they try to plant in February.  Indeed, as I have said, I have had excellent success by sowing the seed early in September on light soils, and letting the plants grow during all the mild days of fall, winter, and early spring.  By this course we have onions fit for the table and market the following May.  In this latitude they need the protection of a little coarse litter from December 1 to about the middle of March.  Only the very severest frost injures them.  Most of us have seen onions, overlooked in the fall gathering, growing vigorously as soon as the thaws began in spring.  This fact contains all the hint we need in wintering over the vegetable in the open ground.  If the seed is sown late in September, the plants do not usually acquire sufficient strength in this latitude to resist the frost.  It is necessary, therefore, to secure our main crop by very early spring sowings, and it may be said here that after the second thorough pulverization of the soil in spring, the ground will be in such good condition that, if well enriched and stirred late in autumn, it will only need levelling down and smoothing off before the spring sowing.  Onions appear to do best on a compact soil, if rich, deep, and clean.  It is the surface merely that needs to be stirred lightly and frequently.

If young green onions with thin, succulent tops are desired very early in spring, it will be an interesting experiment to sow the seed the latter part of August or early in September.  Another method is to leave a row of onions in the garden where they ripened.  When the autumn rains begin, they will start to grow again.  The winter will not harm them, and even in April there will be a strong growth of green tops.  The seed stalk should be picked off as soon as it appears in spring, or else the whole strength will speedily go to the formation of seed.

It should be remembered that good onions can not be produced very far to the south by sowing the small gunpowder-like seed.  In our own and especially in warmer climates a great advantage is secured by employing what are known as “onion sets.”  These are produced by sowing the ordinary black seed very thickly on light poor land.  Being much crowded, and not having much nutriment, the seed develop into little onions from the size of a pea to that of a walnut, the smaller the better, if they are solid and plump.  These, pressed or sunk, about three inches apart, into rich garden soil about an inch deep, just as soon as the frost is out, make fine bulbs by the middle of June.  For instance, we had in our garden plenty of onions three inches in diameter from these little sets, while the seed, sown at the same time, will not yield good bulbs before August.  There is but little need of raising these sets, for it is rather difficult to keep them in good condition over the winter.  Any seedsman will furnish them, and they are usually on sale at country stores.  Three or four quarts, if in good condition, will supply a family abundantly, and leave many to be used dry during the autumn.  Insist on plump little bulbs.  If you plant them early, as you should, you will be more apt to get good sets.  Many neglect the planting till the sets are half dried up, or so badly sprouted as to be wellnigh worthless.  They usually come in the form of white and yellow sets, and I plant an equal number of each.