October 19, 1871. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTTJBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



29S 



either before the leaves are produced or when there are but few of 

 these. Like many others, the beauty of the specimen is greater 

 when there is a mass of bulbs in a pot, halt a dozen or more 

 not being too many for a 6-inch pot. They succeed admirably 

 in a compost of fibrous loam two parts and one part of leaf 

 soil, and should be covered to the neck. Drain the pots well, 

 and place them near the glass. From the end of September to 

 April beep the plants dry on a shelf, in April gradually moisten 

 the soil, having previously examined the drainage and put it in 

 order, also removing the surface soil and giving a top-dressing 

 of fresh. When the iiower-scapes appear water copiously, and 

 after fresh foliage is made give very liberal supplies up to 

 September; then place the plants on a shelf near the glass, 

 and lessen the supply of water, but not so as to cause the 

 foliage to become limp, and after September keep them dry. 



If the plants are required to flower, say, in April or earlier, 

 they may have the drainage put in order, removing any old soil 

 that comes away freely, and be top-dressed, placed in a bottom 

 heat of from 70° to 75°, and a top heat of from 55° to 60°, and 

 they will start into flower. Just before the blooms expand 

 the pots should be gradually withdrawn from the hotbed before 

 removal to the greenhouse or sitting-room. 



Avoid too large pots and potting over-freqnently. After the 

 removal of the old soil the pot should just hold the roots with- 

 out cramping, while allowing of a little soil all round. No harm 

 will result from the bulbs being left in the pots until the latter 

 split ; on the contrary, the plants are never so healthy nor so 

 free-liowering as when they are in this state. If they should be 

 enfeebled in growth repot them in a smaller-sized pot. — G. Abbey. 



OLLA PODRIDA. 



The Spanish dish of this name contains many ingredients, 

 and so this short paper of mine must be a veritable hodge- 

 podge. Into it first we will throw what is a very good thing 

 in itself, but I should say a very bad thing when we get too 

 much of it, and that is the Potato. Might not one write 

 a pretty smart article on the Potato humbug ? I am far from 

 disparaging any attempt to give us new and good varieties; 

 but when one enthusiast vows he has grafted the Jerusalem 

 Artichoke on the Potato, or vice versa, and obtained hybrids, 

 and others tell me that the American varieties are beauties, 

 why, then I do say, " Hold, avast ! " By-the-by, I see one cor- 

 respondent doubts whether Mr. Bivers and I had the true Early 

 Boss. I knoio I had, for it came to me from Messrs. Carter 

 and Co., and was sent to me on purpose to try as seed im- 

 ported direct from the raiser. The first season I thought it 

 tolerable, last season worthless, and this season worse even 

 than that. I have seen, grown, and tasted all these Yankee 

 gentlemen, and there is not one of them fit for any human 

 being ; they are good croppers, capital for pigs, but not for me. 

 Here let me say that I received last autumn, from a correspon- 

 dent in the north of Scotland, half a dozen round Potatoes for 

 trial. I planted them, and they are the very best round Potato 

 I know, evidently a Begent, but an uncommonly good one. If 

 this meet his eye perhaps he will kindly renew the correspon- 

 dence. I received also the other day from Mr. Whitbourne, of 

 Loxford Hall, some magnificent tubers of Dalmahoy. He 

 questions if the Lapstone is as good. I think it is better ; but 

 they were certainly splendid tubers, of fine flavour and mealy. 



And now we come to Onions, dear to the Spaniard, dear to 

 the English workmen, and without which even a Soyer or a 

 Francatelli would find himself nonplussed. There were some 

 very fine ones shown the other day at Kensington, notably 

 the Intermediate and Nuneham Park exhibited by Messrs. 

 Carter & Co. I confess these have more interest to me than 

 the Tripoli varieties. Few will care for these large summer 

 Onions. What we want are good keeping varieties ; and as I 

 do not much believe in seedling varieties of Onions, the object 

 is to get good selected strains and improve them, and whatever 

 does this is adding to our vegetable wealth. 



Eendle's Plant-ekoteotoes seem to be very indigestible to 

 some people, and to " Au eevoie " especially. May I say to 

 him that indigestion often proceeds from bad cooking ? and so, 

 perhaps, they have not agreed with him because he has not 

 used them aright. All I can say is, I have used them this 

 summer for various things, and have found them most useful. 

 I had Strawberries under them a full fortnight before those in 

 the open ground were ripe. I used them for ridge Cucumbers, 

 and am now again using them for winter salading.- That there 

 will be breakages sometimes I know, but the idea of having 

 wooden frames to support them is rather too absurd. 



