February 27, 189). ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
173 
way for a man to walk up and use the Dutch hoe. Being at right 
angles to the drills the weeds can easily be drawn and carried 
out by the paths, whereas if the walks are parallel to the drills it 
is much more difficult to hoe and clean them. The varieties I 
prefer are James’s Keeping, White Spanish, and Brown Globe, 
but this depends upon the soil. Bedfordshire Champion, 
Magnum Bonum, or Rousham Park are very good for light soils. 
Great care should be taken when hoeing not to cut the soil from 
under the Onions, and no one should be allowed to walk amongst 
them except by the paths, as they are injured by being knocked 
down. 
One of the greatest enemies we have to contend with is the 
Onion fly or maggot. With this prevention is better than cure, 
and if liquid manure from stable cesspools is sprinkled over them, 
so as to settle in the axil of the leaf, it will be found that the fly 
will not deposit its eggs there. Petroleum mixed with water can 
be sprayed on with a syringe, or the petroleum can be mixed with a 
little softsoap and soda in hot wa^er. Drenchings of liquid manure 
should be given in warm and dry weather. Water them on the 
foliage with a coarse rose. It is easy with good management and 
season to grow from 24 to 30 tons per acre. Autumn or Tripoli 
Onions should be sown in August, and transplanted as soon as large 
enough upon a warm border, and if well seen to and watered during 
the following summer Onions up to 20 inches in circumference will 
reward one’s efforts. I have seen 30 tons per acre of spring and 
autumn Onions, the bulbs 22 inches in circumference, through 
proper attention being given them. 
Parsnips. 
To obtain good straight Parsnips the ground must be well 
worked in depth and pulverised. Too rich soil is injurious to 
them. Sow Hollow Crown and Student in February or early 
March. 
Carrots. 
These can be treated the same as Parsnips. Carrots will crack 
badly if grown in too rich a soil. Sow Early Nantes the middle of 
February upon a warm border, and James’s Intermediate or Veitch’s 
Earliest the beginning of March, or at the same time as Parsnips. 
To procure good, straight, and long Carrots for exhibition crow¬ 
bar a few holes, and All with firm and fine soil, and sow seeds upon 
them. Do not be afraid of thinning either Parsnips or Carrots. 
—G. A. Bishop. 
TURNIPS. 
Few vegetables are more delicious than young quickly grown 
Turnips, and I think it may be safely said, at least of these, that 
there has been a marked improvement in the sorts which are grown 
now. No early variety can in any way compare with the Early Milan. 
This we begin sowing in small quantities in March, and though a 
crop or two may be lost through the plants rushing to seed, still 
we are favoured occasionally with an unexpected dish from an 
early sowing. To follow the above I do not know anything better 
than Early Snowball. This variety we sow in rapid succession all 
through the summer, finishing with two or three extensive sowings 
in August and September ; these latter produce much-appreciated 
roots throughout winter and spring. I have tried a French variety 
of elongated shape called “Navet de Vertus this for winter work 
is exceedingly good. I think the flavour is better even than that 
of Snowball, and that is saying a good deal. This variety is sown 
early in August. 
Turnips delight in a rich friable soil, and rapidity of growth is 
worth aiming at, as the flavour is so much improved by a quick 
growth. During summer sowings must be made not longer than 
ten days apart, so that nothing but young roots may be used. In 
dry weather the drills when drawn out should be well watered, a 
slight dressing of nitrate and superphosphate in equal proportions 
mixed with two parts of dry soil then sprinkled along the drills, and 
as soon as the moisture has dried sufficiently the seed may be sown 
thinly and covered with soil. When fly attacks this crop syringe or 
water through a fine rose with a weak solution of petroleum, soft- 
soap, and water ; dredge before drying with fine dry soil, in which 
one-eighth in bulk of tobacco powder has been mixed. Turnips, 
like many other crops, are ruined by thick sowing and late thinning. 
In dry weather it is safe to sow some thickly, but as a rule little 
seed is required. The plants when thinned need not be more than 
6 inches apart, but even 2 inches less will suffice where space is 
limited. Where Celery is grown in quantity, say about 1200 to 
1800 plants, there will be a long stretch of ridges between the 
trenches, and on these ridges Turnips do better than in any other 
position. We also grow them between rows of Peas, and for late 
autumn and winter supply sow seed alongside Spinach, Onions, &c., 
on ground cleared of second early Potatoes. Turnip tops are 
sometimes used in spring as a substitute for Greens, and I have 
known Turnips placed in a Mushroom house to produce blanched 
tops, which were used instead of Seakale.—B. 
A MUSHROOM FREAK. 
Dr. George Walker of Wimbledon sends us a specimen of what 
he humorously calls Agaricus acrobaticus. One Mushroom is growing 
on the other, the hacks being quite united, and the stalk of the upper 
one is better developed than in the illustration. Perhaps the worthy 
doctor is not quite able to account for the feat of agility performed by 
his fungological protege, and we may inform him that the pair put 
their heads together under pressure when young and until they became 
united, then the stronger hoisted the weaker on its back, and thus in two 
respects supported it. Thirty years ago a similar specimen was sub¬ 
mitted to us, from which the woodcut was prepared, and it was then 
stated that occasionally these monstrosities appear where Mushrooms 
are largely grown, and it seems to be due to a strong one in a crowded 
clump forcing one of the smaller ones up. The surfaces became 
united, and the upper one derives its support from its stronger rival. 
MAIDENHAIR FERNS. 
As this is the time of the year when the general potting of 
Maidenhair Ferns is done a few lines on my method may be of 
service to beginners. I say general potting, because in some 
gardens they are potted in spring only, and then are all given a 
shift on. I have seen Ferns which have been grown in the same 
pots for several years, and have done well, too, with a little soot- 
water occasionally given them while they were making their 
growth, but they make finer fronds and larger plants with 
an occasional shift. I find young plants better for at least two 
shifts during the year. Many gardeners use peat in their compost 
for potting, but they are much better without it. How is 
it that peat is so often recommended to be mixed with loam for 
potting plants of many kinds (other than Ferns)? It is natural 
for some plants to grow in peat and others in loam, but it is not 
natural for many plants to grow in a mixture of peat and loam. 
The composition of one is very different from the other ; I believe 
it is sometimes mixed because the cultivator is not sure which is 
the natural soil it is found growing in. Sometimes peat is used 
to lighten heavy loams ; when that is its only use I think leaf 
mould would be preferable and more natural, but it is surprising 
how some plants will grow in either peat or loam. Some may say 
Maidenhairs have grown well with them for many years in peat and 
loam mixed, and so they have with me, but they have been much 
better without peat. 
I find they are best in a heavy turfy loam two parts, one part 
coarse silver sand, one decayed leaves (not leaf mould), but leaves 
