==To grow large Onions== the principles already explained must be carried into practice in a more intense degree.  It will be necessary to devote extreme care to the preparation of the ground, and to give the plants more time to mature; much greater space must also be allowed than is usual for an ordinary crop.  A good open position is imperative, and where the soil is sufficiently deep, trenching is desirable.  Shallow soil ought to be thoroughly dug down to the last inch, and it will be an advantage to break up the subsoil by pickaxe and fork.  Cover the subsoil with a thick layer of rotten manure before restoring the top soil.  For light land farmyard manure is excellent, but stable manure is preferable for stiff cold soil.  The usual time for trenching is October or November, leaving the surface rough for disintegration during winter.  Nothing more need be done until the following March.  Early in that month break the soil down to a fine tilth and make it quite firm by treading, or by rolling.  Then broadcast over the plot a liberal dressing of ground lime and soot, using about three pounds of each per pole.  Rake both in and leave the bed until the time arrives for planting out:  this will depend on the weather.

Those who are accustomed to exhibit Onions at horticultural shows almost invariably sow very early in the year under glass and in due time transplant either from seed-pans or boxes.  Of the two, properly prepared boxes are usually found most convenient.  The dimensions are optional, but boxes about two feet long, one foot wide, and five inches deep answer admirably.  Several holes are perforated in the bottom to insure efficient drainage.  In every box place a thick layer of rotten manure and then fill with thoroughly rich soil firmly pressed down, leaving the surface quite smooth.  One of the most successful growers sows seed in rather small boxes early in January, and about the middle of February the young Onions are pricked into boxes of the size we have named.  Only the finest and most promising seedlings are used.  When transferred, each Onion is allowed a space of three inches.  The boxes are kept in a greenhouse, as near the glass as possible, in a temperature of about 50 deg..  After sowing, very little water is given; but when transplanted, finish with a sprinkling from a fine rose.  Every morning the plants will require spraying, but this must never be done at night or damping off may follow.  All through their time in the greenhouse it is important to keep the boxes near the glass.  Towards the end of March remove to cold frames, keeping the lights rather close for a few days, but gradually giving more air until the lights can be taken off for a short time daily.