1879.] THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. 409 



recommended, it will be advisable to break it up finely six or eight 

 inches deep with a fork, to make it loose and open. In planting, stretch 

 the line where the row is intended to be, and thrust the dibble down 

 to the depth of six or seven inches, and just drop a plant in the hole 

 and leave it there. Do not fill in the hole, or you may put the earth 

 into the centre of the plants, which would spoil them. Enough earth 

 will fall into the hole of its own accord. Allow the plants from a 

 foot to eighteen inches between the rows, and from four to eight 

 inches between the plants in the row, according to the richness of the 

 soil and the strength of the plants. In hot, dry weather, a good 

 soaking of water with a little manure of some kind in it will help 

 them wonderfully ; but whether dry or not, manure-water should 

 always be given, as it makes a great difference on the crop. There is 

 nothing to surpass cow-urine for this purpose, well diluted with 

 water, or better, the drainage of the house. Indeed, the last by itself 

 is worth a good deal for the purpose of stimulating this crop, as well 

 as many others. Frequent stirring of the soil by means of a hoe will 

 help them much, and will destroy weeds. 



To grow Leeks for exhibition, sow seeds of a favourite strain about 

 the beginning of February (not sooner, or they will run to seed), 

 under glass in a stove, a vinery, hotbed, or other similar place. Grow 

 them on in pots in rich soil, and harden off carefully, finally trans- 

 planting them to a rich piece of ground about the end of May, put- 

 ting them down a foot or so in the soil, and keeping the soil from 

 reaching their centres by means of funnels made of stiff paper, or 

 such like. The stems " draw " to the surface in a week or two, when 

 the funnels may be removed. Floodings of manure- water at intervals 

 are also given, and by such means wonderfully firm Leeks are grown, 

 and fit for exhibition by August. 



Onions. — For the earliest supply, sow from the 1st to the 20th of 

 August, according to locality, on moderately rich, firm soil. Some 

 people sow in beds, but we prefer to sow them in a sheltered spot in 

 rows one foot apart, because they are much more easily kept free from 

 weeds when thus sown than when in beds, as the hoe can be worked 

 between the rows, while that is impracticable in beds. Moreover, 

 the stirring late in autumn and during spells of fine weather in winter 

 and spring tends to keep the soil in a dry healthy state, which is of 

 great benefit to the plants. Sow thinly, so that the plants may stand 

 clear of each other after they are up. If they are clear of each other 

 they will not require to be thinned till spring, when the thinnings 

 may be transplanted in rich soil, where they will generally grow to a 

 large size. They can be finally thinned further on in the season, 

 when the thinnings will prove useful in the kitchen. These autumn- 



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