ALLIACEOUS PLANTS. — THE ONION. 



43 



plant, and committing them to the fire, collecting 

 the soil around where they have been growing, 

 and burning it also) can only be regarded as 

 exceedingly superficial in their effects. Deep 

 trenching and frequently turning over the soil 

 are of great advantage : in the one case burying 

 the pupa too deep for its again reaching the 

 surface; and in the other, disturbing it during 

 its transformation, and probably preventing 

 that change from taking place. From what has 

 been shown above of the economy of the onion- 

 fly, it is clear that the most rational method of 

 eradicating it is to capture the insects while 

 in the grub state, and while they are entrapped 

 within the onion. By doing so, their increase 

 is greatly diminished; as it is probable that, for 

 every grub so destroyed, hundreds of flies are 

 prevented from appearing in spring, each of 

 which may be the parent of hundreds of grubs 

 during the following season. All other pro- 

 posed remedies may be set down as compara- 

 tively worthless. Sowing onions year after 

 year on the same ground is a very certain way 

 of multiplying these insects, and might be 

 carried to the extent of literally stocking the 

 ground with them. Insects peculiar to any 

 plant seldom attack the crop during the first 

 year, and probably the second, after being 

 planted in land not previously occupied with 

 the same kind of crop, because the soil has not 

 as yet become furnished with the pupae of the 

 insect peculiar to the plant. Hence some ad- 

 vantage arises from sowing onions after celery, 

 and vice versa, cabbage after potatoes, &c. 

 Spirits of tar is of great use, if applied in suf- 

 ficient quantity to the soil immediately after 

 the crop is removed ; and it is a good plan to 

 run it along (from the spout of a watering-pot) 

 the lines of the rows where the onions had. 

 grown, because in that way, and at that exact 

 time, it reaches the pupa in its most tender 

 state ; not, however, that it acts as an ordinary 

 poison (the pupa not being in a feeding state), 

 but it penetrates through the skin whenever 

 it comes in contact with it; and no insect, in 

 any of its stages, out of hundreds we have 

 submitted to the ordeal, will exist after being 

 brought into contact with this liquid. It is 

 probable, also, that many other applications 

 (turpentine, for example), if applied at this 

 time, and in this way, might be found exceed- 

 ingly efficacious. 



Soot is not only an excellent manure for 

 onions, but is also a safe precaution against the 

 attacks of the grub. It may be sown broadcast 

 all over the ground, previous to drilling, if in 

 abundance ; if scarce, sow it in the drills when 

 formed. The following has been often applied 

 to onion crops, even after the attack has com- 

 menced : Water the ground well (that is, give 

 it a good soaking of water) in the following 

 proportions, — add to 20 gallons of rain-water 

 1 peck of unslaked lime, \ peck of soot that 

 has not been exposed to wet, 2 gallons of urine, 

 1 lb. of soft soap, and 2 lb. of flowers of sulphur; 

 when the mixture is sufficiently settled to pass 

 through the rose of a watering-pot, it may be 

 applied. As a preventive of the grub in onions, 

 it has been recommended to sow them on 



ground previously cropped with turnip. If 

 advantage arise from this, it is founded on the 

 rotation system. 



The chemical action of soot, in this and in 

 similar cases, as a fertiliser and preventive of 

 grub, may depend on the elements of which it 

 is constituted, which are carbonaceous .matter, 

 mixed with carbonated ammonia, giving out a 

 sti-ong pungent smell by the action of quick- 

 lime. It affords a brown extractive matter of a 

 bitter taste, some ammoniacal salts, and an 

 empyreumatic oil, either or all of which are 

 disagi-eeable, if not really fatal, to insect life. 

 Its chief basis, however, is charcoal in a state 

 capable of being rendered soluble by the action 

 of oxygen and water. Powdered charcoal has 

 been found exceedingly efficacious in preserving 

 the onion crop, but not to the same extent as 

 soot, containing in itself few of the elements 

 of which soot is composed. We were led to 

 apply soot in a liquid form, as M. Branconnet 

 has shown that " a watery infusion of soot is 

 eminently antiseptic, and may be used for pre- 

 serving animal matter from decomposition;" 

 and antiseptics we find in practice greatly to 

 preserve the parts of plants, to which they are 

 applied, from rottenness, to which the onion is 

 extremely liable when attacked by the grub. 



The variety of silver-skinned onion known as 

 Oignon de Nocera is sometimes attacked by 

 a minute parasitic fungus (Vertnicidaria cir- 

 c'mans). It appears in form of small round black 

 spots, which, although not penetrating the sub- 

 stance of the bulb, greatly disfigure it, and 

 render it unfit for use. This disease appears 

 to be quite new, and was first detected in the 

 gardens of the Horticultural Society of London 

 in 1851. 



Saving of seed, S$c. — The saving of onion 

 seed is carried on to a very great extent 

 in the neighbourhood of Reading, in 

 various parts of Kent, to some extent in 

 Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, and about 

 Evesham. The great supply, however, is 

 imported from France and Holland. The 

 saving of any esculent vegetable seed, 

 while it can be purchased genuine from 

 the regular seedsmen, is the reverse of 

 economy. Amateurs, however, often 

 save various sorts of seed, as much for 

 the satisfaction of presenting them to their 

 friends, as on the mere score of economy 

 to themselves. Gardeners are not unfre- 

 quently driven to this, as an expedient to 

 preserve any particularly fine variety 

 they may become possessed of, as well as 

 to guard themselves against fraudulent 

 dealers, who, it is to be regretted, are on 

 the increase. There is no economy, how- 

 ever, in saving seeds with a view to evade 

 paying a yearly seed-bill. Seeds so pro- 

 duced cost 100 per cent more than 

 they can be purchased for. They are 