I have received several communications on the subject of 

 new Gladiolus, and hope in a week or two to send forward a 

 paper that shall be an answer to these questions, and which 

 will be quite in time for orders. I am glad to see that this 

 beautiful but most disappointing autumn flower is coming more 

 and more into favour. The disease has again bothered me this 

 year, and yet, like the Potato disease, I see no remedy for it. 



We must have a perfume for our oUa podrida, and what 

 better than the Bose ? I am surprised that " P., Essex," 

 should have so misunderstood me about recommending Prince 

 LSon. I know it to be a bad grower, and think I said so, but 

 I said it was a Bose one ought not to discard ; it was not, cer- 

 tainly, a Bose I would recommend in a select collection. I think 

 it both pretty in colour and nice in shape when " well done." 

 Let me say I dissent from his list. Marie Baumann I certainly 

 never have seen as a good grower; if so with "P." he is for- 

 tunate. Then I should be loth to put Countess of Oxford in 

 the best twelve before better known. Edward Morren is fine 

 when good, but it is very apt to come with a bad centre. And 

 what about John Hopper ? Louis Van Hontte, too, requires 

 proving as to its growing powers ; and Madame Vidot is also a 

 shy grower with me. In fact I should give a different list. 

 Might it not be advantageous if a dozen of the best Eose-grow- 

 ers — I do not mean prizetakers, but well-known growers — were 

 to give us a list in your pages of the best twelve, and then we 

 might see which really the choicest were ? Will Messrs. Ead- 

 cljfie. Peach, Hole, Paul, Turner, &a., kindly do this ? I think 

 the result would be interesting and valuable. 



And so my hodge-podge is finished. I have given it flavour, 

 colour, and perfume, and hope it may nourish in some little 

 way my gardening brethren. — D., Deal. 



.ONION CROP DESTROYED. 



I HAVE lost the whole of two large beds of spring-sown Onions 

 by what I believe to be the Onion grub, and, as I have suffered 

 similarly in both wet and dry seasons for the past five years, I 

 should be extremely obliged for any information that would 

 be likely to enable me to avoid this in future. I notice in last 

 week's Journal a letter on this subject ; but as I tried the same 

 plan, or nearly so, this season as there particularised, I really 

 have no confidence in it in my case, even if carried out to the 

 very letter. I have also tried dressings at intervals of lime, 

 soot, wood ashes, guano dry and liquid, sewage water, and soap- 

 suds without the shghtest good effect. I have also carted soil 

 from a distance, and tried the plan of sowing one bed with 

 manure on the surface, another having manure dug in, and a 

 third without any manure ; but the results have been nearly 

 equal as far as avoiding the grub is concerned. 



Can you give me any information respecting this grub, its 

 appearance, &c., as in my case it is more like a maggot, and is 

 generally to be found in the very centre of the decayed Onion ? 



— H. HOWAED. 



[We insert this letter without any reply, because we wish 

 some of our correspondents who either are successful Onion 

 growers, or who have suffered from the grub and found a remedy, 

 to. send to us the results of their experience. The following 

 description of the grub and fly is given in the " Cottage Gar- 

 deners' Dictionary." " In light soils, especially, the Onion is 

 liable to suffer from the grub or larva of Anthomjia ceparum 

 (Scatophaga ceparum of some writers). The gardener who sees 

 his young Onions, when about the thickness of a straw, turning 

 yellow, and the leaves sunk down upon the ground, may at 

 once know that they are the victims of this insect. Even when 

 of larger growth the Onion is still liable to suffer from its 

 attacks, and even up to the time of the bulb's full growth. If 

 the outer coats of a young Onion thus destroyed are stripped 

 off, the grub is at once detected ; but if the Onion is older the 

 grubs are often numerous. In both cases they will be found 

 feeding on the very heart of the Onion. The grub varies from 

 about a quarter to half an inch long, is fleshy, shining, whitish,, 

 cylindrical, tapering from the head to the tail, and divided into 

 twelve segments. The pores through which it. breathes are 

 yellow, and in the flrst segment. In about three weeks from 

 the time of being hatched it changes into a chestnut-coloured 

 oval puparium, or case, within which is the real pupa. From 

 this, in about a fortnight, the perfect fly comes forth. The 

 female is entirely of a pale ashy colour, covered with black 

 bristles. The male has a black line down the middle of the 

 abdomen. The antenna and legs are black ; the wings are 

 transparent, almost colourless, but iridescent pink and green. 

 The female inserts her eggs within the leaf-sheaths of the 



