362 



THE GARDENERS- MAGAZINE. 



M:ay 4, 1912 



success 



IMPORTANT FACTORS IN 



ONION CULTURE. 



However carefully details are carried out 

 with regard to the cultivation of certain 

 plants, perfection or complete success is 

 not always assured. The onion, like many 

 other culinary vegetables, will fail to make 

 good growth on what is apparently excel- 

 lent soil for other crops, while in that which 

 may be regarded as anything but ideal 

 ground, the best of results are obtainable 

 with the minimum of expenditure. I have 

 been able to grow Ailsa Craig onions, aver- 

 aging 2^1bs. each in weight, on land just 

 newly broken up, and where the dressing 

 consisted of nothing more than a substan- 

 tial amount of farmyard manure. The 

 soil in the district of Basingsteke is un- 

 doubtedly naturally adapted to the growth 

 of onions, for when Mr. Bowerman, who 

 is now with Messrs. Sutton and Sons, was 

 at Hackwood Park, he never failed to pro- 

 duce monster onions, averaging three or 

 more pounds in weight. Mr. Kneller also, 

 who for many years was head gardener to 



Sir Melville Portal, at Malshanger, was an 

 equally successful grower, as also was Mr. 

 Wasley, at Sherfiekl Manor. At the pre- 

 sent day, Mr. Best, of The Vyne, and many 

 other gardeners in this district, achieve the 

 most excellent results in onion culture. 

 The fact that allotment holders can place 

 large bulbs averaging 21bs. in weight on 

 the exhibition tables of local flower shows 

 throughout the months of July and August, 

 is in itself sufficient proof that soil condi- 

 tions have much to do with tlie 

 attending this culture. 



Deep Trenching:. 



This is an important factor in the cul- 

 tivation of onions, either for general use 

 or for exhibition purposes. 1 have com- 

 pared autumn trenching with spring 

 trenching after the ground has become well 

 dried, and both systems of preparation have 

 answereil well. Perhaps the greatest^harm 

 is done when these heavy, retentive soils are 

 dug over in spring, while they are still 

 saturated with moisture, instead of wait- 

 ing until they have become thoroughly dried 

 so as not to become kneaded under the 

 feet, like so mnch dough. WTien it js 

 necessary to make the ground fertile by the 

 application of heavy dressings of farmyard 

 manure or other natural manure of a bulky 

 character, such material must be got under 

 in the autumn, and, if possible, when the 

 ground is suffic'ently moist to work well, 

 and admit of ridging up for the w'inter. 

 The deeper the ground can be trenched 

 without bringing soil of an undesirable 

 character to the surface the better, as the 

 roots of onions are capable of penetrating 

 to a very considerable depth, so lessening 

 any risk of a check to growth likely to be 

 encountered during prolonged drought. 



anuringr. 



This must be performed cautiously. If 

 farmyard manure is given, its composition 

 must be such as will improve the mechani- 

 cal texture of the soil. We]l-fermente<l 

 horse manure is invaluable for opening up, 

 and thereby raising the temperature, of 

 heavy, clayey loams, naturally cold and 

 w^et, while a manure largely composed of 

 the excrement of cow^s and pigs is better 

 adapted for such soils as hai^e a tendency to 

 become hot and dry, and which are not 

 retentive of moisture. Much has been 

 written about light soils for onions, and 

 that these must be well consolidated, but 

 from what I have seen of these consoli- 

 dated dust-heaps, very few of them are 

 capable of growing large specimen bulbs. 

 Concentrated manures supplying potash, 

 phosphoric acid, and nitrogen, can all prove 



helpful in the cultivation of onions, pro- 

 vided they are applied with care, and at 



the proper time. 



On heavy, retentive soils, of which the 

 subsoil is clay, a phosphatic manure like 

 basic slag, is to be preferred to an acid 

 manure like superphosphate, especially if 

 the soil is in any way sour. Bone com- 

 pounds, containing as they do a small per- 

 centable of nitrogen in addition to phos- 

 phates, are always beneficial to the 

 crop J while if nitrate of potash does not 

 prove too expensive to purchase it may 

 take the place of either sulphate of potash 

 or kainit, the latter fertiliser, however, 

 being preferable to any other form of potash 

 on light soils, as the large percentage of 

 salt it contains is useful not only as a plant 

 food, but also in conserving moisture. I 

 have frequently used superphosphate and 

 sulphate of ammonia, mixed together at 

 the time of sowing in the proportion of 

 one part of sulphate of ammonia to three 

 parts of superphosphate, and very excellent 

 results were obtained. In fact, I consider 

 it preferable to apply the active nitro- 

 genous manure in the form of sulphate of 

 ammonia at the time of working the soil, 

 instead of using a more quickly-soluble 

 manure like nitrate of soda or nitrate of 

 lime as a top-dressing after the plants are 

 established. 



The Importance of Hoeingf. 



