1879.] FRUIT CULTURE. 411 



Shallots are often grown in cottage-gardens, and frequently do very 

 well where Onions are of very little use. Prepare the ground as for 

 Onions, and plant in February or early in March, by pressing them 

 into the soil so as to just leave the points out and nothing more. 

 This should be done in drills one inch deep, so that the working of 

 the ground after they are fairly growing will not cause them to be 

 left on a ridge. From one foot to fifteen inches between the rows, 

 and from four to six inches between the sets in the rows, is about the 

 distance they require, according to the condition of the soil and the 

 variety, as there are great differences in the habits of the different 

 kinds. Take up and dry the tubers after the foliage becomes yellow, 

 and store them as advised for Onions. They are also grown from seed 

 treated like Onions. Small Onions, too small for use, may be planted 

 and treated in the same way ; and if care be taken to remove the 

 flower-stems as they shoot for seed, the result will be a crop of large 

 Onions. Indeed we have seen Onions sown thickly on poor ground, 

 about the month of May, for the purpose of obtaining large Onions 

 when they could not be secured otherwise. 



Garlic requires almost similar treatment to Shallots, and the direc- 

 tions given above will serve for this crop also. The same may be 

 said of Rocambole, which is, however, very seldom grown. For the 

 cultivation of Chives, see the article on Salads in the number of ' The 

 Gardener ' for June. These are all the alliaceous plants in general 

 cultivation. Gardener. 



FRUIT CULTURE. 



As it is generally admitted that there are always two sides to a question, 

 I suppose I may crave space to answer the criticism of your corre- 

 spondent J. S. W., who has given us a rather lengthy discourse on fruit 

 culture, consisting chiefly of short paragraphs upon the practice of dis- 

 tinguished gardeners, which is already matter of horticultural history. 

 The extracts quoted from the ' Gardeners' Chronicle ' have certainly 

 emanated from my pen, and they convey generally my candid opinion 

 of certain scribes who, I suspect, do not persevere in the cultivation of 

 certain varieties of fruit, and who, not having succeeded themselves, 

 have the courage to condemn them on theoretical grounds, while in- 

 ferior kinds are lauded to the skies. This I consider to be the misfor- 

 tune of these writers — not my fault ; although I regret, on personal 

 grounds, that anything that I have written should hurt the tender 

 susceptibilities of your correspondent ! I will endeavour to take the 

 points raised by J. S. W. seriatim, and I hope to be able to cause him to 

 reflect upon the instability of a usually retentive memory. The question 



