190 
[ March 7,188ft. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
wick, Hammersmith, Kensington, and other parishes, to be brought 
back again, much of it over the same ground, by the various green¬ 
grocers. In my opinion it would be well if the local authorities, or 
the newly constituted County Council of London, could establish 
markets in the most populous of the suburban parishes. Take the 
case of two parishes out of the many that constitute this vast hive 
—Hackney at the one end, and Battersea at the opposite end of the 
town, both important as regards population, having at least each 
100,000 inhabitants, and perhaps many more. Would not the con¬ 
sumers of Hackney and the producers of vegetables of Enfield, 
Edmonton, or Tottenham be greatly benefited by the establishment 
of a market in Hackney ? And would not the consumers of Batter¬ 
sea, and the producers of vegetables from Kew, Barnes, Mortlake, 
or Mitcham be also benefited by a market at Battersea ? In other 
districts also the same principle could be acted upon. Covent 
Garden, the Borough, Spitalfields, and Stratford ; these four cer¬ 
tainly look too small a supply of markets for four miltions of 
people, but the subject is one that might well be taken up and 
looked into by local and county councillors, for the system of cart¬ 
ing perishable articles many miles through the streets to the heart 
of the metropolis, to be only carted half or three parts of the way 
back again, seems to me a system radically wrong.—H. O. 
NOTES FROM A HERTS GARDEN. 
' The winter has generally been mild and moist, with an almost 
entire absence of sun. Fog prevailed frequently and long ; the 
muggy weather induced a succulence in vegetables which rendered 
them more susceptible to injury by cold. On the 10th February 
16° of frost were registered, and it cut off vegetables as if par¬ 
boiled. Broccoli Snow’s Winter and Yeitch’s Spring White are 
killed. Brussels Sprouts even are seared. What a mistake are the 
large varieties of those ! They are early and so loose as to please 
nobody—not even those mostly seeking quantity—as the truth 
seems to dawn upon them, as it does upon all by experience, that 
the large Cabbage-like knobs have not the same flavour or delicacy 
as the close, small, heavy sprouts. Size in the matter of Brussels 
Sprouts is a move in the wrong direction, it being doubtful if there 
is any improvement on a carefully selected strain of Imported 
Sprouts. We find Yeitch’s Paragon most esteemed at table—the 
crucial test. The small varieties also are hardier, and last much 
longer in condition than the large sorts. 
Cabbages have suffered severely, alike from slugs, against 
which lime and soot proved useless through the softness of the 
weather, and frost. Cabbage and Spinach plots are conspicuous only 
by their “ gappy ” scorched appearance. Lettuces have stood badly. 
The Cabbage varieties are nearly all gone, and of the Cos varieties 
Brown or Black-seeded Bath remain entire, whilst Hick’s Hardy 
White is much cut. The sparrows pecked and ate the Lettuces 
until the rows were strung with black thread on both sides 
3 to 4 inches from the ground. Not a sparrow has been seen on 
the border since. 
Eight inches depth of snow on the night of February 10th gave 
some protection, but it melted as rapidly as it came, disappearing 
mostly during the night of the 13th. Fickle uncertain climate ! what 
so fitting to make trial prove the “ survival of the fittest ?” Hardy 
accommodating races effect speedy excision of weaklings in the 
“strugglefor existence.” Winter Aconites and Snowdrops were in 
flower by early February, yellow Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) 
preceded them, and Chimonanthus fragrans diffused its graceful 
odour ; even Primroses were in force, but Yiolets seemed to sicken 
with the fogs. I observed in a daily paper that the “ hardy 
Neapolitan varieties” were much injured in spring by the fogs and 
alternating frosts in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, but that 
the “King”—the dark blue so much admired—was but little 
damaged. The scribe seemed in blissful ignorance that cultivators 
do not trust Neapolitan varieties to the tender mercies of the 
weather in this country, but accommodate them in frames to insure 
certainty of gathering, and had no inception of King being of a 
different race. The Neapolitan can make no claim to be classed as 
a hardy Yiolet, though it will usually survive our winters, particu¬ 
larly when allowed to become semi-wild, but then the flowers 
correspond to the puny growth, and there is great difference 
between the flowers of plants cultivated and starved. 
Our Neapolitan Yiolets have given less flowers from November 
inclusive to date (February 21st) than during the last quarter 
of a century ; even some we had from Count Brazza are only in bud, 
but what we have not had we have promise of m buds as thick as 
they can well be just clear of the foliage, so that we shall have an 
abundant harvest in spring of blossoms, any one of which will 
make two of those grown outside. Of course, our Neapolitans are 
in frames, matted at night, so we can well understand in what a 
plight those must be that unaided have had to contend with 
London fogs, which seem to pervade an extensive area. Last year 
I told of a Violet with two flowers on a stalk ; this year we had 
one with three—the variety New York (V. odorata pendula). 