The value of deeply stirring the soil 

 throughout the early stages of the plant's 

 growth cannot be over-estimated, and in 

 addition to keeping up a supply of mois- 

 ture, it will do much to ward off attacks 

 of mildew. In a season of drought like that 

 of the year 1911, I discovered that where 

 the ground around the plants was kept 

 continually hoed, this had a much better 

 effect on the plants than where continuous 

 waterings were given, and the hoe used less 

 frequently. It is nothing unusual to secure 

 regular and well-formed bulbs of 31bs. 

 weight, but it is exceedingly difl&cult to 

 put ort additional ounces beyond this 

 weight. Overhead waterings with liquid 

 manure must be avoided, as many plants 

 are killed in this way through premature 

 decay of the foliage. When liquid manure 

 is applied, it must be given fairly weak and 

 in sufficiently large quantities to thoroughly 

 saturate the whole of the cultivated soil. 



I ought to have 

 effects produced by 



mentioned 

 the 



the good 

 application of 

 ground lime on soils containing an excess 

 of organic matter, and on such garden soils 

 as have a tendency to be heavy and un- 

 workable in early spring. The lime must, 

 however, be applied in autumn, and not in 

 spring, as is usually done. 



The Best Plants. 



Only the best plants must be trans- 

 planted for exhibition purposes as I have 

 observed that, however good the cultiva- 

 tion, a weakly plant will never gain that 

 vigour of constitution necessary to enable 

 it to develop into a specimen fit for show. 

 Provided the seedlings are well hardened 

 off before pla.ating out, frost, however 

 severe, does not appear to do them any in- 

 jury, but an attack of mildew at a later 

 stage of growth is a very serious matter. 

 A very careful w^atch should be kept for 

 signs of mildew during the month of July, 

 and I have usually found that sulphide of 

 potassium, use<l at the rate of one ounce 

 to each gallon of water, is very eflPective in 

 preventing the spread of the disease . 

 Light sprinklings of flowers of sulphur be- 

 tween the plants once a fortnight is also 

 recommended. In any case, it is well to 

 take some precautionary measures before 

 the mildew has much of a hold on the 

 plants ; otherwise it is difficult to check it. 



J. C. Newsham. 



GARDEN SURPRISES. 



There are not many gardens of surprises 

 and yet this expression can sometimes be 

 aptly applied. It need not necessarily be 

 a large garden, for it is not a difficult mat- 

 ter to so arrange a garden when it is first 

 planned to create surprise features, I 

 recently heard a garden of some repute 

 where choice hardy plants are extensively 

 grown, described as too much like a nur- 

 sery." It was planted in a very formal 

 manner, and you could almost see the whole 

 at once. The plants were there, but their 

 arrangement lacked taste and originality 

 I'his is a common mistake in many gardens 

 although most sites are capable of being 

 laid out in a pleasing and artistic manner. 



It is by no means necessary to have a 

 great collection of plants, or to grow all 

 the novelties to ensure a pretty garden ; 

 the secret lies in how the plants are ar- 

 ranged. In addition to this, trees and 

 shrubs play a most important part in the 

 moulding of a garden, for to create sur- 

 prises it is necessary to make a free use 

 of trees, as it is only by this means gardens 

 can be intersected so that each portion 

 forms a complete picture. 



Besides choice shrubs, a careful use of 

 conifers will be a great help, and the more 

 ornamental of these form especially hand- 

 some objects. It should be the aim of the 

 designer to so plant the garden that one 

 section cannot be wholly seen from another. 

 In this way surprises can be created which 

 are often a source of increased attraction, 

 and if the most is made of the various sec- 

 tions, they can be rendered extremely 

 lovely and diverse. A great point is to 

 make <^ach feature quite diflferent from 

 another, both in its formation and in the 

 subjects employed. 



These remarks refer, of course, to the 

 pleasure grounds, or to what some may 

 call the semi-wild garden ; but the latter is 

 capable of being made most charming, and 

 owing to its diversity, is often the most 

 delightful part of the whole place. 



Glades are always a source of beauty 

 when appropriately located towards the 

 outskirts of the garden, so as to reveal a 

 view of the country beyond, or include 

 some adjoining garden* feature. "WTien 

 w^ell placed, these glades give an impres- 

 sion of extent, which is often desirable if 

 the grounds are rather small. 



Suitable subjects to plant are very nume- 

 rous, but I know of nothing more effective 

 in the spring than Erica carnea, and a 

 breadth of this, two acres in extent, with 

 which I am acquainted, is a sight not easily 

 to be forgotten. Here and there narcissi 

 can be naturalised among the ericas, and 

 Anemone apennina contrasts beautifully 

 with it. Surprises in the garden can be 

 created in a variety of ways, but their chief 

 attraction lies in locating them where they 

 are least expected, and the approaching 

 features must be so arranged to produce 

 that effect. A garden so designed is in- 

 finitely more attractive than one of a more 

 or less stereotyped character, no matter 

 how many gems it may contain. 



Batsford Park. J. Gardner. 



Hollyhocks.— These handsome plants 

 are useful for planting in the shrubberiee, 

 and also at the back of the mixed flower 

 borders; but, owing: to the prevalence ot 

 disease, it is desirable to raise young plants 

 every year by sowing seeds in heat early 

 Febrnary, and growing them in pots nntn 

 large enough to plant out. They shoidd \^ 

 cultivated on deeply-dug and well-manurea 

 grround, when thev will produce vigoron^ 

 flower spikes. They will derive much benebt 

 from a good mulching of half-decavea 

 manure. 



