e wall will keep them comparatively warm
and dry. When the best part of the crop has been bunched or roped, the
remainder may be thrown into a heap in a cool dry shed, and a few mats
put over them will prevent sprouting for at least three months. But damp
will start them into growth, and the only way to save them then is to
top and tail them again, and store as dry as possible in shallow baskets
or boxes.

==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.