26 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 14, 1881. 
instances -whilst their neighbours are at rest, anti modestly 
retire when they again put forth their summer verdure. Under 
the digging system, however, this is simply impossible. 
Cowper thus describes a well-kept flower border— 
“ Few self-supported flowers endure the wind 
Uninjured, but expect the upholding aid 
Of the smooth-shaven prop, and, neatly tied, 
Are wedded thus like beauty to old age, 
For interest sake, the living to the dead.” 
Jerrold’s idea of a garden is in itself a beautiful idea, -which 
we cannot do better than transcribe. He says—“ A garden 
is a beautiful book writ by the finger of God. Every flower 
and every leaf is a letter. You have only to learn them and 
join them and then go on reading, and you will find yourself 
carried away from the earth by the story you are going through. 
You do not know what beautiful thoughts grow out of the 
ground and seem to talk to a man. And, then, there are some 
flowers that seem to me like overdutiful children ; tend them 
ever so little and they come up and flourish, and show, as I 
may say, their bright and happy faces to you." This latter 
remark of Jerrold’s is peculiarly true of alpine and herbaceous 
plants, fcr they certainly do yield a maximum of pleasure for 
a minimum of care.—W. H. 
(To bo continued.) 
SUMMER-SOWN ONIONS. 
Onions sown in July ought certainly to be termed summer-sown, 
and yet by some curious inadvertence we have drifted into the 
habit of calling them autumn-sown. Let us be accurate in 
everything relating to this crop, for it is one of great importance, 
to which we must turn for a supply—not momentarily, but for a 
period of some months’ duration when the winter store of spring- 
sown Onions is exhausted, say by the end of March. “ Many a 
time and oft” have I known beginners at a loss then; nay, I 
must plead guilty to having been in a similar predicament myself 
more than once. How was it? Through ignorance ? Undoubtedly 
it was so in part, but not wholly so, for had I not taken especial 
care to sow plentifully all the best sorts of Tripoli at the right 
time? and yet, when I bad to begin using them, they were so 
small that a dozen were barely equal to a full-grown Onion. A 
little attention to securing a sort which developed bulbs of a 
useful size sufficiently early set matters right, and no time was 
lost in acquainting readers of the Journal of it. 
Appeals for information about this matter that have reached 
me recently, and others made last year, prove, however, the exist¬ 
ence of a necessity for again writing about it. The best Onion of all 
for our purpose is The Queen, and yet, strange to say, very little is 
known about its real value. Turn to some of our leading seeds¬ 
men’s catalogues, and you will find such descriptions as this :— 
“ Queen, a very pretty little white Onion, of quick growth.” 
“The Queen, a miniature silver-skinned variety, of rapid growth.” 
“ New Queen, the smallest and quickest grower ; best for salads.” 
Now, to my mind the impression conveyed by such descriptions is 
certainly not of a nature to induce us to regard this as a really 
useful vegetable of such importance that upon it alone can we 
depend for a supply of good Onions in spring and early summer. 
Yet that is undoubtedly what it is, for it swells into bulbs so early 
that with plenty of it sown in July with its large congeners, the 
Flat and Globe Tripoli, we can depend under good culture upon 
having it ready to our hand good in March, better in May, and 
best at midsummer. Nor can objection be taken to it upon the 
score of size. To be accurate, I have just been to a large bed of 
it, and find that while most of the growing bulbs are about 
3 inches in diameter yet there are many fully 4 inches across, which, 
I think, it must be granted is by no means a despicable size. 
July 15th is my favourite date for sowing The Queen, and with 
it on the same date for a succession the Globe, Tripoli, and Giant 
Rocca. Sow thickly to facilitate watering, and prick out, as 
soon as the seedlings are large enough, in rows 9 inches apart 
and 6 inches asunder in the rows. Take care that the soil is 
rich, and apply water copiously till the plants are fully esta¬ 
blished and are growing freely.— Edward Luckhurst. 
THE FRUIT SEASON IN WILTSHIRE. 
As blossom must precede fruit, I will first notice—what, indeed, 
every eye has seen—that this has been a wonderful season for 
bloom on hedge and tree, alike in field and garden. From first to 
last it has been the same, from the Blackthorn down to the Elder. 
Now, however, it is of fruit and not flower that I have to speak. 
Let me take the most useful first—Apples. The early varieties 
have a large crop on them, whether they be eating or cooking. 
