116 Notices of Communications to the Society, of which 



it. As soon as the seed-stalks appear, he breaks them off, 

 and instead of making any effort to form new ones, the 

 Onions begin to form young bulbs round the old ones. By 

 this process, Onions may be obtained two or three inches in 

 circumference, fit for the kitchen early in the spring, at a 

 time when spring-sown Onions are not larger than quills. 

 Onions thus thrown into clusters will be full grown by the 

 end of June, and fit to take up then, but they do not keep 

 well. 



Peter Rainier, Esq.Capt. R. N., in a letter to the Secre- 

 tary, dated August 12th, communicated the following Direc- 

 tions for cultivating and cooking the Brinjall, a variety of the 

 common Egg plant (Solanum melongena), producing dark- 

 coloured elongated fruit, which is much used in the East 

 Indies, especially at Bombay. It is also established as an 

 esculent in the French gardens, under the name of Aubergine. 

 Captain Rainier grows the plants in a frame three feet deep, 

 placed upon a dung bed with twelve inches thickness of 

 compost, the lower eight inches of which should be two- 

 thirds rotten dung, and one-third equal parts of road drift 

 and sifted loam ; the upper four inches should be a light ve- 

 getable mould. The seeds are sown in February, ten inches 

 apart. The lights are taken off, when the leaves touch the 

 glass. They then require only to be well watered, to bring 

 them to perfection. Each plant yields from six to ten fruits. 

 They are very subject to the attacks of the red spider, but 

 steaming the pit in the usual way will always destroy these 

 insects. Captain Rainier states that the Brinjalls are very 

 generally used in the East Indies in curries and made dishes, 



