April 5, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
255 
year’s Onion bed is always ready by the second week of November. 
Other work has to give place to the preparation of my Onion site. 
I never use fresh manure, but material from a hotbed and plenty 
of burnt refuse and lime as the trenching proceeds. When the 
site is finished the soil is allowed to lay unmolested until the 
middle of February. A further dressing of burnt refuse is then 
spread over the whole piece 1 inch thick, and either well raked or 
slightly forked in the soil on the first fine day. Drills are drawn 
from 9 to 10 inches apart and the seed sown as early as possible in 
March. I used to tread the ground but have given up the practice, 
as I find the soil here gets sufficiently hard in the sowing process 
and the after treading in thinning and when applying soot. 
I always thin my Onions as early as possible, and give the whole 
piece a dressing of soot either in the evening or early morning, 
and apply the Dutch hoe between the drills. The sooting and 
hoeing are repeated as often as necessary. I also give a good 
dressing of chemical manure twice during the season in order to 
produce a strong, healthy, quick growth of the plants. Certain it 
is that many persons fail in securing a fine crop of Onions through 
inability to find the necessary hands to attend to the thinning and 
working amongst the crops just when most attention is needed. 
I hold with your able correspondent, Mr. Dunkin, that repeated 
applications of soot (not too fresh) and the free use of the Dutch 
hoe, coupled with early thinning of the seedlings, is the best pro¬ 
cedure in obtaining a heavy crop of Onions. Two striking cases 
which came to my notice last season prove the truth of my asser¬ 
tion. Two keen amateurs came to me in May and asked what 
they were to do, as the maggot had attacked their Onion bed ? 
These amateurs spare no time or expense in achieving their object. 
I told them to thin out their Onions 3 inches apart at once, apply a 
good dressing of soot all over the bed, and hoe between the rows as 
quickly as possible afterwards, repeating the sooting and hoeing 
every four or five days : also apply a dressing of chemical manure, 
and as the weather was dry to water it in. Result: the grub 
was settled. Both amateurs secured an excellent crop, and can 
testify if necessary that it was through the treatment advised. 
These amateurs have plenty of Onions at the present time, and one 
was offered 10s. per cwt. for his produce. They both told me 
they never had such a crop of Onions before. The varieties 
grown were Veitch’s Maincrop, Selected Glohe, and Bedfordshire 
Champion. 
If Mr. Craven had called here last season he would have seen 
a heavier crop than 25 cwt. of Onions on 104 square yards of land 
from seed sown March 7th, 1893. I find no difficulty with the 
Onion grub, either with plants from autumn-sown seed, plants 
raised in boxes for transplanting, or seed sown in drills. I am 
having my Onions from boxes planted in the open quarter to-day, 
March 31st. I follow the same routine with all sowings, and all 
alike have annually proved satisfactory in quantity, cleanliness, 
and keeping.— John Chinnery, Downton Castle Gardens, 
A PROLIFEROUS HYACINTH. 
In consequence of the great heat in Holland during the ripening 
period of the plants last year many bulbs have produced two and more 
flower spikes this season, in some cases to the annoyance of growers who 
prefer one massive cone of flowers. Some persons, however, rejoice in 
a multiplicity of spikes when they are fine, and certainly a noteworthy 
example is shown in a photograph sent by the Hon. Mrs. McCausland. 
This lady writes :—“A bulb of the Hyacinth Macaulay, purchased 
from Messrs. Veitch last autumn, has produced eleven perfect trusses, 
all being of a large size and well surrounded with foliage, producing a 
most gorgeous effect, being of a deep bright pink, and all in bloom at 
the same time. Only nine could be shown in the photo, and perhaps 
the plant may be worth mentioning.” 
We think it not only worth “ mentioning ” but illustrating (fig. 42), 
not because of the number but of the size of the spikes. Possibly we 
may hear of other similarly notable specimens, but all the same, the 
bulb in question was a good one, and justice has been done to it by 
the cultivator. 
THE GLADIOLUS IN SCOTLAND. 
In Scotland I cultivate the Gladiolus in several respects 
differently from the method successfully pursued by cultivators 
in the south of England. It is here a common occurrence for 
later varieties not to flower at all, and as some of the best sorts 
are late this is a matter of much disappointment. Besides, there is 
a difficulty in ripening the plants, resulting in the depreciation of 
the corms and a consequent loss of many of them. Induced by 
these things I several years ago adopted a practice which was 
common among an older race of gardeners. This was to have the 
plants well started into growth before putting them into the 
ground. I have found this method succeed well, so much so that 
all the plants bloom, the corms ripen, and moreover the period of 
flowering is extended a few weeks. 
At first I started the corms too early, and this is a point of 
failure with many growers. The result often is that strong 
vigorous plants put out in May are sometimes cut down hy a late 
frost. I do not now start the corms until the beginning of April, 
at which time they commence to grow vigorously in the temperature 
of a late vinery. By the beginning of May they are ready to plant 
out. I have no difficulty in preventing the more forward sorts 
starting into premature growth, as the place where they are stored 
is cool and dry. So far as I remember tbe Gladiolus is not subject 
to damage from frosts in May in the south of England, therefore 
the season of growth is much longer than can be counted upon in 
Scotland. Growers of a few corms can forward their plants in 
42.— A PROLIFEROUS HYACINTH. 
pots, but as a very large number are grown here, it is not practi¬ 
cable to give them the requisite space, therefore the corms are 
placed close together in cutting boxes, in the bottom of which a 
layer of open leafy compost has been placed. It is not necessary to 
cover them, although I generally place on a covering of mos^ 
which is of advantage in keeping the soil moist. I have adopted 
the plan of cutting the corms, and believe this to be decidedly 
advantageous. • i a 
The Gladiolus in some respects is a somewhat exacting plant. 
For instance, I have attempted to cultivate it in borders of mixed 
plants, but have invariably failed to succeed. It likes a specially 
prepared site, and if one can afford to import fresh soil the plants 
appreciate and respond to this treatment. I also find that certain 
positions in the garden are liked better than others. Perhaps the 
best place to locate them is on a border facing the western sun. 
In connection with this point I think there can be no doubt that 
the Gladiolus succeeds better on the west side of the island, where 
the air is more moist than it does in the drier eastern counties. It 
also does well in hilly districts. I have repeatedly noticed the 
good effects of a few dewy nights, the result being larger flowers, 
and therefore better spikes. Splendid examples are produced in 
Ireland, where the Gladiolus is practically a hardy plant. 
I plant the bulbs at a less depth than is generally practis^. 
This promotes the ripening of the plants in the autumn, and I do 
not find that it affects the flowers injuriously. They are placed 
from 3 to 4 inches apart in the rows, and the latter 1 foot asunder. 
