TWO NKW FOKMS OF TEAUNING WALL TUBES. 259 



cot trees, the young trees should be planted at a distance of 2 

 feet instead of nearly 3 feet from each other, in order to have 

 the branches 8 inches apart, which is sufficient in these cases. 

 The advantages of this plan are the same as those which belong 

 to that adopted in the case of Peach-trees. The two branches 

 which each tree has may be obtained in 6 years at most, and 

 thus time is gained to the extent of 11 years for Pears and lo 

 years for Cherries, Plums, and Aprii-ots. The powers of pro- 

 duction and of vitality do not appear to be lessened by adopting 

 the double any more than by adopting the single course. 



It is no small recommendation to be able to adopt, for trees 

 against walls, a form which is obtained and kept up at a much 

 less cost of time and care than is ordinarily incurred, and to fill 

 up with ease any empty space to which acciilent may give rise ; 

 but if in addition we find that the same surface of wall is covered 

 by the plans proposed in one half the time taken by those ordi- 

 narily followed, the advantages appear to us to preponderate 

 greatly in favour of the former. It cannot be denied that the 

 new forms are less agreeable to the eye than most of tlie others, 

 but that will not be thought of much moment by those whose 

 object it is to derive profit from their trees. — Revue Horticole, 

 Sept. 1852. 



XXVIII. — New Esculent Vegetables and Fruits examined in 

 1852 in the Society^ s Garden. By R. Thompson. 



" Hardy's Transmuted Shallot to Onio7i" or Hardy''s 

 Shallot Onion. 



Seeds of this were presented to the Society, March 20th, 

 1851, by INIessrs. Hardy and Sons, Maldon, Essex, ac- 

 companied with the follow iug note : — 



" The transmuted shallots, or rather onions, raised by us from 

 shallot seed, and planted last winter, did not produce potato 

 onions, as was presumed they might, but numerous heads of seed 

 varying from 10 to 20 from a single bulb. They certainly pos- 

 sess the qualities of both onions and shallots in flavour, size of 

 the onions, and the fact of their being divisible like shallots. 

 The blade is very narrow, partaking of both species. The seed 

 is small." 



The seeds were sown when received, March 20th ; and the 

 produce is a mixed race, varying in size, form, and colour. 

 Some are regularly formed by concentric layers, like an onion, 

 and not unlike a Reading onion. Sometimes the formation con- 

 sists of two closely-conjoined, compressed, but separable bulbs ; 



T 2 



