Online Encyclopedia

ONION (Fr. oignon, Lat. unio, liberal...

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 112 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ONION (Fr. oignon,
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Lat. unio, liberally unity, oneness, applied to a large pearl and to a
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species of onion)
  , Allium Cepa (nat. ord .
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Liliaceae), a hardy bulbous biennial, which has been cultivated in Britain from time immemorial, and is one of the earliest of cultivated
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species; it is represented on
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Egyptian monuments, and one variety cultivated in
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Egypt was accorded divine honours . It is commonly cultivated in India,
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China and
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Japan . A. de Candolle, arguing from its ancient cultivation and the antiquity of the
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Sanskrit and
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Hebrew names, regards it as a native of western
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Asia . The onion should be grown in an open situation, and on a
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light, rich, well-worked
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soil, which has not been recently manured . In England the
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principal crop may be sown at any time from the
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middle of
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February to the middle of March, if the weather is
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fine and the ground sufficiently dry . The seed should be sown in shallow drills, so in. apart, the ground being made as level and
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firm as possible, and the
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plants should be regularly thinned, hoed and kept
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free from weeds . At the final thinning they should be set from 3 to 6 in. apart, the latter distance in very rich soil . About the beginning of September the crop is ripe, which is known by the withering of the leaves; the bulbs are then to be pulled, and exposed on the ground till well dried, and they are then to be put away in a store-
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room, or loft, where they may be perfectly secured from frost and
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damp . About the end of August a crop is sown to afford a supply of young onions in the spring months . Those which are not required for the kitchen, if allowed to stand, and if the flower-bud is picked out on its first appearance, and the earth stirred about them, frequently produce bulbs equal in
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size and quality to the large ones that are imported from the Continent . A crop of very large bulbs may also be secured by sowing about the beginning of September, and transplanting early in spring to very rich soil .

Another

plan is to sow in May on dry poor soil, when a crop of small bulbs will be produced; these are to be stored in the usual way, and planted in rich soil about February, on ground made firm by treading, in rows about 1 ft. apart, the bulbs being set near the
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surface, and about 6 in. asunder . The White
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Spanish and Tripoli are good sorts for this purpose . To obtain a crop of bulbs for pickling, seed should be sown thickly in March, in rather poor soil, the seeds being very thinly covered, and the surface well rolled; these arq not to be thinned, but should be pulled and harvested when ripe . The best sorts for this crop are the
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Silver-skinned, Early Silver-skinned, Nocera and Queen . Onions may be forced like
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mustard and
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cress if required for winter salads, the seeds being sown thickly in boxes which are to be placed in a warm house or
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frame . The young onions are of course pulled while quite small . The Potato Onion, Allium Cepa
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var. aggregatum, is propagated by the lateral bulbs, which it throws out, under ground, in considerable numbers . This variety is very prolific, and is useful when other sorts do not keep well . It is sometimes planted about midwinter, and then ripens in summer, but for use during the spring and early summer it is best planted in spring . It is also known as the under-ground onion, from its habit of producing its bulbs beneath the surface . The Tree Onion or Egyptian Onion, Allium Cepa var. proliferum, produces small bulbs instead of flowers, and a few offsets also underground . These small stem bulbs are excellent for pickling .

The Welsh Onion or Ciboule, Allium fistulosum, is a hardy perennial, native of

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Siberia . It was unknown to the ancients, and must have come into
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Europe through Russia in the middle ages or later . It forms no bulbs, but, on account of its extreme hardiness, is sown in
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July or early in August, to furnish a reliable supply of young onions for use in salads during the early spring . These bulbless onions are sometimes called Scallions, a name which is also applied to old onions which have stem and leaves but no bulbs . The following are among the best varieties of onions for various purposes : For Summer and Autumn.—Queen; Early White Naples: these two sorts also excellent for sowing in autumn for spring salading . Silver-skinned; Tripoli, including Giant Rocca . For Winter.—Brown Globe, including Magnum Bonum; White Globe; Yellow
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Danvers; White Spanish, in its several forms; Trebons, the finest variety for autumn sowing, attaining a large size early, ripening well, and keeping good till after Christmas; Ailsa Craig; Ronsham Park Hero; James's Keeping;
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Cranston's Excelsior;
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Blood Red, strong-flavoured . For Pickling.—Queen, Early Silver-skinned, White Nocera, Egyptian .

End of Article: ONION (Fr. oignon, Lat. unio, liberally unity, oneness, applied to a large pearl and to a species of onion)
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