Irish Peach shows abundantly its ruddy cheek, and so equally 
Hawthornden. The latter are, perhaps, not so abundant, and 
some consider them actually deficient; but it must be remembered 
that the earlier are now the larger and catch the eye more readily. 
I am told also that the cider varieties have a good crop on them. 
Pears far more than for several years, but can hardly be considered 
abundant. Plums, the good bearers such as Yictoria have to be 
thinned, while the less heavy croppers are only half covered. Of 
all bush fruit there is plenty. Raspberries seem all we can wish. 
Gooseberries quite an average crop. Cherries seem to fall off very 
rapidly and in great numbers. Damsons and Bullaces fair only. 
Strawberries are very flourishing, but the damp has caused the 
slugs to make havoc. Filberts and nuts not numerous ; out-of- 
door Grapes poor, while Medlars are abundant. 
Balancing one variety of fruit against another, I should say 
that there is every promise of a general good crop. In my own 
garden I have not had such an one since the year 1874. But for 
the severe frosts of June 7th and 8th this year would have been 
quite equal to that of seven years ago. 
The above remarks refer chiefly to fruit on trees in the open 
ground. One word upon that on walls : Apricots are nil, Peaches 
and Nectarines a fair average crop, so, also, the higher classes of 
Plums usually indulged with a wall. Walnuts will this winter be 
enjoyed, but not in great numbers, still it is something to have any 
after the sad experience of two seasons. The gardener, and par¬ 
ticularly the fruit gardener, has cause to raise a note of thankful¬ 
ness. The terrible disappointments of 1879 and 1880 are not for 
him this year; labour has not proved in vain, and fond expec¬ 
tations have not again been disappointed.— Wiltshire Rector. 
FANCY PANSIES. 
As this is the season of the year when many are procuring 
Pansies, it may be useful to some of your readers to have a few 
practical notes. It is only of late years that my favourites the 
Fancies have come to the front, the old florists admiring only 
the self and belted varieties. The great beauty of the Fancy 
varieties, however, has now won them a position, and we now 
have them in great variety. Several good florists whom I 
know grow them almost exclusively, finding it pays well. Why 
have we not classes for pots of Fancy Pansies at our shows ? At 
the Manchester Whit-week Show Pansies are shown in pots, and 
the result is an increased interest in Pansy culture in the locality. 
The florists in the neighbourhood grow Pansies very successfully, 
and I now give a few details of their mode of culture. 
Plants procured now should be planted at once. If there are 
several growths spread them out as far as possible, burying any long 
straggling shoots nearly to the point. As the blooms are always near 
the point of the shoot nothing will be lost in display, and the half- 
buried shoot will send up small offsets which will be useful as 
cuttings. The most suitable soil is that which is rather light and 
sandy, liberally manured, and such as will not be likely to become 
dry too soon. Such is our soil, and in it Pansies grow as luxuri¬ 
antly as Watercresses. If the soil is unsuited for Pansies—for 
example, a heavy clay soil—a mixture of well-decayed manure, 
bog, and sand should be placed round each root ; this will 
help the plant and make it independent of the native soil. The 
most suitable position is a border which has sunshine only in the 
morning and good light during the rest of the day ; but I have a 
bed exposed all day to the full power of the sun, and the plants 
are in good condition and full of bloom. The Pansy succeeds 
well planted in the mixed border, but a bed containing nothing 
but Pansies is always interesting. When such a bed is to be 
made the gardener has an advantage, because he can select a 
suitable position, and can make the soil suitable by adding manure, 
sand, and bog. For a bed of Pansies it is wise to have twenty 
or thirty varieties carefully arranged as to colour. Before plant¬ 
ing carefully examine the plants for traces of the fly, which has 
made sad havoc with the stocks of some nurserymen this year. 
If there is the least trace of this insect pest, or as a great florist 
said to me the other clay, “whether there are or not,” the plants 
should be dipped in a solution of soft soap and water. In dry 
weather the bed should be well watered twice a week, as Pansies 
are impatient under drought. The instructions given above will 
be sufficient for the present, as the culture is very simple at this 
period of the year. The most important point is propagating at 
the right time and in the right manner. At the proper season I 
hope to send a few practical notes. 
As Pansies can readily be procured now it will be wise in the 
persons anxious to commence growing them to procure one plant 
of each variety, and a foundation for a good stock for next season 
