SEPTEMBER 18, 1875.] 
THE- 
GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 
359 
—— 
_ and move when the c ock is turned to fill it. And the 
р E literally a fountain, of which = springing 
n garments of pus 
E Pie and ‘of osa the silver spray Mani in the s sky 
‘spray, now, of lea 
Then as to the po ssom :—** The flower exists A 
for the fruits sake. . . . But 
a 
_ to produce ithout Бедра d any- 
P Mn notion of final causes, we only no ow Mr, 
kin fails to make his own points Tie has seen 
ne eh the specu lations x modern science, several, 
highly "Indastrious, on 
upon this very subje 
that he is not а ite to state his own side 
of the question. А. G. 
THE ONION: ITS CULTURE 
AND CHARACTERISTICS. 
Very few members of the vegetable qucm exist 
that can boast an older record than the Onion. 
divers sorts of Onions which have their syrnames of 
the places where they grow ; some also lesser, others 
greater; some be round, and divers others long." 
This is ample proof that, even in his early days, a 
Though Theophrastus 
shows by his statement above that distinct sorts 
_ existed, we are inclined to believe that there were not 
more than two or th 
E: о season meate with,” Can it be 
г then that in in Pompeii of old, Chives, as we know them 
_ ‘how, were used popularly. 
As to m merit of the Onion from p$ food r | be 
Point of view, there exists no slight 
| ; few use it other than = он е of 
, here — ta 
it, and we are pers onally аа ted with а very 
learned and an extremely successful do tor and bota 
: en will not it any within а bounds of 
"B garden, owing, he says, to their very u 
. Wholesome qualiti Certain it is that the virtues 
Б. ; 
icin an wounds, nee bites b y mad dogs,” 
EI an ation as to “ the hurts 
le c 
The former is 
| ds, and that they are but, in most 
S intermediate = through in-and-in crosses 
considerations of culture, 
the necessary p 
mitem the two npg ла of 
or main- 2, Autumn an 
culture, on 2 
Regarding the first of these, or summer culture, the 
primary agp ini should be as to the mechanical 
constituents of the soi d а raged E a rich po 
leep free soil. It is ossible to m oils 
rich for the roots, so ‘ne tr He аб is we oe 
— with the soil 
In practice, pepe trench all quarters intended 
for Onion beds s as deeply as possible, There are aed 
few, if E i cultivated crops that root so deepl 
the Onion ; i 
ь 8 
ard deepest p 
hey may grow to, that ebd iun: eque and 
heavy bulbs can md ibly be for eus hence it will be 
seen how all-important in their i coa mes the 
matter of trenching and deep айе; generally. Suc 
fac ts as these point out how n ecessary it is. to place : a 
and to work in more dung, Seu or porem wit th 
every ‘‘ spit” ed эе as the individual trenches are 
again refilled o 
We have ‘aid: that a“ ape ” soil is also ence z 
adm 
which we mean such a soil as will it all r 
to to percolate to ii its utmost depths pos 
and such an one, besides, not becom - 
— r firm, owing to the fact that the d are 
aver too consistent or stiff soils, and grow 
far аб strength where they meet but little dipe- 
sition 
Special soils will, in view et анн — as 
ment, 
с 
Е 
“< 
z 
se 
and this they should be, if but to яе. i necessary 
y dry periods—will have 
LP uas 
amount of compression or consistency 
necessa This applies to all light, stony soils, and to 
are of a natur ally dry and loose sandy nature. 
crops, or to дарап that such 
well In instances, 
win 
and drying them. The ground whereon suc 
formed will бн require ene. ge gio to the best 
e ing and 
do ne first ; the beds to be 
In regard to seed-sowing, the best practice is to sow 
in drill ze Э the ор 15 pen hr more regular, 
e t ca ore quickly 
-— satisfactorily, "whilst the ne те 
ing operations may also be ed far more 
expedidonty and fectly. Тһе drill rows should 
vae IO inches apart, аныи» where very fine 
ere е particular aim, this end will be the 
h or two, as it is needless to add that the more 
he bulbs have to grow in, the finer are they likely 
Tread ue А ape drill row 
embe more firmly 
Ww e the soil м phe row, by 
aid of the "teet aloe e, and when all are covered in 
give 4 M whole surface a uniform and even raking 
CrOSSW -rows wit а таке, 
Again tell it over evenly, and if possible run a heavy 
к over it also, as the firmer the soil is made the 
94 is time and until the rows of seedling 
Onions бт well through the ground, no saan 
the bed, at а 
5 
et 
i 
"e 
the s 
birds, including the precociou odi 
equently serum aie nip = = 
blades so soon as он oror 
ey 
ssible 
another fortnight’s ps and a which the 
should be thinned out. So thin them 
—leaving only y stronger krat — that they 
rj age a really good base has been 
perditi aud a fine crop is anticipated. Where 
quantity and not зды is the desideratum, thin to 
about 4 inches a 
rop as — pon — х 
possible durin the 1 remainder 
until su 
er 
heads 
tter able to exert 
its infuence over them, an ripe. em oft more 
iformly. 
As soon x the "pug d Эз assumes a еа rp or 
dei hue be well 
es p азо that d in their n: ише” "T: 
Auli mn sown Onions Peg similar tr ent, in 
all but the keeping of the e young plants н аан the 
winter and transplanting them in the early spring. 
They shou e sown about the secon n 
in a row, somewhat thickly together. 
should ‘be allowed x d until a 
ie ад rc ch, m or less according to t 
than Should = "prepared in the same way as 
the case of t ring sown, as before referred ^ra 
Tread the 
FE 
unger growing roots, ru 
surface and dibble the em into rows 
not 
out the subsequent spring months. Sh y 
or seed, as they will fr equently do, pinch off the 
flower-stalk immediately it is hen the 
bulbs are form 
through the bed and lay them 
This is a practice of more importance in 
connection with these than with the mem crop, or 
as are less liable to form, or ‘ жа as 
ese о. 
In regard to the best kinds to grow, we ven 
the White Spanish the best for summer use 
the main crops—and the kinds or rather selecti hee ы 
name, Naseby I aca and Nuneham Park; for 
autumn sowing and early spring use, S us Giant Rocca. 
Where quick growth and hasty bulbing is a deside- 
ratum, the Queen Onion or Nepali an Marzagole 
i Pei i and for good keeping qualities 
James! Keeping o Vi Gio. are worthy examples, 
William Earley, Volentines, Ilford. 
NEW ZEALAND TIMBER. 
Mr. Т. KIRK, F.L.S., of Wellington, New Zea. 
land, has drawn up a report on the durability of the 
of that colony, interesting 
useful. To the report, Wu has been published by 
authority of the New Zealand Government, is added 
an appendix containing some notes ©“ 
season for felling timber in New Zea 
** On the New Zealand Teredo, or ship-worm.” With 
it 
much gel hr tere in 
ngland, owing to the greater 
and 524 As an illustration б the durability of 
native timbers being considerably affected by the 
different situations in which they are grown, Mr. 
of the A isthmus 
gr 
is notorious oc 
in dry places affords more 
when grown in swamps ; although at = same time 
inferior с the swamp dates = i beari: 
| 
trains, er circums 2 
a чн o that a competent person, such as a practical 
