen inches apart. In April, select the large bulbs, and set them on the ridges, ten inches apart, with the crown of the bulbs just below the surface of the ground. The subsequent culture consists in keeping them clean from weeds, and gathering a little earth about them from time to time in the process of cultivation. As soon as the tops are entirely dead, they will be ready for harvesting.

It is very prolific, yielding from four to six fold. Such of the crop as may be too small for the table should be preserved during the winter, to be set in the following spring; planting them out in April, in drills one foot apart and three inches from each other in the drills, and sinking the crowns just below the surface of the ground. They attain their full size by September.

Silver-Skin.

White Portugal, of New England.

Bulb of medium size, flattened,—average specimens measuring about three inches in diameter, and an inch and a half or two inches in thickness; neck very small; skin silvery-white. After the removal of the outer envelope, the upper part of the bulb is often veined and clouded with green, while the portion produced below ground is generally clear white. Flesh white, fine-grained, sugary, and remarkably mild flavored.

It forms its bulb early and regularly, ripens off well, and is quite productive; an average yield being about four hundred bushels per acre. It is a very poor keeper; and this is its most serious objection. It is always preserved through the winter with much difficulty, and almost invariably decays if kept from light and exposed to dampness. The best method for its preservation is to spread the roots in a dry, light, and airy situation.

The Silver-skin Onion is much esteemed in the middle and southern sections of the United States, and is cultivated to a considerable extent in New England. It is well adapted for sowing in August, or the beginning of September, for early use, and for marketing during the ensuing spring. Where the winter are mild, the crop, with slight protection, will sustain no injury in the open ground. In Europe it is much esteemed, and extensively grown for pickling, as its "white color, in contrast with the fine green veins, or lines, gives it a very agreeable appearance. For pickling, the seed should be sown very thickly, then slightly covered with fine soil, and afterwards rolled. If the seed is covered more deeply, the bulb, from not being quite on the surface, has a larger and thicker neck; so that it loses its finely rounded form, and is, moreover, less compact."

This variety, erroneously known in New England as the "White Portugal," is unquestionably the true Silver-skin, as described both by English and French authors. The application of the term "Silver-skin" to the common Yellow Onion, as very extensively practised by seedsmen and market-men in the Eastern States, is neither pertinent nor authorized.

Strasburg. M'Int.

Yellow Strasburg. Flanders. Dutch. Essex.

This is the variety most generally cultivated in Great Britain. Its form varies from flat to globular, or oval; bulb large, three inches wide, and full two inches in depth; outside coating brown, of firm texture. Divested of this, the color is reddish-brown, tinged with green. Flavor comparatively mild. It is a very hardy sort, succeeds in cold localities, and keeps well.

The Strasburg and Deptford Onions much resemble the common Yellow Onion of New England; and the difference between the sorts is not great, when English-grown bulbs of the first-named varieties are compared with the bulbs of the Yellow Onion, American-grown: but seeds of the Strasburg or Deptford, raised in England and sown in this country, almost invariably fail to produce plants that form bulbs so generally or so perfectly as American-grown seeds of the Yellow Onion.

Top or Tree Onion.

Egyptian.

Bulb large, a little flattened; producing, instead of seeds, a number of small bulbs, or onions, about the size of a filbert, which serve as a substitute for seeds in propagation. The flesh is coarse; and the bulbs are very liable to decay during winter, unless kept in a cool and dry situation. The variety has been considered rather curious than useful.

Planting and Culture.—"Either the bulbs formed in the ground, or the small ones upon the stems, may be planted out in April or May. The former are set one foot apart in each direction, and the stem-bulbs four inches apart in rows eight inches asunder. Stems that bear heavily require to be supported. When ripe, the stem-bulbs should be dried, and kept free from damp in a cool place."

Tripoli. Thomp.

Flat Madeira. De Madère Plat. Vil.

