490 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



regularity with which it can be thinned, and the smaller quantity of 

 seed required, the drill system is much the preferable. When 

 sown broadcast in beds the ground looks very unsightly (a point not 

 to be lost sight of in all well-regulated gardens), unless the beds are 

 very nicely edged, the doing of which requires a deal of labour and 

 consum^jtion of much valuable time. Then there is the stooping and 

 crawling and weeding by the hand, instead of the speedy destruction 

 of weeds by the hoe, which make a great difference in favour of the 

 drill. 



To do the work nicely with drills, first level the ground with the 

 spade, tread firmly with the feet, and make the surface smooth and 

 fine with the rake ; draw the drills 1 foot apart, and sufficiently deep, 

 so that the seed may not be disturbed at the final raking. Deep sow- 

 ing is to be avoided, because the more on the surface the bulbs are 

 formed, they are the more likely to ripen well and be free from thick- 

 necked bulbs, which never keep well. The drills are most si)eedily and 

 easily filled in with the feet ; and especially on light soils the ground 

 should afterwards be trodden : the nearer it approaches to sandy soil, 

 the more firmly it requires to be trodden. The final raking will re- 

 quire to be but slight, and, last of all, a light roller may be passed 

 over the ground in cases where the soil is light and porous. 



The proper thickness to sow the seed is a point that has to be de- 

 cided by several considerations. Thicker seeding is necessary in cold 

 heavy soils than in lighter warmer soils. Very thick or very thin 

 seeding is neither of them desirable. It is, however, more comfort- 

 able to have a good many to thin out, than to have to transplant at a 

 time when the season is not most favourable for the latter operation. 



As soon as ever the young jDlants are discernible in rows, the 

 Dutch hoe can be very lightly passed up between the rows, to kill seed- 

 ing weeds and break up the crust of the soil. This operation should 

 be performed at intervals, with the view of keeping the ground free 

 from weeds, and especially in dry weather preventing the soil from 

 cracking, as well as the evaporation of moisture. The first and partial 

 thinning should be done when the plants are large enough to bear 

 drawing without breaking, and should leave the young plants about 

 2 inches apart. The second thinning should not be too hastily done 

 on soils where the maggot is troublesome. It is safe to defer the last 

 thinning until they begin to form their bulbs, and this should leave the 

 crop 4 to 5 inches apart, which gives space enough for moderate-sized and 

 useful bulbs. The thinning should be performed with care, so that those 

 left are not broken nor bent, till they fall over of their own accord in the 

 natural process of ripening. Those of them which show signs of being 

 thick-necked after the bulk of the crop has collapsed, should be bent 



