Shallot 



( 332 ) 



Shears 



whiting or flour mixed with milk, and applied with 

 a brush on the outside, adding a little green colour 

 if the white is objected to. Similar shading can be 

 applied to frames and hand-lights. In applying 

 it, a neater appearance is given by stippling than 

 by painting it on in the ordinary way. Shades for 

 seedlings and plants newly transplanted are very 

 beneficial, and even a tilted flower pot put over a 

 plant may prove its salvation in a day of strong 

 sunshine." Shades for plants in bloom are often 

 made of scrim or some other light fabric, and 

 single flowers are shaded by various, contrivances, 

 such as pieces of pasteboard, tin, or wood, or a 

 flower pot placed over. 



SHALLOT. 



The Shallot (Allium ascalonicum, ord. Lili- 

 acere) has long been in favour for flavour- 

 ing purposes, and for pickling. The clumps 

 of bulbs should be divided up, and the " cloves " 

 or divisions planted separately. Propagation by 

 seed is sometimes attempted. It is frequently 

 stated that Shallots should be planted on the 

 shortest and the crop pulled up on the longest day. 

 In very few localities, however, is such early 

 planting practicable. Still, the cloves should be 

 got in as early as possible for most soils, and 

 in ordinary seasons, the end of January or the 

 beginning of February is the most convenient 

 time. July is the usual month for harvesting. 

 Soil as for Onions, which see. 



The rows may be 1' apart, and the cloves may 

 be 6" asunder in the row. For large specimens 

 intended for exhibition, 9" is frequently allowed. 

 Only bury the bulbs deeply enough to keep them 

 in their allotted places the crowns should appear 

 well above the soil. 



Subsequent culture consists in keeping the soil 

 stirred and the beds free from weeds, with, per- 

 haps, an occasional watering if June should be 

 dry. As thorough ripening is important, a little 

 of the soil may be drawn away from the sides of 

 the bulbs as they approach maturity. When the 

 foliage has died down, spread the bulbs thinly on 

 a mat in an open shed to dry thoroughly. 



The ordinary variety has rather elongated bulbs, 

 which keep well, and seldom "bolt." Russian or 

 Large Red has much bigger bulbs, reddish brown 

 in colour. Jersey has rounder bulbs than the 

 common variety, but is not so good a keeper. 



SHAMROCK. 



It is a moot point as to which plant it was 

 whose leaves St. Patrick used to illustrate the 

 doctrine of the Trinity. Quite a number of 

 subjects have had this honour laid to their credit, 

 but it is still undecided which of them is the real 

 Shamrock of Ireland. Opinion is fairly evenly 

 divided between the Yellow-flowered Suckling, 

 Trifolium minus, and the white Dutch Clover, Tri- 

 folium repens. The Shamrock sold in the streets 

 is almost always represented by one of these plants. 

 The third claimant, Oxalis acetosella, also a 

 British wilding, lags a good deal in the rear. It is 

 a prettier plant than either of the Trefoils men- 

 tioned, and is usually to be found growing in 

 semi-shade. It likes a light, rich soil ; leaf mould 

 is an excellent dressing. It will do in a shaded 

 corner of the rockery. (For other particulars, see 

 OXALIS and TRIFOLIUM.) 



Shallon (see Gaultlieria Shallon). 



SHANKING. 



The premature drying up of the stems and foot- 

 stalks of plants and fruits. The shanking of 

 lirapes is a well-known, troublesome malady. The 

 berries apparently progress satisfactorily up to a 

 certain point ; then, just as ripening is beginning, 

 the footstalk shrivels, and the berry, deprived of a 

 good deal of its nourishment, remains very sour 

 and watery, and turns of a red hue. Sometimes 

 shanking appears at the stoning period, and it has 

 been known to show when the berries are quitr 

 small. Shanking in Vines may be brought about 

 in two or three ways. Bad ventilation of the 

 houses, with extremes of heat and cold, and cold 

 draughts, is frequently to blame. When the roots 

 get into a cold, wet subsoil shanking commonly 

 ensues. The remedy is to lift the roots and re- 

 plant them at a higher level. The exhaustion of 

 the soil or some of its necessary ingredients, 

 especially lime, will bring about shanking. Over- 

 rich soil is yet another cause of shanking, and 

 the pernicious practice of surfeiting Vine borders 

 with gross organic manures has been largely to 

 blame in this connection. A too strong dose of 

 chemical manure, particularly a nitrogenous one, 

 sufficient to " burn " the roots (see SALTS) is now 

 and again to blame. Shanked berries should be 

 cut out as soon as they are seen, as they are of 

 no use. 



The shanking of the main stems of young 

 Lettuces and Cauliflowers in pans or frames is 

 mainly due to crowding. In the case of early 

 Cauliflowers raised under glass overwatering will 

 probably be found to be the cause. Where out of 

 door crops are concerned, the cause may be the 

 heritage of the crowding under glass even 

 partially shanked plants should never be planted 

 or the direct causes of soil exhaustion anil 

 overcrowding may operate. 



SHEARS. 



These are really big scissors, whose power is 

 increased proportionately to their size. The 

 ordinary hand shears used for cutting hedges and 

 topiary work generally have blades about 12" 

 long and 3" wide, with handles describing with 

 them an angle of about 170 t '. These shears are 

 usually held, in.use, so that the cutting edges work 

 horizontally. The useful grass-edging shears, on 

 the other hand, are used so that the cutting edges 

 work vertically, or nearly so. The nearer they are 

 to the vertical the better, because the straightei 

 and more vertical will be the grass edge. The 

 handles are about 3' 6" in length. Small sheep 

 shears, whose blades are kept in contact by a flat, 

 half-hoop spring, are exceedingly useful garden 

 tools, and can at a pinch be made to do the same 

 work as the makes previously noted. Moreover, 

 they are cheap and handy for the suburban villa- 

 holder, seeing that they take up little room. It 

 is not a great hardship to edge a small town 

 garden lawn with them. Like all other cutting 

 instruments, shears should be kept clean and free 

 from rust if they are to be efficient. A greasy rag 

 should be rubbed over the blades after use. 



Shareii'ort (Aster Trijwliiem). 



Kliarp Cedar (Acacia Oxyceilms and Junipcrus 



Oxycedrvs). 



Sheep Laurel (see, Kalmia angiistifolia). 

 Sfieep'g Kcabimis (see Jasione). 

 Shell-in (Primidina Taoacuiii). 



