The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-08-01

The various kinds of onions, garlic, and
leeks arc called alliaceous plants, and were
formerly placed by the older bOtanistS under
the natural order of the Alphabetical, but are
now included in the Lilace9, or Lily tribe
The native country of the garden onion (AE
linn Cepa) is not known. Dr. kitto, in his
Encyclopaedia of Biblical Literature" thinks
that region of Persia may have produced it
in its wild state, as many species are to be
found in tie mountainous chain which OK
tends from the Caspian to Cashmere, and
likewise in the Himalayan Mountains There
is tradition in the East that when Satan
stepped out of the Garden of Eden, after the
fall OF man. onions sprang from the spot
where he placed his right foot, and garlic
from that which his left foot touched. BE
this as it may, there is no doubt of its great
antiquity, since there is evidence to show that
this bulb was known and esteemed in Egypt
1000 wears before the birth OF Christ, for
Herodotus informs Us that in his time there
was all inscription on the Great Pyramid
stating that Il sum amounting to 500 talents
was paid for this vegetable, which had been
consumed by the workmen during the pro
gress of its erection. One of the complaints
that the Israelltes made to Moses in the will
derness was that of being deprived of the
onions, leeks anu garlic of Egypt 1t has
been said 10y some authors that the onion was
worshiped as god BY the Egyptians, and
Pliny, in his Natural History" writes thus
on the subject: where, by the way, | can
not overpass the foolish superstition of those
who used 10 swear by garlic and onions, call
ing them to witness in taking their oaths, as
if they were no less than some god" Juve
nal, in like manner, ridicues the Egyptians
for their superstiiious veneration of the on
ion fSat. Ky. 81
Ills mortal sin an onion to dcvour;
Each Glove of garlic is Il sacred power
Religious nations sure, and blest abOdes
Where ey'ry orchard is o'errun with gods.
DR.. Kltto remarks that this must be an ey-
aggcra'ed statement, as il is unlikely that the
Israelltes should have been allowed to regale
themselves upon what was considered too
sacred for, or forbidden to, their ask,mas
tiers. 1t is probable, as suggested by DIR. Har
ris, that the priest only RETAINED from what
was freely partaken of by the people. This
may be- observed at the present day among
the Brahmins of India. 1t has also been sup.
posed hat some particular kind of onion
may have been held sacred from its utility as
medicine, as the onion or squill (Scihd ma.
ritim9l crows III great abundance on the sea
coast in the ncighborhood Of Potassium, whose
inhabitants are said by Lucian to have espec-
sally wOrshiped the onion. But il is evident
that the lSraelites in the desert did not long
for this acid bulb The onion was well-known
to the Greeks and Romans. 1t is said that
Pythagoras, the great philosopher and trav-
eler, who lived in the sixth century &. c.
wrote a treatise on the onion. Theophrastus
who died in his 10th year, complaining Of
the shortness of life, wrote on the same sub
iect 200 years before the Christian era. PlIny
mentions all the countries from whence the
Greeks and Romans procured the different
Of l,,s toto hat In 4
not discover that they ever grew wild. The
different kinds were named from the places
which produced them, and among these the
Cnidian onion was considered the mildest,
and those from Cyprus drew the most tears.
Perhaps from italy it may have been distrib-
uted throughout Europe in almost every
country of which 1t has been cultivated from
time immemOrial. We have no recoru when
the onion was introduced into this country;