Onions. —Some time ago a correspondent commented on the 
mistake of growers that prefer the flat-sunk necked type— i.e. f 
Port, Reading, &c., which do not keep nearly so well, and are not 
so shapely or desirable. Of course this class affords good results 
where keeping is not a consideration, and there is not only the 
question of waste, but a still greater factor—viz., weight of Onion 
and of crop to be taken into consideration. The flat Onion takes 
quite as much room as the Globe type ; the weight of the individual 
Onions may not be great, but there is a difference which tells against 
the flat-crowned and in favour of the raised-crowned varieties in 
the aggregate. 
We have records of large Onions—pounds in weight. What is 
their value ? How many Onions of 1 lb. weight, not to mention- 
4 lbs., have been grown in a square yard of land ? Or suppose we 
get an equal weight per area, what is the loss in keeping of the 
large Onion as compared with the medium i An Onion a foot in 
circumference is large enough for general culinary purposes. Of 
that size a space of 8 inches between the rows and 6 inches in the 
rows suffice for twenty-seven Onions per square yard, the weight of 
the individual Onion being a little less than 1 oz. per inch of cir¬ 
cumference ; in fact, I find White Port 11J inches round weigh 
10J ozs. ; Reading, 124 inches, 114 ozs. ; Giant Zittau, 12 inches, 
lljj ozs. ; Bedfordshire Champion, 12 inches, 11J ozs. ; James’s- 
Keeping, 12 inches, 11J ozs. There is no difficulty in calculating 
the weight per acre ; but although the crop may seem even, there 
is no reliance to be placed on individual examples. For instance, 
I find twelve Onions of apparently equal size with the individual only 
weigh—White Port, 7 lbs.; Reading, 74 lbs. ; Giant Zittau, 8 lbs. ; 
Bedfordshire Champion, 84 lbs. ; and James’s Keeping, 8ylbs. In 
the square yard we have White Port, 21 lbs.; Reading, 224 R> s - * 
Giant Zittau, 241bs. ; Bedfordshire Champion, 254lbs. ; and James’s 
Keeping, 24J lbs. At those averages White Port yields less weight 
of Onions per acre than Reading by 3 tons 4 cwt. 3 qrs. 8 lbs. ; 
Reading less than Giant Zittau by the same as obtains between 
White Port and Reading, and the like result attends Giant Zittau 
compared with Bedfordshire Champion, whilst between Bedford¬ 
shire Champion and James’s Keeping there is only a difference of 
1 ton 12 cwt. 1 qr. 18 lbs. in favour of the former. White Port 
and Reading are at best only for early use, but Reading is the better 
keeper, yet none of the white flat Onions are safe to keep, or at a 
great sacrifice of loss from decay and of weight after Christmas- 
Reading, however, is every way preferable, which points to the care 
in selecting having its reward in a heavier Onion and crop. Giant 
Zittau, though a “ high neck,” keeps very little better than the 
flat sorts ; in fact, I have not found any of the yellow-skinned 
Onions keepers. Bedfordshire Champion is unquestionably the 
heaviest and greatest crop-yielding Onion—the outcome of growers 
that have exercised their judgment and experience in attaining to a 
product that would return them the greatest per-centage of interest 
on the capital employed and cultural skill displayed. It is an Onion 
with the mild esteemed culinary qualities of the Port implanted in 
the keeping properties of the Globe—a Brown Globe-very much 
improved. Between White Port and Bedfordshire Champion there- 
is the astounding difference of 9 tons 12 cwt. 1 qr. 24 lbs. per acre— 
i.e., between the flat Onion and the high necked, between the non¬ 
keeping and the long-keeping Onion, on which basis relative values- 
are founded.— Utilitarian. 
GRAFTING CANKERED FRUIT TREES. 
Mr. Tonks’ contributions on the subject of canker in fruit 
trees deserve, as no doubt they receive, attentive consideration. 
The excellent paper that he read at Chiswick last autumn, whiclr 
was published in the Journal of Horticulture, showed that he had 
given much thought to the subject, and not only so, but had as the 
result of an investigation into the cause of canker restored infected 
trees to health. Mr. Tonks does me the honour of referring to- 
some observations on page 134 relative to a striking example of 
canker-cured fruit trees in a garden at Ipswich. I ventured to 
state that when trees were rendered worthless by canker and other 
varieties grafted on them not only produced healthy growth, but 
covered the cankered stems with new tissue and perfectly clean bark, 
that the “ cause of the canker of certain of the trees was not in the 
soil, but inherent to the varieties.” This Mr. Tonks describes 
(page 1G9) as “begging the question.” Whether that is so or not 
I remain unconvinced from anything he has said of its inaccuracy. 
I am said to have assigned “ no reason ” for the conclusion arrived 
at; but I adduced proof—useless trees rendered profitable—with¬ 
out anything being applied to the soil or anything being done to 
the roots beyond what was effected by the action of the freer and 