This is one of the largest varieties. The bulb tapers abruptly from the middle to the neck, and almost equally so to the base. It is five inches and upwards in diameter; color light reddish-brown,—beneath the skin, pale brownish-red, tinged with green.

It requires the whole season, and in some localities is considered excellent for a late crop. The flesh is soft, and the bulbs soon perish after being taken from the ground. In its season, it is much esteemed for its mild and delicate flavor. Like the Madeira Onion, the plants fail to form bulbs so generally as other varieties. Not adapted to the climate of the Northern States.

Two-Bladed. Thomp.

Double Tige. Vil.

This variety derives its name from the fact that the small bulbs have generally but two leaves. The larger ones have more; rarely, however, exceeding four: but, unless by far the greater portion have only two leaves, either the seed or the cultivation is at fault.

The bulbs are small, flat, light-brown, very firm, and attain maturity early; the neck is small, and the top of the bulb is depressed or hollowed around the stem. It keeps well, and is an excellent variety.

White Globe. Thomp.

Form nearly ovoid, very regular and symmetrical; skin greenish-yellow, marked with rose-colored lines,—the pellicle changing to white on drying. The bulb measures about four inches in depth, and two inches and three-fourths in its largest diameter. It keeps well, and is an excellent variety.

Yellow Globe.

Nearly allied to the preceding variety; the size and form being the same. Skin reddish-yellow. It is hardy, productive, of good flavor, keeps well, and deserves general cultivation.

White Lisbon.

Lisbon. Thomp. Early Lisbon. White Florence.

A very large, globular onion, measuring four inches in diameter, and about four inches in depth; neck comparatively thick; skin smooth, thin, clear, and white.

It is a late variety; and, although comparatively hardy, requires a long, warm season for its full development. Under the most favorable conditions, both with regard to soil and exposure, many of the plants fail to form a good bulb. On account of its hardiness, it is a good sort for sowing in the autumn for a supply of young onions for spring salads; or, if these young bulbs be set in the open ground in April, fine, large onions will be formed towards the end of summer. The variety is better suited to the climate of the Middle States than to that of the Northern and Eastern.

White Portugal, or Spanish. Thomp.

White Spanish. White Reading. Cambridge. Soufre D'Espagne. Vil.

A very large, flat onion, measuring three inches and upwards in width by about two inches in depth; skin loose, of a pale-brown or yellowish-brown, falling off spontaneously, and exhibiting the next coating, which is greenish-white. It has a small neck, and is particularly mild flavored. One of the best for early winter use, but early decays.

Very distinct from the White Portugal of the New-England markets.

Yellow Onion.

Silver-skin of New England.

One of the oldest varieties, and, as a market onion, probably better known and more generally cultivated in this country than any other sort. The true Yellow Onion has a flattened form and a very small neck. Its size is rather above medium,—measuring, when well grown, from three inches to three inches and a half in diameter, and from two inches to two inches and a half in depth. Skin yellowish-brown, or copper-yellow,—becoming somewhat deeper by age, or if exposed long to the sun; flesh white, fine-grained, comparatively mild, sugary, and well flavored. It keeps well, and is very prolific: few of the plants, in good soils and seasons, fail to produce good-sized and well-ripened bulbs. For the vegetable garden, as well as for field culture, it may be considered a standard sort.

The Danvers Onion, which is but a sub-variety of the common Yellow, may prove somewhat more profitable for extensive cultivation, on account of its globular form; but neither in its flavor nor in its keeping properties can it be said to possess any superiority over the last named.

The term "Silver-skin," by which this onion is very generally though erroneously known throughout New England, has created great confusion between seedsmen and dealers. Much perplexity might be avoided if its application to the Yellow Onion were entirely abandoned. The genuine Silver-skin, as its name implies, has a skin of pure, silvery whiteness; and is, in other respects, very dissimilar to the present variety.

When extensively cultivated for the market, it should be sown and subsequently treated as directed for the Danvers Onion. The yield per acre varies from four to six hundred bushels.